An AETX file generally refers to an After Effects XML template that stores the project in structured text rather than binary, enabling better inspection 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 normally holds animation details such as keyframes, easing, interpolation, paths, and expressions, and preserves text/shape data like text content with styling elements (font, size, tracking, alignment, fill/stroke), text animators, and vector paths, strokes, fills, and trim/repeater settings with transforms and keyframes, but it doesn’t embed footage, fonts, or plugins, relying instead on file paths and installed resources, so moving the file can lead to missing-footage or missing-plugin prompts; the standard workflow is to open/import it in After Effects, relink or replace assets, resolve warnings, and save to AEP/AET, though you can still read the XML in a text editor without achieving full reproduction.
If you beloved this article so you would like to acquire more info concerning AETX file information please visit our webpage. The source of an AETX is important 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.
When an AETX is sent by a client or teammate, it’s often a clean interchange file meant to share the project layout without the heavy media, which is common in Git or shared workflows, so the key question is whether they included a Collected project or at least the assets folder, because otherwise you’ll spend time relinking and replacing files, and you may encounter version mismatches, missing plugins, or script-based expression errors, especially if it originated from a studio system where internal paths won’t match your setup.
Receiving an AETX from a random or unknown origin requires care because although it’s text-based XML, it can still link to external files and rely on expressions or plugins you shouldn’t install without trust, so the smart approach is to use a clean AE environment, avoid unverified plugins, and anticipate missing assets, and then choose your follow-up based on the source type: marketplace templates require checking bundled folders/readmes, client files call for collected assets, and pipeline exports may expect specific directory structures and AE versions.
