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5.Hover over a portion of the monitor to display the luma value at the pointer position:
Displaying color levels and contrast using the histogram monitor
The histogram monitor in the Video Scopes window allows you to monitor color levels and contrast of your 
video. Use the histogram before rendering your project to find and correct out-of-range values that could 
cause problems on the destination playback device.
The bar graph plots the number of pixels that exist for each color intensity. For example, when using the 
Blue setting, the vertical axis represents the number of pixels, and the horizontal axis represents the RGB 
color range from 0,0,0 to 0,0,255.
To get acquainted with the histogram, use an external monitor to preview your video and watch the video 
output and histogram as you use plug-ins to modify the colors.
1.From the View menu, choose Video Scopes to toggle the display of the Video Scopes window.
2.Choose Histogram from the drop-down list.
3.Choose a histogram type from the menu:
Luminance: charts the luminance or brightness of colors in your video.
Red: charts the red tones in your video.
Green: charts the green tones in your video.
Blue: charts the blue tones in your video.
Alpha: charts the alpha channel (transparency) in your video.
Luminance/R/G/B: stacks luminance and RGB charts.
4.Position the cursor in the frame you want to analyze. If the Update Scopes While Playing button () is 
selected, you can monitor your video during playback.
5.Use the histogram to evaluate the colors in your video. The Mean value indicates the average intensity of 
all pixels in the graph, and the 
Standard Deviation value indicates the average percentage by which pixels in 
the graph vary from the 
Mean value.
Luma value 
						

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6.Use plug-ins such as Brightness and Contrast, Broadcast Colors, and Levels to adjust the color. For more 
information, see Using video effects on page 241. 
Displaying RGB components with RGB parade monitor
The RGB parade monitor in the Video Scopes window displays waveforms for the red, green, and blue 
components of your video signal. The monitor plots RGB values from 0-255 on the vertical axis and three 
times on the horizontal axis.
The parade monitor helps you determine whether the individual RGB components of your video signal are 
within limits and whether the total video signal is clipping.
1.From the View menu, choose Video Scopes to toggle the display of the Video Scopes window.
2.Choose RGB Parade from the drop-down list.
3.Position the cursor in the frame you want to analyze. If the Update Scopes While Playing button () is 
selected, you can monitor your video during playback.
4.The waveform monitor displays the RGB values of the video signal. Hover over the monitor to display the 
RGB value at the pointer position:
FrameHistogram display of frame
Mean and
standard
deviation
hues
Graph
RGB value 
						

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Adjusting video scope settings
Click the Settings button () in the Video Scopes window to set your display options. These options adjust 
the display of data in the Video Scopes window and have no effect on your data.
7. 5  I R E  s e t u p
If your video hardware will add a 7.5 IRE setup, you can configure the Video Scopes window so the display 
will be consistent with an external scope connected to a device that adds 7.5 IRE setup.
NTSC video in the United States adds 7.5 IRE setup to convert black to 7.5 IRE. Consumer video hardware 
typically does not add 7.5 IRE setup, and most professional hardware allows you to turn 7.5 IRE setup on or 
off. PAL video and NTSC video in Japan do not add setup.
Refer to your video hardware documentation to determine whether your hardware adds 7.5 IRE setup. 
1.Click the Settings button () in the Video Scopes window.
2.Select the 7. 5  I R E Setup check box in the Video Scopes Settings dialog. 
Black will be displayed as 7.5 in the waveform monitor. If your video hardware does not add 7.5 setup, 
clear the check box. 
Studio RGB display
RGB values on your computer can range from 0 to 255. Studio RGB values range from 16 to 235. If you want 
to limit the display of the Video Scopes window to studio RGB standards, perform the following steps:
1.Click the Settings button () in the Video Scopes window.
2.Select the Studio RGB (16 to 235) check box in the Video Scopes Settings dialog.
Whether you need to use the Studio RGB (16 to 235) setting depends on the codec you will use to render 
your video before printing to tape. Suggested settings follow. Refer to the codec’s documentation to 
determine whether the Studio RGB (16 to 235) check box should be selected. 
If the Use Microsoft DV codec check box is selected on the General tab of the Preferences dialog, the Microsoft 
DV codec will be used.
If the Ignore third-party DV codecs check box is selected and the Use Microsoft DV codec check box is cleared on 
the 
General tab of the Preferences dialog, the Sony Media Software DV codec will be used.
You can render using a third-party DV codec by choosing a specific codec from the Video format drop-down 
list on the 
Video tab of the Custom Template dialog.
CodecStudio RGB Setting
Sony DVOn
Microsoft® DVOff
Matrox® DVOff
MainConcept™ DVOff
Canopus®On
Apple® QuickTime™ DVOff 
						

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Previewing in a player
You can create a full-quality preview that automatically plays in the appropriate media player. You can 
preview the entire project or select a portion.
1.To preview a portion of the project, create a selection containing the portion you want to preview.
2.From the Tools menu, choose Preview in Player.
3.Select the type of preview file to create. Select a 
template or click 
Custom to configure any compression 
options.
4.To preview just a portion of the project, verify that 
Render loop region only is selected. To create a preview of 
the entire project, clear this check box.
5.Click OK.
A progress bar displays the progress of the render. When 
finished, the file automatically plays in the appropriate 
media player. 
Using an external monitor
You can feed video directly from the timeline to a television monitor or secondary Windows display. With 
this feature, you can free up valuable space in the Vegas window by viewing a full-screen preview of your 
project on a different display, or you can make your final editing decisions on a broadcast monitor (which 
differs significantly from a computer monitor) before printing the project to tape.
This feature supports video output only; audio is not output to the external monitor.
Note: If you intend to deliver your project in an interlaced 
format, previewing on a computer monitor is not a substitute 
for previewing on an interlaced broadcast monitor.
Note: Vegas software allows you to use one external video 
device at a time. The external monitor display will be 
unavailable during video capture.
Configuring an external monitor
Prior to previewing on an external monitor, you’ll need to configure your system to use this feature. From the 
Options menu, choose Preferences and then click the Preview Device tab to configure an external monitor. 
Your video will be sent to this device when you click the 
Preview on External Monitor button () in the Video 
Preview window. For more information, see Setting preferences on page 336. 
						

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Previewing video on a secondary Windows display
This feature is available only in the full version of Vegas software.
If your Windows desktop is extended across multiple displays, you can one of those displays to preview the 
timeline with no A/V synchronization drift—for ADR and foley work.
If you intend to deliver your project in an interlaced format, previewing on a computer monitor is not a 
substitute for previewing on an interlaced broadcast monitor.
To use a Windows display as a monitor, you must have the following:
 A multiple-output graphics card that supports 3D acceleration (or multiple graphics cards: you could 
install AGP and PCI video cards in your system, for example)
 A CRT, LCD, or projector connected to your computer’s secondary video output
The Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor check box must be selected on the Settings tab or the 
Display Properties dialog (Start > Settings > Control Panel > Display)
Note: Vegas software allows you to use one external video 
device at a time. The external monitor display will be 
unavailable during video capture.
Follow the steps below to set up your preview:
1.Use the Preview Device tab in the Preferences dialog to configure the display you want to use as a video 
preview monitor.
2.Select the Preview on External Monitor button () in the Video Preview window.
 When playback is stopped, the secondary display will match the display of the Video Preview window. 
 When you start playback, the Video Preview window will be blank, and the video is played on the 
secondary display.
Viewing on a broadcast monitor via IEEE-1394 (FireWire)
To use an external monitor, you must have the following:
 OHCI-compliant IEEE-1394 DV card
 DV camcorder or DV-to-analog converter box
Note: Vegas software allows you to use one external video 
device at a time. The external monitor display will be 
unavailable during video capture.
While configuring your computer for DV external monitor previewing is not difficult, the setup may require 
some troubleshooting. The Vegas forum is a good resource for peer-to-peer system troubleshooting:
http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/forums 
						

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Setting up an external monitor
The diagram below shows the preferred setup for sending video from the timeline to an external television 
monitor. 
The video is converted to DV format and is sent through the IEEE-1394 card to the DV device (camcorder 
or DV-to-analog media converter). The DV device sends analog output to the television monitor.
Use the Preview Device tab in the Preferences dialog to configure your IEEE-1394 card.
Note: The DV device must support pass-through in order to 
use an external monitor. Some PAL camcorders do not 
support this feature.
Previewing audio
External monitor previewing differs in one respect from printing to tape from the timeline: no audio is sent 
through the preview device. As shown in the illustration above, the audio is routed to the sound card and 
then on to the mixer (if present) and speakers. This allows you to mix your audio on better speakers than are 
typically found in television monitors. 
Before printing to tape, you may wish to preview the audio through the television monitor speakers to ensure 
a good TV mix. You can use the print-to-tape feature to send the full video and audio to the external 
monitor. Follow the steps for printing to tape from the timeline (pg. 323) but do not set the camcorder to 
record. Both the video and audio are sent through the 1394 card to the external monitor.
Optimizing preview quality
Keep in mind that complex effects and/or transitions may not play back in real time from the timeline. What 
effects can and cannot be played back depends on the speed of your computer. You may want to prerender 
more complex portions of a project. For more information, see Prerendering video on page 289.
Note: The compression settings used to create the 
prerendered video must be identical to your captured files for 
timeline playback to work.
Computer
Sound card
Speakers Video to 
camcorderAnalog to 
Audio to Television monitorspeakerstelevision
1394 cardCamcorder or 
Media converter 
						

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Viewing on an external monitor via DeckLink
This feature is available only in the full version of Vegas software.
You can send video directly from the timeline to a video monitor connected to a Blackmagic Design 
DeckLink™ card.
Your system must conform to all DeckLink system requirements to use the card with Vegas software. For 
more information about DeckLink system requirements and for DeckLink support information, please refer 
to the Blackmagic Design Web site.
Note: Vegas software allows you to use one external video 
device at a time. The external monitor display will be 
unavailable during video capture.
1.Use the Preview Device tab in the Preferences dialog to configure your DeckLink card.
2.Select the Preview on External Monitor button () in the Video Preview window.
 When playback is stopped, the external monitor will match the display of the Video Preview window. 
 When you start playback, the Video Preview window will be blank, and the video is played on the 
external monitor. 
						

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CHP. 17SAVING, RENDERING, AND PRINTING PROJECTS
CHAPTER305
Saving, Rendering, 
and Printing Projects
Vegas® software allows you to save and render projects into many different multimedia formats. When you 
render your Vegas project, the project itself is not altered, but rather can be rendered in any number of 
different formats.
This chapter explains saving a project and using the Save As and Render As functions. In addition, you will 
find reference information for the rendering options available. This chapter also describes the different 
options for delivering your projects, such as printing to tape, burning a Video CD, or burning a multimedia 
CD.
Saving a project
A Vegas project is saved as a small VEG file. This file contains all of the information needed to recreate your 
project: source file locations, trimming, track and bus plug-ins, volume and panning envelopes, bus 
assignments, assignable effects settings, etc. This is not the same as creating a final media file, which is done 
with the Render As command.
Note: The option is also provided of saving a project as an 
Edit Decision List (EDL). For more information, see 
Creating an EDL on page 233.
1.Click the Save button (). The first time a project is saved, the Save As dialog appears.
In subsequent saves, the Save As dialog is bypassed, your existing file name is retained, and your project is 
updated to include any changes.
2.Select Vegas Project File (.veg) from the Save as type list (default).
3.Select the drive and folder where you want to store the project.
4.Type the project name in the File name box.
5.Click Save.
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Creating a copy of a project (using Save As...)
After you have been working with your project, you can use the Save As command in the File menu to create 
a copy of the small project file with a different name. Since multimedia projects can be very complex, and 
since Vegas project files are so small, saving a number of different versions of a project is a low-risk way to try 
new techniques.
1.From the File menu, choose Save As. The Save As dialog appears. 
2.Select the drive and folder where you want to store the project.
3.Type a new name in the File name box.
4.Click the Save button on the Save As dialog.
Saving a project with media
The option of saving both the project file (VEG) and the media files to a common location is also provided. 
You can choose to save all media files along with the project file or allow Vegas software to consolidate and 
trim the media for you. With this second option, media storage is optimized by saving only those portions of 
files that are used in the project and by eliminating unused takes.
Note: Peak files (.sfk) and audio proxy files (.sfap0) are not 
saved with the project when 
Copy and trim media with project 
is selected. Because these files can regenerate as needed, they 
do not need to be archived. For more information, see Peak 
File (.sfk) on page 383 or Audio proxy files (.sfap0) on page 
371.
1.From the File menu, choose Save As. The Save As dialog appears.
2.Select the drive and folder where you want to store the project.
3.Type the project name in the File name box.
4.Select the Copy and trim media with project check box. 
5.Click Save. The Copy Media Options dialog appears. 
6.Select the appropriate option:
 Select the Copy all media radio button to copy all media files to the 
same location as the Vegas project file.
 Select the Create trimmed copies of source media radio button to 
optimize media storage by saving only those portions of media files 
used in events and discarding unused takes. Audio files are saved as 
Wave format if under 2 GB (as Wave64 if over 2 GB) and DV 
video is saved as AVI. Non-DV video files are copied in full.
Enter an Extra head and tail (seconds) value to indicate how much time should be included before and after 
the trimmed media. For example, if the project contains a 2-minute media file, but the event on the 
timeline for that file lasts only from 1:00 to 1:20, you could enter 5 seconds in the 
Extra Head and Tail box 
to have the media file saved from 0:55 to 1:25 (5 seconds added to the head and tail of the event). 
Including this extra material allows space for future edits.
7.Click OK. The project file is saved and the related media files to the location you specified.