Wally Mart sells clear plastic sports card sleeves. I believe a pack of 100 is about $3.

Copy stores such as FedEx Kinkos will print what you want just by bringing in the file on a flash drive or disc that contains your desired photo. Bring the template in too and they should set you up at a reasonable rate.

Wally Mart sells clear plastic sports card sleeves. I believe a pack of 100 is about $3.

Copy stores such as FedEx Kinkos will print what you want just by bringing in the file on a flash drive or disc that contains your desired photo. Bring the template in too and they should set you up at a reasonable rate.

I really like this effect. The question I have is rather specific. Is this a good trick for a wedding?

My worry is that taking out a picture of the happy couple, and then tearing it up is quite a powerful act.
What does restoring it in a mis-made manner suggest? Is that a good thing for a wedding?

I only ask because I have a wedding come up and the above is on my mind.

Cheers, Ivan

I would imagine that all depends on how you present it.
Perhaps have both of them initial/sign it (depending on how much room there is), and then after restoring it in its mis-made fashion you could possibly say something on the line of; No matter how many trials and tribulations you may go through, the [i]fabric of your marriage will always remain together as is signified by your two names still next to each other.[/i] Well, something of that sort, but I’m sure you get the idea.

Thanks Gaffed, I like the idea of both initials and the line.

I think a tight script is in order for this one!

It would be easy to mess up and say something similar while inferring something altogether different.

"You will go through many ups and downs and end up mis-shapen but still be stuck together," will not be making it into the script.

Ivan

Well, personally I'd stay away from the word "stuck". Sounds more like a curse! lol
How about "bonded".

The trial I have is adobe photoshop CS5. It seems to be a fully working 30 day trial, but I'm still finding it differ from what Shawn is demonstrating in that I can't drag my chosen photo over the template or find anyway to position it so. Is the cs5 a newer version than Shawn is using does anyone know?

I have no idea how Adobe Photoshop works, nor will I ever for those prices! The same thing goes for Gimp (although its free) as I have the latest download and it looks nothing at all like what is shown on the DVD. That in and of itself seems rather surprising as his seems to accept PSD photo files which my latest version does not! As far as I can ascertain is that originally a PSD photo file was an Adobe Photoshop file albeit my Jasc program seems to accept it. However, with the use of three programs that I have I can manage to make a template although it takes a lot of pains taking work. I'm very close to making a template for a picture of a card and if that works out OK I'll then be able to do just about anything.

As for a 30 day trial for Adobe Photoshop that is quite long but it would take about that time just to learn how to use it! I'm positive it can be done just as I'm positive it can be done with Jasc but I haven't the patience.

Can I ask what size you printed onto & also how many per page? I've currently printing onto shiny paper but it's a bit thin & see through so really need to go for actual photo paper.

I have just ordered this on all the positive feedback
my only concerns are that I don't have photoshop, nor a spare grand to buy it
any solutions yet guys?
cheers!
matt

Well if you don't wish to use any of the photo templates included on the DVD like me than good luck!
I've found a way to do it in a very round about way but it includes my using IrfanView, Microsoft Office Picture Manager and Jasc Paint Shop Pro. As I, and others have mentioned, is that the free download program that Shawn also shows on the DVD called Gimp is totally useless as far as I can ascertain. He never once mentions what Adobe photo program he is using except to say that it is expensive so that could be anywhere from $600 to over $2,000! With that said, if you wish to easily make your own photos this is certainly not a $30.00 trick but more like a $630+ trick! However, it is a freaking good effect and very easy to do albeit I've not yet tried it out on anyone except my brother who happened to be over for a visit.

Years ago, and I do mean years ago I used to try various tricks out on him for his feedback. Just as an experiment I first pulled out a small photo that I made up that was included on the DVD. These photos only measure about 2 1/2" X 2" so his first reaction when I showed it to him was to reach out for it to take a closer look which is just what I expected him to do, and as I would expect anyone to do. Without giving anything away here you cannot hand the spectator the photo to look at. Of course if you made up a much larger photo such as he used on the Ellen Degeneres show there would not be that instinct for a person to reach out and take a closer look at it, but then again its a tad more difficult to handle rather than a small photo. However, when I pulled out a photo of a playing card that I made he had no instinct to reach out for it to take a closer look as it was, well......simply a photo of a playing card and there wasn't that need, as it were, to look at it more closely as in a photo of someone that a person has never seen before. From what I can see is that if you wish to use a photo of a person, i.e. daughter, grandchild, or whatever, it would be best to keep the photo in a wallet photo sleeve, or something of that sort to show the photo. If you proceed that way the spectator can take a closer look and would in no way try to remove it from the sleeve, and then you can proceed with the effect.

If anyone else is having problems with 'gimp', I e-chatted with avery nice guy on talkmagic who kindly passed on a fix, as the gimp available now is a newer version. He himself had e-mailed Shawn who in turn sent out anew template which I can assure you DOES work in gimp. If anyone needs it pm me and I'll be happy to send it on. I'm now searching for suitable ideas to print out & use. I'm thinking UK politics and a split/ reformed (badly?) government plot

Update;
Shawn has pm'ed me & asked me not to share the link but I'm sure he'll sort out anyone who contacts him. Gimp can & does work and it's free so no worries. The effect is well worth the little bit of time spent on the prep. Thanks Shawn!

I've just purchased this, so I've PMed Shawn for the template file.

I'm off to a 1920s ball in a while so thought some gangster pictures mught work quite well.

Rob

Hi Folks,

Just dropping by the Café while hanging out in Beijing ... Facebook is banned so more time for magic!

The folks at GIMP upgraded their program and the .psd templates no longer translate perfectly. I have made a template of the small photo in GIMP format for those of you wanting to use GIMP and are having problems. Please email me and I will ask for proof of purchase and send you a link to the new template file.
shawn@magichampion.com

I guess you can't anticipate an outside source like GIMP changing their program. I know the template will work with any Photoshop from CS2 and up ... Low cost versions of CS2 (2005) can be found for as little as $90 on eBay. I have not tested it with Photoshop Elements but if Michael Dustman says it works... that good enough for me... ( I do however suspect it is not automated as smart objects is not part of that software ...correct me if I'm wrong.)

Regarding skill level. It is very basic and I think I give a pretty good explanation of the handling and have reduced it to almost no skill necessary ... other than presentation.

In regards to "gaffed" and his brother, I have never in the thousands of performances ever had someone try to take the photo out on my hands. Perhaps that is just a difference in performance styles. I know people who get heckled and others who are always being asked to be to see the item in question to make sure it's legit ... this never happen to me. Like I said, maybe just performance style differences. As for GIMP it is a fine manipulation software for free.

Thanks for you interest and support of Torn 2 Pieces ... next item to be released is MatriXpress and then final filming of the Signed Card in Sealed deck ... with a new name since the one I have been using has been "borrowed" by another ...

Cheers,

Shawn

(I have posted a similar message in another thread here on the Café.)

Just want to say a huge thank you to Shawn, I have been trying to use the templates on the dvd and not being very good with image editing stuff I was really having problems. Shawn went out of his way to make sure I got it working even downloading the latest version of gimp to practically walk me through it. (he even stayed up to the early hours helping me out)
Outstanding service for an outstanding effect from an outstanding guy.
Thanks

I started a thread 'Am I the only one?' in 'Tricks & Effects' as I (and others) couldn't get the software to perform. Other people (including Shawn) have given solutions and I have discovered what is a perfgect solution for me (see the other thread).

As to having a problem with tearing up a cute picture of your kid, or the misses, which I agree seems to go against the grain and for the life in me couldn't find a premise to do this, I think I have found a solution......

I have a photograph of my rabbit and I tell the muggles that I'm working on this amazing trick called 'The Torn And Restored Rabbit Trick'. But, before I try it on my real rabbit, I'm trying it with his photo.

I ask them to write on the photo a name that I could call the rabbit and say that I will use that name if the trick is a success.

After I restore it 'wrong', I say "Its a good job I didn't use the real rabbit.... the trick needs work!"

I'm using this with baseball cards.

Baseball cards! Why did I not think of that? Great idea. Maybe even trading cards? Geez ...
Congrats on a cool addition.

shawn

Hi All,

This effect is absolutely fantastic. I've been thinking about presentational ideas and this is what I've come up with. I don't think it's been suggested before. the idea is to do the trick in reverse (kind of). You start out with a mismade photo that came back from the photo developer all wrong. You then proceed to magically transform it into a correct photo as it should be. Signed of course...

kind regards
Sean