aAF File Extension?

What gives with XVid - aAF video files?

Are they Apple format or what?

Are they convertible to normal AVI for Windows use & if so, what will convert them?





Sorted:

I downed a couple of them & they extracted directly to playable AVI's.

I still don't get it though?

Why are they recently starting to label files aAF?

Is it some sort of new codec?



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"The Advanced Authoring Format (AAF) is a professional file interchange format designed for the video post production and authoring environment. AAF was created to help address the problem of multi-vendor, cross-platform interoperability for computer-based digital video production."

I have yet to happen across a file with this extension, but I am glad that you got it sorted so if I do there will be no worries. And thanks to dan-ger-ous for explanation.

Originally Posted by ferguj1

I have yet to happen across a file with this extension, but I am glad that you got it sorted so if I do there will be no worries. And thanks to dan-ger-ous for explanation.

Anytime mate.

just got this when looking around have never seen this type of file before

What is an AAF File?

Did you find an AAF file on your computer and wonder what program should open it? Maybe someone emailed you an AAF file but you're not sure how to use it. Perhaps you tried to open the AAF file but Windows told you that it could not open it.

Before you can open an AAF file (assuming it's even a file format that's intended to be viewed or edited), you'll need to determine what kind of file the AAF file extension refers to.


Answer: A file with the AAF file extension is an Advanced Authoring Format file.
Other types of files may also use the AAF file extension. If you know of any additional file formats that use the AAF extension, please let me know so I can update this information.

How to Open an AAF File:
The easiest way to open an AAF file is to double-click on it and let your PC decide which default application should open the file. If no program opens the AAF file then you probably don't have an application installed that can view and/or edit AAF files.

Warning: Take great care when opening executable file formats received via email or downloaded from websites you're not familiar with. See my List of Executable File Extensions for a listing of file extensions to avoid and why.

As of this writing, I don't have information on any specific applications that will view AAF files or open AAF files for editing. If you know of any, please send me a quick email and let me know the name of the program so I can update this page.

Tip: Use Notepad or another text editor to open the AAF file. Many files are text-only files meaning no matter the file extension, a text editor may be able to properly display the file's contents. This may or may not be the case with AAF files but it's worth a try.

If you find that an application on your PC does try to open the AAF file but it's the wrong application or if you would rather have another installed program open AAF files, see my How to Change the Default Program for a Specific File Extension guide for making that change in Windows.

How to Convert an AAF File:
There are two main ways to attempt to convert an AAF file to another file type:

•Open the AAF file in its default program and choose to save the open file as another file format.
•Use a File Conversion Online Service or Software Program to convert the AAF file to another file format.
The first option involving opening the AAF file in its native program is preferable because it's both easier and will probably result in a more accurate file conversion. Of course if you don't have a program that opens AAF files, a third-party file conversion tool (the second option) could be very useful.

Important: You cannot usually change a file extension (like the AAF file extension) to one that your computer recognizes and expect the newly renamed file to be usable. An actual file format conversion using one of the methods described above must take place in most cases.

By Tim Fisher