After effects has layer effects that are very similar to photoshop. There are multiple ways to access them. First you will need multiple layers, of course. Then in the bottom left corner of the timeline panel click on the "Expand/Collapse Transfer control panel" icon. read more

If you are planning to export an after effects clip with an alpha channel and need to see what is transparent you should set your view to display the transparent area. Just click the toggle transparency icon located under the display window. (Located here) read more