The Difference between After Effects and Premiere Pro
Both After Effects and Premiere Pro have video editing features. But if you want to really make videos or perform huge edits to videos, you have to be familiar with both programs and know what program to use when you have to do a certain video edit. A good Adobe After Effects training will emphasize on topics that are related to animation and cover some of the basics of Adobe Premiere Pro which involves adding video filters or making cosmetic changes to the video.
Keyboard Shortcuts
There are a lot of sites that show a "cheat sheet" where all of the important shortcuts to certain Adobe After Effects tasks are listed. Simply trying to memorize these keyboard combinations isn't worthwhile. It is better to learn through Adobe After Effects training because you really go hands on with the most important tools. As you start using a certain tool often, you will be introduced with the shortcut key to that tool. By discovering a keyboard shortcut one at a time, you will learn to practice that keyboard shortcut over and over so the work can be done a lot quicker.
Keyframes and Animation Creation
When designing a video though Adobe After Effects, expect the classes to cover some keyframing and other animation creation features so you can make smooth animation effects. With this knowledge you should be able to make some of the basic projects which you may be able to expand as you familiarize yourself with the other software features.
Good Adobe After Effects training sessions are supposed to be more effective than ordinary eBooks and small tutorials. You have to make sure that you get some hands on time with the various concepts so you can really understand how the feature works and when it is necessary to use that feature. Finally, make sure that the course covers the latest version of the video editing software to get to learn the new features as well.