After Effects works in much the same way as Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign. In fact, the main panels in After Effects function the same way as panels in the other apps... the only real difference is what they are named. The Timeline panel in After Effects works like the Layers panel in the other apps, the Composition panel is similar to an Artboard in Illustrator, the Canvas in Photoshop, or a page in InDesign.