A VEG file serves as a non-destructive project guide for VEGAS Pro, capturing references to source media plus metadata and all creative decisions like cuts, color work, transitions, and automation, making the file small because it stores instructions rather than footage; when reopened, VEGAS Pro follows those saved paths to rebuild the timeline, alerting the user if items were moved, and uses the original media for preview until the project is formally rendered.
Rendering is the sole step where VEGAS Pro creates an actual video file, because during export it reads the source clips, applies all instructions from the VEG file, and writes a new format like MP4 or MOV, while deleting the
VEG file does not touch the original media but does erase the ability to reopen or change the project, making VEG files more like editable recipes than finished videos, since rendering and project files serve different roles and the VEG file itself cannot act as a video, as it simply tells VEGAS Pro how to assemble the footage for preview without producing real frames until export.
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VEG file type generously visit our web-site. Rendering is the moment editing directions are compiled into real frames, as the program processes source media frame by frame, applies every listed cut, transition, effect, and audio process, and then encodes the result into MP4, MOV, or AVI, yielding a self-contained file independent of project paths, while the VEG file remains editable but not usable as final output, and deleting it destroys the ability to change the video even though the render survives, whereas deleting the render still allows re-exporting if the VEG and clips remain, highlighting the VEG file as the master and rendering as the final transformation step.

When a VEG file is opened, VEGAS Pro begins by reading the encoded timeline plan that reflect the last saved editing state, without importing any footage, using the VEG file to identify tracks, timing, effects, transitions, and global settings, then checking file paths to locate the original media so it can reconstruct the timeline, prompting you only if something has been moved or renamed because the VEG file contains directions, not the media itself.
Once connected to the media, VEGAS Pro constructs a temporary view by executing edits instantly, blending effects, transitions, color adjustments, and audio changes with the original clips as you navigate the timeline, making hardware performance crucial while no final file is created, leaving everything editable, and simply restoring the workspace for continued editing or eventual rendering.