User Guide

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CHP. 2 GETTING STARTED
CHAPTER
37
Getting Started
Vegas is a new way of creating multimedia productions. Whether you are an experienced multimedia author
or a budding novice, the powerful features and capabilities of Vegas are organized to increase your creativity
and productivity. The following chapter summarizes the basic functions and operations of Vegas.
Creating projects
The process of creating a multimedia production can be a complicated undertaking, involving hundreds of
shots, takes, voiceovers, music beds, audio tracks, and special effects. Organization is a critical issue in this
process. In Vegas, organization is handled by a small project file (VEG) that saves information about source
file locations, edits, cuts, insertion points, transitions, and special effects. This project file is not a
multimedia file, but is instead used to create (render) the final file when editing is finished.
The advantage Vegas offers is not just organization, however, but the fact that Vegas edits a project file and
not the original source files. When you copy, cut, paste, trim, and otherwise edit your project, the process is
nondestructive. You can edit without worrying about corrupting your source files. This not only gives you a
strong sense of security, but it also gives you the freedom to experiment.
1. From the File menu, choose New. The New Project dialog appears.
Note: The first time you run Vegas, a new project will
automatically be started for you.
2. Enter your project settings on the various tabs. For more
information, see Working with project properties on page 265.
• The
Video tab allows you to select the video format and
other video parameters.
• The
Audio tab allows you to set up the basic audio
settings.
• The
Ruler tab allows you to choose the way the ruler is
delineated (beats, seconds, etc.).
• The
Summary tab allows you to enter any relevant
information and reminders about your project.
• The
Audio CD tab allows you to enter information for
burning audio CDs from Vegas.
Tip: The easiest way to set the often complex properties on the
Video tab is to select a template that matches your media (e.g.,
NTSC DV (720x480, 29.970 fps)).
3. Click OK.
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