Could someone please describe the nuanced differences between:
File > Export > Vegas Project Archive > *include media
vs
File > Save as > *copy media with project

Project's done, but it's subject to being reopened as source material for other projects, including raw video and edited segments on the timeline. Looking it to file away for now.
Thanks!

With File > Export > Vegas Project Archive > * this includes media and takes everything with it as a full archive, media, proxy files, audio peak files etc. With the media anything that is used goes in the archive. Anything not used doesn't. Unless you specify otherwise. So with a ten second clip on the timeline if that is part of a ten minute clip the whole ten minutes is saved. For a true put it away archive this is what I would use.

With File > Save as > *copy media with project. This I use mainly for 'consolidation.' This allows you to save the project with just the timeline media saved with 'handles' if you wish. A ten minute timeline may actually be derived from an hour of imported footage. When you save you have the option of saving with all the video in the project or 'trimmed copies. By default trimmed copies is with two second handles. Using this trimmed copies option means each clip on the timeline will be copied with two extra seconds added to the front and the back of each clip. So the only media that is saved is 'copies' of what's on the timeline along with the extra two seconds front and back. No proxies, no audio peak files etc. Your whole project might encompass 20GB of video. Your timeline might only represent 4GB of video. Saving with trimmed copies will bring your project 'Save As' down to just over 4GB with those extra four seconds added to each clip. Great for saving space. On the other hand if you saved using trimmed copies and you need to re-edit the project at a later date and need some of the original footage that you initially imported you will need to re-import that footage again.

Chris Young

Thank you very much, Chris.
That was perfect to help me decide which way to go.
Appreciate the time to spell it out so well.

"No worries" as we say down here :).

Chris