A VEG file serves as a non-destructive session file used by VEGAS Pro to capture editing choices without embedding any video or audio, relying instead on references to the original media plus metadata and every adjustment made on the timeline, which keeps the file small and dependent on accessible source files; when loaded, VEGAS Pro recreates the timeline if those files exist but reports missing ones otherwise, and real output isn’t produced until the user renders the project.

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 plan 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.

Here’s more info regarding VEG file information review the web-page. Rendering is the stage where the timeline becomes permanent output, 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 triggers VEGAS Pro to load the saved project blueprint that captures the last timeline state, without importing footage, detailing tracks, clip positions, effects, transitions, and settings before checking all referenced file paths so it can rebuild the timeline when files are found, or request manual relinking if they are missing since the VEG file holds no media copies.

After the media connects properly, VEGAS Pro builds a temporary preview by processing edits dynamically, combining raw footage with effects, transitions, color adjustments, and audio tweaks as you move through the timeline, which relies heavily on hardware strength, while no actual video is produced and all changes remain reversible, meaning opening a VEG file only rebuilds the editable workspace, not a completed output.