I know them both, no you can't get VS vsp's to be read in VP20 they are totally different.

It's a good migration, VP is much superior and accurate then VS but isn't as user friendly as most professional NLE's are.

Also, Vegas edits with overlays being just that. Placed over the video, like a title or picture in picture. In VS, titles are under the main video track.

So yes, it's a start from scratch. I have VS2022 Ultimate installed on my computer. It does some things easier than Vegas, but I edit with Vegas and can edit faster.

As for saving your project as a package, it can be done, but not as easily as with Videostudio or Pinnacle Studio. File management is what I've been doing for years, so it's second nature to have what I need in the proper, easy to find, folders.

If you are serious about editing, you will find Vegas not as intimidating as it appears. I came from Pinnacle Studio several years ago, and after 2 weeks, I've not looked back. I have some templates that are easy to create in Pinnacle that I still use. But editing, compositing, and the wealth of effects (BorisFX, Newblue FX, and others) is something that when needed, are there.

@Kelly-Foster you can save all your files and project file into a folder when you exit the software. You can check mark "Copy Media with project". You would save it to a folder and everything will be there.

BTW, what are your computer specs?

@Kelly-Foster, what do you mean by this "Vegas Pro 20 in order to get Boris FX Particle Illusion plug-in"

Thank you all for your responses. Yes, Videostudio is by Corel. My laptop is a 2-year-old $2,000 HP laptop. Relatively high performance as laptops go, but by no means a high performance video editing box. Rendering speed under VideoStudio was acceptable for my 3 minute to 10 minute projects. With respect to my comment about getting access to Boris FX, the Particle Illusion plugin does not work with VideoStudio. Vegas Pro seemed to be the most economical path for me to be able to track objects and apply smoke and flames with accuracy. I owned a copy of Vegas Pro from 8 years ago. Dusted it off, paid to upgrade to the latest, and got a one-year license to Continuum. So for a few hundred dollars I am able to do reasonably sophisticated tracking and particle special effects. Like a flaming volleyball on a hard kill. Sorry to hear there's no slick way to import a completed project from video studio, but not surprised that this is the case. More than anything, glad to see there is an active community around Vegas Pro for questions I will undoubtedly have further down the line. And for what it's worth, a complex but powerful user interface would be my preference versus a less capable but easier to use interface. My first decade post college was deep in software R&D so I'll take functionality over glossy UI 7 days a week.

You might be interested in these Vegas + Particle Illusion + Mocha tutorials:

Please be aware that if you have the free version of BorisFX's Particle Illusion, the PI free version is a standalone version only and does not work as a plugin in any NLE including Vegas Pro. Only the purchased/subscribed licenced version of Particle Illusion can be used as a plugin in Vegas Pro and many other NLEs.

Ian, thanks for the links to the videos. I've watched some but not all of those. Dexcon, yes I'm aware of the difference. I started with the free stand alone version, and quickly realized I wanted tracking and a plug-in. Which is how I ended up on Vegas Pro.

@Kelly-Foster out of curiosity, are you getting Continuum Complete or just Particle Illusion. Black Friday sales for Boris are around the corner.

Continuum Complete, 1yr license, $90. I will keep an eye out for deals on a perm license for the full monty.

You might be interested in these Vegas + Particle Illusion + Mocha tutorials:

Thanks for these. The Michael Harrison video (#3) and dragster video (#4) were new to me and helpful!

@Kelly-Foster Ok... you subscribed to the Particle Illusion for a year. The subscription for a year (at the moment) is $195 for Continuum Complete. More stuff than you can imagine.

The Boris customer support is pretty good if you decided to go that route. I own Continuum Complete and upgrade yearly (usually around Black Friday, $150). And since it's a perpetual license, I don't have to rent it next year.

Wait for Black Friday and see what offers they have. It's an amazing kit.

@Reyfox, I believe my 1 year license is for the full suite of Contiuum. The order confirmation said "Boris FX Continuum 2022.5 (One-year license)". That reads like more than just PI, don't you agree?

@Kelly-Foster the license might be for Particle Illusion considering the cost? The latest version of Continuum is 2023. Particle Illusion is suppose to be 2023 also? included with BorisFX Continuum Complete 2023.

Did you select OFX? Also, since it's a "standalone" where you will also get the standalone version, might be coming later? I am not sure if PI2023 is released as a separate "unit", but you will get it when it happens. You are good for a year of updates.

@Kelly-Foster when you install it, do not forget to get all the emitters (about 2500). That's a separate download. Once you open PI, Help>Download Emitters...

@Reyfox, you asked about computer specs. Here they are:

Processor    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10750H CPU @ 2.60GHz   2.59 GHz
Installed RAM    16.0 GB (15.7 GB usable)
System type    64-bit operating system, x64-based processor (Windows 10 Pro)
nVidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti

And yes, I believe I downloaded the ~2500 emitters when I was first installing the free SAL PI.

Ok... @Kelly-Foster I see in upgrading you can get a subscription of the full Continuum 2022.5 for $95. That's a great deal for sure to see if you like it. There is so much there, I am still exploring after owning it for a couple of years.

I am gradually learning the user interface sequence for dropping a particle-based special effect on a video clip, and then setting the transforms, and then launching Mocha, and then working on tracking, and then tuning emitter parameters. Tracking options seem VERY complex. Trial and error, YouTube and this forum will eventually get me there. Fortunately it appears that Boris FX tutorials for other hosts are often applicable to Vegas Pro plugins.