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The Effect
(more detailed description at
http://www.expertmagic.com/html/store/colorfusion/cf.html)
Your spectator chooses a card from a blue-backed deck, fold it into quarter and then sign their name over the whole face of the card. Then, you tear off a corner of the card for them to hold as a "receipt" while you perform the effect. You then proceed to VISUALLY change their card from blue to red - a quater at a time, while stopping to verify it's still their signature! Immediately after changing the color of the card, without any funny moves, you hand the card back to the spectator. They take their blue-backed "receipt" and match it up perfectly with the new red-back card.



Cost $22 (for the download version - more expensive for the dvd)



Difficulty between 2 and 3 depending on which routine you're doing
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)



Review
To be honest - the main reason I bought this was because I had to know how it worked. When I bought it I realised I had sort of figured it out, but the review I'd read had combined all of the various versions of this effect into one - which really confused my poor brain.

Having said that, this is a really good effect. The instructional video/dvd has a lot of detail and goes into everything you need to know to perform this effect in minute detail, so from that point of view, you're getting a lot for your money. He also teaches a few alternatives to handling the effect - some easy, some more difficult.

The gimmick is quite hard to make and you need a new gimmick for every performance, which could be a bit painful, but apparently it gets easier as you do it. I say 'apparently' because I've been too busy to actually sit down and do it, which of course means I haven't performed it yet.


Overall
Whle I've yet to perform this effect I don't regret getting it. From the demos I've seen and reviews I've read of people using the effect, I think it is a visually powerful and astonishing effect. It also has the memory value of the spectator keeping the card. Color fusion is definitely on my to do list. Hopefully sometime later in the year I can give a more complete review

I have had the pleasure of performing this trick & it gets realy good reactions. The spectators brain just won't belive what their eyes are seeing, it's is a nice way to finish a card routine.

The gimmick set up is fairly complex & does get easier with practice. you may find that (like me) your 1st couple will be easy to create, but your next couple will be harder (don't know why this is, but it does seem to be a common phenomenon)

I too bought this trick, but as a nubi I've just about learnt the techniques around how to control everything and so haven't performed it yet.

I think it's a great effect and I can't wait to perform it for real (I recon another month before I've really nailed it !)

There are a few minor problems with it (depends on where and to whom you are performing) but the post purchase forums provide a downloadable video showing the original impromptu version which people have said works just as well. All in all though most of these are solvable.

Hope this helps.

Slippery

You can actualy buy these cards made up for you now, very handy indeed It is a nice trick this isn't it.

I bought the DVD back in 2003 after reading a review on another website for an online magic store. I've never bothered to learn the advanced routine for two reasons. First, the handling seems too messy to me and I don't personally like the method taught on the DVD. Secondly, the basic routine blows people away first time and is in my opinion equaly powerfull.

I've found the best way to perform this trick is to use a blue back deck for a minimum of two tricks before performing Color Fusion and spread the deck carefully to make sure that the gimmick isn't shown, but the illusion of a full blue deck is given to the audience. I then force the gimmick card, fold and tear and then wait for the reaction. I've developed my own story line to go with this and people tell me that others are still talking about this one for days afterwards. This IS powerfull stuff and should not be underestimated (but fairly easy to do when you put in the practice)!

The gimmick cards can be bought for £10 for 25 cards but they're all the same card so it's difficult to perform twice. Making the gimmick (as shown on the DVD) is much cheaper and although people say it's hard, it is worthwhile and the more you make the more successful you WILL become. I've NEVER had a made up gimmick card spotted even though they are not as perfect as the bought ones and as each one is different there is more potential for a repeat performance. Like the magic, making the gimmick is worth the practice it takes!

I DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT THIS ONE!

I've performed the simple version a few times now - and it is very powerful. I did it for some magicians and they were impressed.
I'm a bit too lazy to learn the more complicated one and i find the simple one fits nicely into the kind of routines I do. I don't do much flashy stuff.
I destroyed quite a few cards before getting the gimmick right, but after a while it does get easier.

I've had no success with making the gimmick, but I spotted this http://www.cards4magic.co.uk/acatalog/B ... Cards.html at The Card Collection. It's an A4 sheet of self-adhesive vinyl printed with card backs. You get one sheet of 9 backs for £4.00, which works out to approx. 11p per fake card for Colour Fusion - much better than the printed CF gimmicks. But my worry is that the vinyl sticker will be visible after the effect. I know it's only £4 but I wondered if anyone else has come up with this idea or something similar, and if so what the results were?

Johnny

Johnny, practice makes perfect and making your own will pay off as it's much cheaper in the long run, making it worth the effort.

Without giving too much away, part of the wow factor for the spectator is when they're given the torn card as a souvenir and they can't work out why the tears in the card match perfectly. I would suspect that the laminate backing would not pass close scrutiny and would be easily spotted.

Like I said earlier, you can buy the gimmick cards already made but cost £10 per 25 but all 25 of them are the same card. You may get them cheaper if you shop around. Once you get the hang of making them yourself then you'll get around 52 gimmicked cards for the price of a single blue deck and part of a red deck. At around £1.50 per deck this works out at around 4p per card. A HUGE SAVING, particularly as you'll want to perform this one again and again!

Take it slowly and carefully and you need to make your cards in batches as the first 3 or 4 will not be up to scratch, even when you're experienced in making them. However, from the 5th or so onwards you'll be getting the hang and the majority will then be OK. But, make as many as you can in the batch before you get too fed up and do follow ALL of the instructions given in the DVD. I usually make a batch of 30 to 40 in a go and they'll last for around a month.

My made cards are not to the quality of the brought cards but I can honestly say that I've NEVER had a home made card spotted. You'll be surprised (or perhaps not) at what people DON'T see!

I'd agree with that. I messed up the first 5 cards and then after that it got a lot easier. My cards are also not perfect - but no one notices

This trick is GREAT with 1 MAJOR change I've made to the presentation. The easiest version is the best in my opinion because they never suspect the card of being gimmicked. The others are cool visually but everyone knows there's something fishy.

I change one thing that I think makes it work so much better. I prefold the fusion card at the bottom (with a reversed card just above it) and a duplicate on top. You can force it anyway but I find the "name any card, oops, that trick almost never works" joke is best because it has lowers their expectations and makes them quick to think you screwed up or are joking still when they open their hand at the end and nothing seems to have changed.

Hand them a regular duplicate of the fusion card to fold THEN put it on face up on the deck do the reverse while checking my pockets for the sharpie for them to sign it with.

This way THEY fold the card and see the back very clearly in their own hands. The regular way they never actually see the back.

Then I put the cards in my back pocket to free my hands to tear it. When I retrieve my deck after the trick I leave the card they folded behind.

The best thing about this is the expression on their face when they think nothing has changed. Most people forget the original color of the card, and then with out a word flip over the torn corner. Some people shout some people just stare. My girlfriend, who is very superstitious just looked confused put the card down and then very upset said "I don't like that tick, that's too good, it's scary good."

**I know it's a long post but that's how much I love this trick I don't normally recommend anyone go buy a specific trick but Color Fusion is so good and so easy and if you don't like making the gimmicks or don't like they way yours look, you can buy them premade.

DECK SET UP:
I set up the deck to do this third, with 2 card monte on top, the duplicate card under that, Ultimate 3 card to get fished out of the middle, and the reversed card and folded fusion on the bottom. I perform Ultimate 3 card firsts, then act like I'm going to explain the trick to them by doing 2 card then fusion third.

My new favorite everyday deck.

My handling revolves around a story plot and has a similar deck setup to Rich's, the difference being that it's not already folded. I have them select and examine the normal duplicate then switch it in a similar way before the fold. Works a dream. I'd be willing to pm my plot/handling to anyone that's interested.

I bought this effect a few years ago and I believe that I only performed it once. I wasn't really comfortable with not showing the back side of the card, somewhat suspicious. Recently I decided to try it out again but in a different way. I wanted a corner tear rather than a quarter tear and I wanted to be able to show the back before the color change. I've gotten great reactions so far. Here is how I perform color fusion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34lFoCfpfXA

Nice work, matthew - but your ECC needs A LOT of work. You practically pushed the card off the top of the deck. Try not to telegraph the move quite so much and you'll have a nice effect on your hands.

Thanx, I will work on that.