VJing is real-time selection and manipulation of visuals, the visual counterpart of DJing

VJing is the real-time creation, selection, and manipulation of visuals, the same way DJing is the selection and manipulation of audio — the widely cited formulation from the collective definition developed by 375 Wikipedians at the 2010 Mapping Festival. Its defining criteria are: (1) real-time processing — visuals respond and are manipulated live, not pre-produced; (2) a media library — the VJ curates and mixes a pool of content (video/still files, VHS/DVD, live camera, or computer-generated sources) rather than making everything from scratch; (3) improvisation — jam-like rather than scripted playback; and typically (4) synchronisation to music for a live audience, usually accompanying another performer. The distinguishing misconception: simply looping a pre-rendered video on a club screen is not VJing — active real-time manipulation is required. The term encompasses both clip-based mixing and generative/live-coded approaches, though it ‘becomes dubious’ when applied to purely generative software where no actual video is being mixed.

Examples

Triggering, blending, and fading video clips (plus live camera) in Resolume in sync with a DJ set = VJing. Writing Hydra code live to generate music-synced visuals = VJing (generative variant). Looping a pre-rendered video or music video on a projector = not VJing.

Assessment

Define VJing, then classify each and justify with the key criteria (real-time, media library, improvisation, sync): (a) a looped video playing automatically, (b) a person triggering and mixing clips live to the DJ, (c) a pre-rendered music video, (d) live-coded generative visuals.