# Download
After a render finishes — or when you open a Lottie file in your workspace — the plugin offers four download variants. This chapter covers what each variant is, when to pick which, and where the Download UI surfaces.

## Where Download appears

- **After a local render** — the render queue surfaces a Download section per rendered composition.
- **In a workspace file view** — opening any Lottie file inside the Workspace tab shows a Download accordion. {/* [needs review] confirm exact path */}

Both surfaces share the same 4-variant model below.

<Image src="https://assets.docs.lottiefiles.com/static/c840aa0fc1-640.webp" alt="After Effects plugin Download accordion showing dotLottie and JSON download variants with file sizes" caption="The Download accordion groups standard and optimized variants for the same rendered animation" zoom variant="default" srcSet="https://assets.docs.lottiefiles.com/static/c840aa0fc1-640.webp 640w, https://assets.docs.lottiefiles.com/static/c840aa0fc1-1024.webp 1024w, https://assets.docs.lottiefiles.com/static/c840aa0fc1-1920.webp 1920w" width="2160" height="1332" loading="lazy" data-blur="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAgAAAAFCAYAAAB4ka1VAAAACXBIWXMAAAPoAAAD6AG1e1JrAAAAbUlEQVR4nGPwjUj57xUY89/CzvG/obkNHLsHRv8HyTGACEfv0P8K6tr/lTV1/ssqq/2X1tX77+gbjqpAVdfwv7q+8X8FTZ3/8uraYDEUBYo6uv+V9fT/K2nrgxVhKNAwNAVjRS09MHbxjQArAABlZ0WF1cq8CQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==" />

## Download formats

The plugin downloads your animation in one of two formats.

| Variant   | Format      | Typical size                        | When to use                                                              |
| --------- | ----------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `.lottie` | dotLottie   | Up to \~80% smaller than `.json`    | Default for production. Smallest file; supports State Machines + Themes. |
| `.JSON`   | Lottie JSON | Baseline — plain, uncompressed text | For runtimes that can only load plain Lottie JSON.                       |

{/* [stub] expand each format's size, structure, and trade-offs once a real render is available for comparison */}

## Optimization

The plugin can download each format **optimized** or **standard**. Optimization runs the rendered Lottie through LottieFiles' own optimization pipeline to shrink the file on disk and over the network without changing playback. Optimized and standard files play identically in supporting runtimes; the difference is purely in file size.

If you see playback differences between optimized and standard output, that's a bug worth reporting. Whether you can download the **Optimized `.lottie`** variant depends on your plan — see the note below.

## Related

- [Render](/en/integrations/after-effects/05_render) — decide which format to render before you reach Download.
- [Feature checker](/en/integrations/after-effects/08_feature-checker) — validate the downloaded file's feature usage.

## Limits and plans

The standard `.json` and `.lottie` downloads are available on every plan. The **Optimized `.lottie`** variant (typically 30-60% smaller) requires a paid LottieFiles plan. See [How plans affect the plugin](/en/integrations/after-effects/10_workspace/plans-and-limits).