A VEG file serves as a non-destructive project layout in VEGAS Pro, storing only references to imported clips rather than embedding any footage, while keeping metadata and every editing action—from trim points to transitions and color tweaks—so the file stays small and depends on the original media, which VEGAS Pro reloads when opened, producing missing-file alerts if clips were moved, and no real video is generated until rendering, since playback always pulls from the source files.
Rendering is the only time a true video is generated, because VEGAS Pro reads the referenced media, applies every stored edit, and outputs a file such as MP4 or MOV, while deleting the VEG file removes only the project instructions and not the source clips, which is why the
VEG file works like an editable blueprint that differs entirely from rendering, since it cannot behave as a real video and is used only for previewing edits until VEGAS Pro finalizes everything during export.
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.
Opening a VEG file makes VEGAS Pro load the saved layout instructions, which outlines how the timeline was last configured, without copying any video or audio, identifying tracks, clip placement, effects, transitions, and settings, then searching the system for every referenced source file and rebuilding the project when everything is present, or asking you to find missing items since the VEG file includes no actual media.
After the media is located, VEGAS Pro renders a temporary view by processing edit data dynamically, merging source footage with effects, transitions, color fixes, and audio tweaks as you play the project, depending on system power and never generating a finished video, keeping the project fully editable and restoring the workspace rather than creating a deliverable until you perform a final render.