An AETX file usually denotes an AE template saved as XML 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 typically contains keyframed elements such as keyframes, easing, interpolation, paths, and expressions, and preserves text/shape data like text content with styling options (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.
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.
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.
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 If you liked this information and you would like to obtain even more information concerning AETX file editor kindly browse through our web site. .
