Okay this may sound like a stupid question, but first of all...what is it? Secondly, what do I use it for? Thirdly, how do I use it? Lastly, Why should I use it?

The best explanation: Photoshop for video.

You can use it for motion graphics (company IDs, crazy credits, etc), basic 3D stuff and most importantly, compositing and rotoscoping. It's incredibly powerful! The interface is pretty much like Photoshop and a generic NLE ran at each other really fast ;)

I found it fairly easy to pick up, if you're used to PS and NLEs you shouldn't have a problem.

If you're doing any greenscreen work or want to add 3D elements into your work, use it. I can't describe everything you can do with it, but if you use it a few times you'll realize how much potential it has.

Ok. I'm familiar with PS and Premiere and these two programs I picked up how to do things rather quickly, but AE has gotten me baffled. So do I have to export clips and PSD's in order to create a composition or do I create the objects in AE itself?

Garret I suggest you pick up one of the Creating Motion Graphics books by the Meyers (not sure that's how they spell their last name -- I'll check later). They have examples and projects that you work through. Amazon carries them, and there's a new couple of volumes that have come out in the last few months addressing the latest version 5.5 of the program.

AE is one of the best pieces of software out there, but it takes some playing around to get used to it.

Thanks Stuart, BTW, Lawyers are people, albeit babies! :) I work as a systems engineer for a law firm...hehehe.

Yeah I'm well versed at Photoshop and Premiere but found AE5 a bit confusing. I did, however, pick up the training cds over at Lynda.com and am going thru them now. Downside is the one narrator , Bruce Haven, sounds like the teacher on South Park- Mmmmmm- K lol

I've seen some very artsy looking footage done via compositions in AE and they look incredible. I'm wondering about the actual workflow. Say if I'm working in a project in Premiere and there is a section of edited footage I want to edit in AE...do I have to output it as DV AVI to then import it into AE. I wish AE worked THRU the Premiere interface and that you could set the work area to be the area exported into AE without re-encoding.

I was playing with AE last night and I was able to import a PSD (yay) but how the heck do you create the key frames in the Windows version. Most of the tutorials I've read online are for the Mac. I did it accidentally, but I would like to learn how to intentionally do it.

As the gentleman said above

"Garret I suggest you pick up one of the Creating Motion Graphics books by the CHRIS Meyers"

You'll be flying afterwards!!

I wish AE worked THRU the Premiere interface and that you could set the work area to be the area exported into AE without re-encodingApparently, the upcoming versions of Premiere and AE do just that. They use metadata (whatever the heck that is) to seamlessly share projects. Or so the NAB reports say anyhow!