An AETX file is essentially an AE template expressed in XML that stores the project in structured text rather than binary, enabling better exchange of compositions, folders, layer stacks, timing, and settings, though sometimes at the cost of larger size or slower loading, and it includes comp metadata—resolution, frame rate, duration, nesting—along with layer types, in/out points, transforms, parenting, 2D/3D options, blend modes, mattes, masks, and the full effect list with ordered parameters.

An AETX file commonly provides animation information like keyframes, interpolation, easing, paths, and expressions, along with text and shape details such as the actual text content, styling settings (font, size, tracking, alignment, fill/stroke), text animators, and vector paths, strokes, fills, trim paths, and repeaters with individual transforms and keyframes, yet it excludes embedded media, fonts, and plugins, instead holding references to external assets and requiring AE to relink them, which can cause portability issues; the proper method is to load it into After Effects, replace or relink files, handle font/plugin warnings, and re-save as AEP/AET, while a text editor can show XML but not replicate the project in full.

The source of an AETX plays a big role because it usually tells you what else is supposed to accompany it—assets, plugins, fonts, licensing—and what problems you might see on opening, particularly if the file came as part of a template pack where the AETX is only one piece alongside an Assets folder, sometimes a Preview folder, and documentation listing needed fonts and plugins, so missing media prompts appear when the XML points to absent files, solved by not altering folder structure or relinking, with licensed materials intentionally omitted for legal reasons.

If an AETX comes from a client or teammate, it’s usually a media-free way for them to share the project skeleton while keeping large assets separate or because they’re working through Git/version control, making it essential to check whether they also provided a Collected project package or an assets folder, since missing those means lots of manual relinking, and the file may also depend on specific AE versions, plugins, or scripts, with studio-pipeline exports often containing path references that won’t exist on your machine, guaranteeing relinking unless everything was packaged correctly.

If an AETX is received from an unknown or untrusted place, its origin is key to your expectations because although it’s just XML, it can still reference media or depend on scripts/plugins that may prompt installation, so you treat it like any template but open it in a clean AE environment, decline questionable plugins, and anticipate missing footage/fonts, then determine your follow-up based on the type of source—marketplace templates require checking bundles, client files require collected assets, and pipeline outputs may assume specific directory layouts and AE versions In the event you loved this post and you would love to receive more information with regards to easy AETX file viewer generously visit our internet site. .