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After Effects

Getting Started With After Effects: The Interface
Definitions of common AE terminology and a discussion of the most commonly used elements of the interface.(screenshots)
Importing Files Into After Effects
This covers how to get graphics, animations and videos you've created in other programs into AE. (screenshots)
Supported File Types
AE can import and work with dozens of file types; this covers some of the most common ones you will be working with.
Creating a New Composition
Compositions are where you build your videos in After Effects. This covers the basics of creating a new composition with the appropriate settings for your project. (screenshots)
Transform Properties
Each layer has properties which describe it's position, width, height, etc. These can be changed numerically on the timeline or visually in the Composition window. (screenshots)
Keyframe Basics
Keyframes are the most basic tool for animation in AE - they allow you to vary properties and effects over time to create motion.
Working With Keyframes
Once you've learned to set keyframes you'll quickly want to make changes to them, re-use them, etc. This covers copying/pasting, moving, deleting and changing keyframe types.
Rendering
Rendering is the process of turning your composition into a finished video file (screenshots)
Working with Effects
Effects are similar to filters in Photoshop, except that they can be varied over time. Discusses how to apply them to layers as well as keyframe their parameters.
Solids
Solids can be used either as blank layers (to hold effects) or as simple areas of solid color.
Text Layer Basics
Text layers are a new (and long requested) feature in AE 6. They provide typography controls very similar to those in Photoshop.
Text Layer Animation
Part of the new text layer feature is a sophisticated system for animating text within each layer. This allows you to create sophisticated animation without adding more text layers or using a lot of keyframes.
Digital Video Compression
A discussion of video compression with specific details about it's use when rendering your AE projects.
Layer Transfer Modes
Transfer modes change the way two stacked layers blend together, allowing you to create complex blends without masks or color keys.
Using Photoshop With After Effects
AE lets you bring in layered photoshop files and then add motion and effects to the individual layers.
Layer Masks
Masks in AE let you cut holes through your video or graphical elements; like most features in AE they can be animated over time.
Track Mattes
Track Mattes let you use the brightness levels or alpha channels of one layer as a mask for another layer.
Parenting
Perenting allows you to link layers to one another in a child-parent relationship, so that the child layers inherit the transform property changes from the parent layer.
Audio in AE
AE is fairly limited in it's audio capabilities, but it can be useful to bring temporary audio in as a reference.
Property Graphs
By default AE interprets changes between two keyframes in a linear fashion. Property Graphs let you vary the rate of change between two keyframes, giving your animations more natural movement.
Common Keyboard Shortcuts for After Effects
These are the shortcuts I use most frequently when working in AE.