With 20 years of Vegas experience, my perspective on Vegas Pro 23.

vagnerdesouza wrote on 10/10/2025, 1:55 PM

Hello everyone. I've been a Vegas user since version 4 in 2004. After submitting dozens of items on my "wish list" and seeing none of them fulfilled, I decided to switch video editing software.

Below is my technical evaluation of Vegas Pro 23 "Trial" (which is only "trial" in name!)

1. 30-DAY TRIAL? This is NOT true. VP23 only lets you try the program, but it doesn't allow rendering without a very huge watermark on the file, which is rendered useless by the presence of the "Vegas Pro" watermark on every frame. EVERY!

2. VP23 doesn't export markers as chapters in the MP4 file. (DaVinci Resolve does).

3. You can't change the software's language after installation. (DaVinci Resolve allows it at any time). When installing Vegas Pro 23, there's no option to choose the program's DEFINITIVE language. If you have a Portuguese-language Windows operating system but want to install Vegas Pro 23 in English to follow tutorials in English, forget it! No way!

4. VP23 only allows you to export MP4 videos with AAC-LC stereo audio. It has issues with HE AAC and HE AAC v2 audio in the timeline.

5. VP23 doesn't import or export MKV files. (DaVinci Resolve does!) Just to upset the critics: MKV DOES NOT MEAN PIRATE VIDEO FILE!

6. There's no LUT for videos made with the GoPro Hero 13 in LOG mode.

7. Most transitions of VP23 are from the SonicFoundry Vegas 4 era. They haven't evolved!

8. The upgrade price is barely different from the perpetual license price. I found the price too expensive!

9. After applying the stabilization effect, the video loses performance in the timeline, and this is on an AMD Ryzen 9 32-thread @ 4 GHz machine with an NVidia RTX 4060 graphics card. In DaVinci Resolve, it runs smoothly at 59.94fps after stabilization

10. VP23 still with only one timeline per project.

I stopped at item number 10. I only tested the program for less than 1 hour, but I was already able to form an opinion about it, and I already uninstalled the Vegas Pro 23 "trial"

Comments

john_dennis wrote on 10/10/2025, 2:12 PM

@vagnerdesouza Thank you for your honest opinions.

RogerS wrote on 10/10/2025, 10:19 PM

VEGAS does support MKV files, such as those produced by OBS. There are many combinations though for what you put in it- what is in your MKV?

Check out GL Transitions- these are new and customizable.

Doesn't GoPro issue their own LUTs you can load?

Adis-a wrote on 10/11/2025, 3:33 AM

@vagnerdesouza

No questions?

jetdv wrote on 10/11/2025, 7:38 AM

#2 File - Render - open the cog to the left of the "Render" button - check the "Save project markers in rendered media file" option.

Steve_Rhoden wrote on 10/11/2025, 9:49 AM

@vagnerdesouza Likewise, i have been using Vegas for over twenty years. But fortunately my perspective is quite the opposite of yours. I am very satisfied with what i can do in Vegas Pro and pleased with how far it has come....... Sorry to see you go, but that's life, we choose what works best for us. Thanks for sharing.

Wolfgang S. wrote on 10/15/2025, 2:06 AM

@vagnerdesouza I also started with Vegas Pro 4. unlike you, I focus to the MAJOR points of the editor - since that are the most important points to speed up the editing. So most of your points are not my focus really.

But if you prefere Resolve, well go for it.

VEGASPascal wrote on 10/15/2025, 2:29 AM

Thanks for testing and your feedback.

I understand some points, others are grossly exaggerated. There are ways to change the language afterward, and a watermark for a trial version is not uncommon. YouTube is full of Capcut and Opus watermarks. Unfortunately, the development team is quite small compared to DaVinci, and there's no cross-financing via hardware, so you can't "give away" the software.

3POINT wrote on 10/15/2025, 5:53 AM

and there's no cross-financing via hardware, so you can't "give away" the software.

That was the benefit of the Sony days, you got Vegaspro as a free gift when purchasing a Sony Camera. That's how I came to Vegas.

Alex-Pitel wrote on 10/15/2025, 9:55 AM

VEGAS does support MKV files, such as those produced by OBS. There are many combinations though for what you put in it- what is in your MKV?

Check out GL Transitions- these are new and customizable.

Doesn't GoPro issue their own LUTs you can load?

I already made a lot of shaders for GL Vegas transitions. I'll post it in a month or two (want to make some more). But main transitions like seamless and others already done. Maybe can you tell what transitions do you want and I'll try to make it.

ChrisD wrote on 10/15/2025, 1:07 PM

...In DaVinci Resolve

I use both. Right tool. Right job.

Vegas for editing and Fusion for compositing and tracking. Yes, I miss Mocha Vegas, but here we are.

However, hang around in the Blackmagic forums for awhile -- there are plenty of bugs, and posts from people with their hair on fire.

RogerS wrote on 10/15/2025, 8:11 PM

OP seems long gone at this point.

Steve_Rhoden wrote on 10/15/2025, 8:55 PM

@RogerS Nope.... lol

ajizu-t wrote on 10/15/2025, 9:08 PM

yeah, HE AAC was always bad in vegas. i am tired of using ffmpeg to "fix" it. and oh yeah scream point number 10 louder. every single editing software has multiple project opening/multiple timelines system yet vegas can't do it for some reason

EricLNZ wrote on 10/15/2025, 9:30 PM

multiple project opening/multiple timelines system

Vegas, apart from Steam versions, can have multiple products open. As for multiple timelines doesn't nesting provide the same?

RogerS wrote on 10/15/2025, 10:11 PM

@ajizu-t Take a look at Hub in VEGAS and there's a place where developers are surveying users about their desires, including about the potential to do multiple timelines. Vote for it if you think it should be this way.