TCG Machine FAQ
Straight answers to the things people ask about TCG Machine. Everything here comes from what's on the site, and where something isn't confirmed yet, it says so.
About TCG Machine
What is TCG Machine?
TCG Machine is a Windows app that watches your MKV and MP4 recordings, finds your highlights, and turns them into vertical Shorts with titles, descriptions, and thumbnails. You review, change what you want, and approve before anything goes out. See how it works.
Is TCG Machine legit and safe?
It's a real app from TCG Digital, and it's in free beta now. It runs on your PC, and your recordings and finished clips are not uploaded to TCG Machine. The full run down is on the Is TCG Machine legit? page.
Is TCG Machine out yet?
Yes, as a free beta, and it's open now: join the beta, confirm your email, and you'll get a key and the download link while places last.
Who is TCG Machine for?
Streamers and creators who record their gameplay and want to post clips without losing a day to editing. It's built for League of Legends today.
Which games does TCG Machine work with?
League of Legends today. More games are coming.
Is TCG Machine a trading card game tool?
No. TCG Machine is a Windows app that turns League of Legends recordings into vertical Shorts. It's made by TCG Digital for streamers.
Who made TCG Machine?
TCG Machine is a product of TCG Digital, a registered Australian business name with an ABN. TheCollinsGaming built it for their own channel. See the About page and Is TCG Machine legit?.
Does TCG Machine work with OBS?
Yes. OBS recordings work, and so does a recording from any other software, as long as it's saved as an MKV or MP4 file. There's no OBS version to match.
Does TCG Machine work with Streamlabs?
Yes. TCG Machine works from the recording files, so it doesn't matter which software made them. If Streamlabs saves your recording as an MKV or MP4 file, you can use it.
What recording software and file types does TCG Machine work with?
Any streaming or recording software that saves a raw MKV or MP4 file will work. That includes OBS and Streamlabs. You drop the file into TCG Machine, and the software that recorded it doesn't matter.
Does TCG Machine post for me?
It cuts the clips, writes the titles and descriptions, and makes the thumbnails, and you approve every clip before anything goes out. You stay on one screen. YouTube can be scheduled here. Facebook and Instagram open Meta Business Suite. TikTok is a manual upload.
Do I stay in control of what gets posted?
Yes. You review, change what you want, and approve before anything goes out.
How it works
How does TCG Machine work, step by step?
It's one step at a time, so you never face every button at once.
- Drop in your recording. TCG Machine finds the highlights.
- Cut it tight. Land the hook. Set where the clip starts, ends, and where the hook falls.
- A thumbnail in one line. Pick a line, or type your own.
- A title and description, already written. Edit the words, approve, and move to the next clip.
- Jump matches without starting over. Jump back to any session without leaving the step you're on.
- Schedule or post the clip in seconds. You stay on one screen. YouTube can be scheduled here. Facebook and Instagram open Meta Business Suite. TikTok is a manual upload.
How does the facecam split work?
TCG Machine reads where your webcam sits in your recording and works out where your gameplay is. Then it builds the vertical frame, with 35% camera on top and 65% gameplay below. It works from the raw file, so it doesn't matter which streaming software made it.
Can I move the gameplay left or right in the facecam split?
Yes. You can slide the gameplay section left and right, so you catch the best part of the highlight.
What is Hook Studio?
Hook Studio is where you cut it tight and land the hook. You set where the clip starts, where it ends, and where the hook falls.
Does TCG Machine write titles and descriptions?
Yes. A title and description are already written for you, and you edit the words before you approve. The AI part uses a licence with a monthly allowance. See pricing.
Can I make my own thumbnails?
Yes. A thumbnail in one line: pick a suggestion, or type your own, and it goes on the frame.
What video format does TCG Machine export?
9:16 vertical, ready for Shorts and Reels. Both layouts export in 9:16, the facecam split and the no camera layout.
Do I need a facecam?
No. There are two layouts. Facecam split puts your camera on top and gameplay below. No camera shows full gameplay on a blurred background, so nothing gets cropped out.
Can TCG Machine post to TikTok and Instagram?
You stay on one screen. YouTube can be scheduled here. Facebook and Instagram open Meta Business Suite, so you finish those posts there. TikTok is a manual upload: export the clip and post it yourself.
Will TCG Machine save me editing time?
It did for the person who built it. TheCollinsGaming went from 1 to 2 posts a week to 2 posts per day, every day since July 15 2026. That's their result, not a promise for your channel. They still record the same amount of time, and TCG Machine cuts, titles, and schedules the clips. See what it did for TheCollinsGaming.
Compared with other ways of making clips
How is TCG Machine different from other clip tools?
Other tools put every button on one screen. TCG Machine is one step at a time, so you never face every button at once. See how it works.
Is TCG Machine faster than editing clips by hand?
It did the finding, cutting, titling and scheduling for the person who built it, who went from 1 to 2 posts a week to 2 posts a day. That's their result, not a promise for your channel. See the full comparison.
Is there a tool that clips League of Legends kills automatically?
TCG Machine is built to. It reads the kill and assist counter on your League scoreboard, opens a clip every time it goes up, and turns those moments into vertical Shorts. It's in free beta now, so join the beta. More on the League clip maker page.
How does TCG Machine decide what's a clip?
It reads your personal K/D/A counter on the League scoreboard. Every time your kills or assists go up, it opens a clip, and deaths never do. Kills and assists close together share one clip. It doesn't pick clips by loudness. See how it works.
What if TCG Machine misses a kill?
When a game ends, it compares what it found with your final scoreboard. If it looks short, you'll see a warning that the scoreboard may be incomplete, and a Rescan scoreboard button.
Does a camera over the scoreboard break TCG Machine?
Yes. A camera or overlay on top of the scoreboard counter breaks kill detection, and the app warns you when your layout does that. Keep the counter clear in your recording.
Where can I find guides on OBS settings and vertical clips?
In the guides. They cover OBS recording settings, MKV or MP4, the facecam split, hooks, lighting, backgrounds and microphone levels. The OBS to Shorts workflow ties them together.
Pricing and the beta
How much does TCG Machine cost?
The download is free, and it's free during the beta. Processing on your PC is free. AI titles and descriptions use a licence with a monthly allowance, and that part runs online. Pricing after the beta will be announced before launch. See pricing.
Is TCG Machine free?
Yes during the beta. The download is free, and processing on your PC is free. Pricing after the beta will be announced before launch.
Do the AI titles and descriptions cost extra?
They use a licence with a monthly allowance, and that part runs online. TCG Machine is free during the beta, and pricing after the beta will be announced before launch.
What is in the first beta, and what is not?
The first beta finds your kills from the scoreboard, builds the vertical Shorts (facecam split or no camera), drafts titles and descriptions, makes thumbnails, and lets you review and approve every clip. YouTube can be scheduled here. Facebook and Instagram open Meta Business Suite. TikTok is a manual upload. Spoken captions are not in the first beta while they are being improved.
How do I join the beta?
Fill in the beta form and confirm your email with the 6-digit code. You'll get a key and the download link while places last, or a place in the queue if the beta is full.
What does the beta form ask for?
Your email, name or streaming handle, an optional channel link, GPU model, operating system, main game, whether you use a facecam, streaming platform, weekly stream hours, and your consent to be emailed about the beta.
Why was my beta signup refused?
Signups from one internet connection are capped to limit spam, and a signup past the cap is refused. If that's you, email hello@tcgmachine.app.
Can I unsubscribe from the beta list?
Yes. You can unsubscribe at any time. To have your signup deleted, email hello@tcgmachine.app.
What you need to run it
What are the system requirements for TCG Machine?
Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. No graphics card is required. You need an internet connection for titles and descriptions, not for setup. Recordings at 1920×1080, 16:9 work best. See the download page.
Does TCG Machine work on Mac or Linux?
TCG Machine is a Windows app, and the site doesn't list a Mac or Linux version.
Do I need a graphics card?
No. Finding kills and exporting the video run on the CPU.
Does TCG Machine work offline?
Setup and processing the video on your PC don't need an internet connection. Titles and descriptions do.
What recording size works best?
1920×1080, 16:9. Other 16:9 sizes are supported, and the app warns you if on-screen detection may be less reliable.
How much memory and disk space does TCG Machine need?
Not confirmed yet. Memory and disk space will be confirmed before launch.
Why does Windows show an "unknown publisher" warning?
The beta installer isn't digitally signed yet. TCG Machine is a new product in early testing, and Windows treats any new app without a signature or a download history with suspicion. So you may see a blue "Windows protected your PC" screen or an "unknown publisher" notice the first time you install.
If you got the file from the link TCG Digital emailed you, you can continue from that warning, usually by choosing More info and then Run anyway. If a file didn't come from that link, don't run it. TCG Digital plans to sign the installer before the public launch. The exact screens depend on your version of Windows, and they are still being confirmed on a second PC.
Why does Google say TCG Machine is an unverified app?
When you connect YouTube so TCG Machine can schedule your clips, Google shows a screen saying it hasn't verified the app. That is expected for now. TCG Machine is a new product in early testing, and Google's review for apps that ask to upload videos hasn't been done yet. TCG Digital plans to apply for it before the public launch. Until then, Google limits how many people can connect, and the screen may not show the TCG Machine name or logo.
To continue, choose Advanced on that screen and then the option to go on to the app. Only do that if you got TCG Machine from the link TCG Digital emailed you.
What it asks for is permission to upload and manage your YouTube videos, set their thumbnails, and read your channel. TCG Machine uses it to upload and schedule the clips you approve and to set their thumbnails. The sign-in is saved on your PC, and you can remove TCG Machine's access at any time at myaccount.google.com/permissions.
If you'd rather not connect YouTube, you can skip it. Export the clip and upload it yourself.
Where do I download TCG Machine?
Sign up for the beta on the beta page. When you confirm your email you get your key and the download link. Places are limited, so you may be put in a queue. The download page lists what you need.
Your data and privacy
Does TCG Machine upload my recordings?
Processing runs on your Windows PC from your own recording files. Your recordings and finished clips are not uploaded to TCG Machine. The AI titles and descriptions part uses an online service, and that part leaves your PC. It receives text only: the transcript of the moments the app flagged, the champion, the session folder name and your licence key. No video, audio or screenshots are sent. See privacy.
What happens when I schedule a post?
That post is sent to YouTube Shorts.
What does the website store when I join the beta?
The details from the form, in a Cloudflare database used only for this beta list: your email, name or streaming handle, optional channel link, GPU model, operating system, main game, whether you use a facecam, streaming platform, weekly stream hours, the exact consent sentence, the time you consented, and a status such as pending. Once you confirm your email, it also stores a simplified copy of your email (so one person gets one key) and, if a key is issued, an automatic tester ID and the time. The same email is only stored once.
How do I get my beta signup deleted?
Email hello@tcgmachine.app and ask for your row to be deleted.
Does the site use cookies?
TCG Machine does not use analytics and does not set its own cookies. The beta form loads Cloudflare Turnstile, and Cloudflare's documentation says that check relies on cookies and local storage in your browser. See privacy for the full picture.
Is TCG Machine endorsed by Riot Games?
No. TCG Machine was created under Riot Games' "Legal Jibber Jabber" policy. Riot Games does not endorse or sponsor this project.
How do I contact TCG Machine?
Email hello@tcgmachine.app. That's also the address for asking to have a beta signup deleted.