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 one step that produces an actual video, as VEGAS Pro processes the original footage, follows the edit instructions, and writes a new file like MP4 or MOV, and removing the VEG file leaves the media untouched but destroys the option to modify or re-render the project, showing that the VEG file is essentially an editable template rather than a finished product, with rendering being a separate purpose since the VEG file cannot function as video and only guides the software during temporary previews.
Rendering is the stage where instructions are executed and turned into a finished video, with VEGAS Pro processing each frame of the source clips, applying all timeline edits, effects, transitions, and audio work before encoding to MP4, MOV, or AVI, creating a standalone file that plays independently, unlike the VEG file which stays editable but cannot act as a deliverable, and if deleted, erases the ability to modify the project, while a deleted render can always be recreated as long as the VEG and media are present, showing that the VEG file is the master document and rendering produces the final, fixed output.
For more info regarding VEG file unknown format have a look at the website. When VEGAS Pro opens a VEG file, it interprets the stored timeline structure instead of pulling in real media, using that information to understand track counts, clip order, timing, effects, transitions, and keyframes, and then scanning the system for each referenced source file so it can reassemble the timeline exactly, prompting you to locate anything that has been moved because the VEG file holds only directions to the media.
When media links successfully, VEGAS Pro creates a live visualization by interpreting edits instantly to combine the source footage with transitions, effects, color work, and audio processing, which stresses system resources and doesn’t generate a finished video, allowing unlimited edits and serving only to reopen the project environment so you can continue working until you choose to render the final output.
