AEP Downgrader

Convert Adobe After Effects projects from newer to older versions

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About

AEP Downgrader converts Adobe After Effects project files (.aep) from newer versions to older ones. Useful for team workflows where members use different AE versions.

Features a modern dark-themed UI built with PyQt5.

Supported Conversions

• Source version detection range: AE 20.x to AE 33.x
• Target selection in UI: any lower version down to AE 20.x
• Stability labels in UI:
  • Stable: AE 23.x, AE 24.x, AE 25.x
  • Experimental: AE 21.x, AE 20.x

Important:

• The app only allows downgrading to versions lower than the detected source version.
• Unknown source versions are blocked from conversion until removed from selection.

Download

Pre-built binaries available on the Releases page:

• Windows: AEP-Downgrader-Windows.zip → extract and run AEP-Downgrader.exe
• macOS: AEP-Downgrader-macOS.dmg → open and drag app to Applications
• Linux: AEP-Downgrader-Linux.tar.gz → extract and run ./AEP-Downgrader

Usage

1. Launch the application
2. Select one or more .aep files
3. The app automatically detects the source version
4. Select target version from the dropdown (stable/experimental labels are shown)
5. Click "Convert"
6. Converted files are saved next to each source file with version suffix (e.g., project_AE24x.aep)

Debug Mode

Built-in debug logging for troubleshooting:

1. Menu: Debug → Enable Debug Mode (or press Ctrl+D)
2. View logs: Debug → View Debug Logs
3. Export report: Debug → Export Debug Report

Debug mode is included in all builds - no additional installation required.

Building from Source

Prerequisites

• Python 3.9+
• pip

Build

# Clone and enter directory
git clone https://github.com/itsAnchorpoint/AEP-Downgrader.git
cd AEP-Downgrader

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # Linux/macOS
# venv\Scripts\activate  # Windows

# Install dependencies
pip install pyinstaller PyQt5 psutil

# Build
pyinstaller src/AEPdowngrader.py --onefile --windowed --name AEP-Downgrader --add-data "assets:assets" --hidden-import=psutil --hidden-import=debug_logger --collect-all=PyQt5

For detailed platform-specific instructions, see:

• BUILD_WINDOWS.md
• BUILD_MACOS.md

Development

Running tests

# Activate venv first
source venv/bin/activate
python src/AEPdowngrader.py

Creating a release

# Update version in src/AEPdowngrader.py (app metadata in `show_about()` and `main()`)
# Update version in setup.py

git commit -m "Release v1.2.0"
git tag v1.2.0
git push origin main
git push origin v1.2.0

GitHub Actions automatically builds all platforms and creates the release.

License

GNU General Public License v3.0 - see LICENSE for details.