From OBS recording to a posted Short
Record wide in OBS at 1920×1080, find the moment worth posting, build a 9:16 frame, add a hook and captions, then post it as a Short or Reel. Recording and posting are the easy parts. Finding the moment and building the frame is where the hours go, and that's the part TCG Machine takes over.
Here's the usual picture. You stream or record for a couple of hours, the file sits on your drive, and the clip you meant to post never gets cut. Not because you didn't want to. It's because there are five jobs between the recording and the post, and each one has its own tools.
The five stages
- Record wide. Keep OBS at 1920×1080 and record a file you can cut later. The recording settings guide has OBS's own suggested values, and the format guide covers MKV and Hybrid MP4.
- Find the moment. Pick the kill, the won fight or the steal, and skip the rest. The guide on what to clip from a League stream gives you a five question test.
- Build the vertical frame. Turn the wide recording into 1080×1920. You can record wide and crop later, and the facecam split guide shows the OBS route.
- Write the hook, captions and title. The first few seconds decide whether someone stays. The hook guide covers it in six steps.
- Post it. YouTube says Shorts can be up to 3 minutes long. Reels and TikTok are vertical too.
Which stages TCG Machine takes over
Stage 1 stays in OBS. TCG Machine picks up from your finished recording.
- Finding the moment. It watches your MKV and MP4 recording and finds your highlights.
- Building the frame. It builds the 9:16 vertical frame, either the facecam split or full gameplay on a blurred background.
- Hook, title, thumbnail. You set where the clip starts, ends, and where the hook falls. Titles and descriptions are drafted for you, and you pick a thumbnail line or type your own.
- Posting. 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.
You review, change what you want, and approve before anything goes out.
What stays with you
You still play, record and decide what goes out. That's the creative part. The machine does the repeat work, and you stay in charge of every clip.
Does it care which software recorded the file?
No. TCG Machine works from the raw file, so it doesn't matter whether OBS, Streamlabs or something else made it, as long as it's an MKV or MP4. 1920×1080, 16:9 works best, and other 16:9 sizes are supported.
It's in free beta now. If you want to try it, join the beta. See how it works, or check what it costs.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn an OBS recording into a YouTube Short?
Record wide at 1920×1080, pick a moment worth posting, crop it to a 1080×1920 vertical frame, add a hook and captions, and upload it. TCG Machine handles the finding, the frame and the titles from your finished recording.
Should I record vertical or horizontal for Shorts?
Horizontal, unless vertical is the only thing you'll ever publish. A wide recording can be cropped into a vertical clip, but a vertical recording can't give you the wide frame back. Our full guide has the numbers.
How long can a YouTube Short be?
Up to 3 minutes, according to YouTube's help page.
What file format does TCG Machine need from OBS?
A raw MKV or MP4 recording. Both work, and there's no OBS version to match.
Do I need to change my OBS settings to use TCG Machine?
No. Any recording that saves as an MKV or MP4 works. The recording settings guide is there if you want a cleaner file, but it isn't required.
What does TCG Machine do after I record?
It 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.
Can TCG Machine post to Instagram and TikTok for me?
You stay on one screen. Instagram opens Meta Business Suite, so you finish the post there. TikTok is a manual upload: export the clip and post it yourself. YouTube can be scheduled here.
Does it work with Streamlabs recordings?
Yes. It works from the recording files, so it doesn't matter which software made them, as long as they're MKV or MP4.
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.