An ALE file typically refers to an Avid Log Exchange format used in film/TV post-production as a plain-text, tab-delimited way to pass clip metadata—not the video or audio itself—between systems, carrying details like clip names, scene/take, roll info, notes, and crucially reel/tape names plus timecode in/out, which helps editors import footage already organized and later conform media using identifiers such as reel name and timecode.
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ALE file compatibility i implore you to pay a visit to our own website. To quickly identify an Avid-type .ALE, open it in Notepad and see whether it contains clear text arranged in table-like form with "Heading," "Column," and "Data" sections plus tabbed rows; if instead you find mostly unreadable data such as XML/JSON, it may belong to another application, so its source folder matters, and because Avid ALEs are small, a large file strongly suggests it’s not the Avid format.
If your goal is only to preview the data, you can load the ALE into Excel or Google Sheets as a tab-delimited file to view the columns cleanly, but be
cautious since spreadsheets may auto-correct timecodes or remove leading zeros, and for Avid use you normally import the ALE to generate a clip bin that you then link or relink to media by matching reel/tape names and timecode, with relinking problems usually caused by conflicting reel labels or incorrect timecode/frame-rate details.
An ALE file is typically an Avid Log Exchange file, basically a plain-text metadata bundle for film/video work that behaves like a spreadsheet saved as text but is tailored for editing software, carrying clip names, scene/take info, camera identifiers, audio roll notes, on-set annotations, and the key reel/tape plus timecode in/out details, and since it’s simple text, logging apps or assistants can produce it and pass it along for editors to import cleanly and consistently.
An ALE is particularly helpful because it forms a bridge between the raw files and the structure of an editing project: importing it into an editor like Avid Media Composer instantly produces clips with correct logging fields, avoiding manual labeling, and that same metadata—especially reel/tape fields plus timecode—works like a unique marker for reconnecting to source recordings, making the ALE a source of context rather than content by defining what each shot is and where it belongs.
Even though "ALE" usually means Avid Log Exchange, the extension isn’t exclusive, so the simplest way to confirm what yours is remains to open it in a text editor and see whether it appears as a table-like sheet with headings and columns about clips, reels, and timecode; if so, it’s almost certainly the Avid-style metadata log, but if it doesn’t look like that, it may belong to another program and must be identified by its source.