Make sure to read the iOS pre-requisites page to ensure all shortcuts to run correctly.
A spectator has a free choice of 5 colored markers. They are asked to do a color by number, coloring various parts of a stick-figure drawing. They can color a balloon, the hair, a dress, the hands and the feet. After coloring each item on the picture, the magician reveals that they have a photo on their iphone, in their camera roll. The picture is from a few days past and it is a picture of the same stick-person with each item colored in exactly the same way as the spectator has just randomly colored their drawing.
The magician secretly runs an iOS shortcut called Color Prediction. Once running, the shortcut listens for input from the magician. The input is entered by pressing the VOLUME UP button, or by using a remote Bluetooth camera trigger. (Which increases the sound). The spectator really can choose any of 5 colors, red, blue, green, purple and yellow. The only condition is that the items need to be colored in a specific order. From top down that order is balloon, hair, dress, hands and feet. The magician also needs to remember a number assigned to each color, That order is 1-RED, 2-BLUE, 3-GREEN, 4-PURPLE, 5-YELLOW. The pneumonic I use to remember that order is RBGPY (Ruth Bader Ginsberg PY - That is not meant to be a political comment on Ms Ginsberg.).
The magician uses an iOS shortcut running on their phone to secretly create the matching image. The shortcut operates in one of two ways:
Remote Mode: The performer uses a hidden volume control to input the colors.
Manual Mode: The performer manually enters a sequence of numbers (from 1 to 5) corresponding to the order in which the stick figure items were colored.
The shortcut generates the image and saves it to the photo gallery, assigning a prior date and time to make it appear as though the photo was taken earlier.
Accepts a manual input of five numbers that represent the color choices.
Allows you to configure your color options. The default colors are red, dark blue, dark green, purple, and yellow, but you can customize them as needed.
Download Supporting Files
Download the necessary files from here. Place the zip file into your iCloud Drive using the iOS Files app.
Create a folder called magic shortcuts and move the zip file into that folder.
Uncompress the file to create a subfolder called Color Prediction, which will contain all required files.
Install Shortcuts
Use the provided links to download the four shortcuts.
Configure Colors (Optional)
If you're happy with the default colors (red, dark blue, dark green, purple, and yellow), you can skip this step. Otherwise, run the COLOR PREDICTION (CONFIG) shortcut to customize the colors.
Enable Notifications (Optional)
Open the COLOR PREDICTION (REMOTE) shortcut in the Shortcuts app and scroll through the comments section.
You’ll find options to enable pop-up notifications or have the colors spoken aloud.
If you choose to use spoken colors, you can also set the Bluetooth device (e.g., smart glasses with a speaker) for the audio.
Before performing see the section on Testing the shortcut. You want to make sure you go through a test performance a few times to make sure the shortcut has been granted all the permissions it needs to prevent it popping up a question during a performance.
Install the Actions App
To expand the capabilities of your shortcuts, install Actions from the App Store:
Search for "Actions" (developed by Sindre Sorhus) and download it.
Launch the app after installation.
Restart your device to ensure the actions appear in the Shortcuts app.
To perform the remote version of the effect, you'll need to use a Bluetooth selfie remote. Here's how to pair it with your phone:
Activate Pairing Mode:
Turn on the Bluetooth selfie remote and press the pairing button (refer to the remote’s manual for details).
Enable Bluetooth on Your iPhone:
Open the Settings app and select Bluetooth.
Toggle Bluetooth on if it isn’t already activated.
Select Your Device:
Locate the name of the selfie remote in the list of available devices and tap to pair.
Once paired, the remote should appear under My Devices.
For an inexpensive Bluetooth selfie remote, you might consider this example on Amazon (note: verify availability and reviews before purchase).
Run the COLOR PREDICTION (REMOTE) shortcut, which will wait for input.
Present the volunteer with a picture of a stick figure and 5 colored markers. Explain that this is like the old paint-by-number sets. Number the stick figure as follows:
1. Balloon
2. Hair
3. Dress
4. Hands
5. Feet
Each marker corresponds to a number (default is):
1. Red
2. Dark Blue
3. Dark Green
4. Purple
5. Yellow
I find it easy to remember RBGPY using a pneumonic Ruth Bader Ginsberg PY (no political comments here).
As the spectator colors each section, press the volume up button the number of times that matches the color chosen (e.g., 3 for dark green). Pause briefly between each press. If notifications are enabled, you’ll see confirmation for each color entered.
After the 4th color, the shortcut automatically determines the 5th color, so no further input is needed.
If after entering the 4 numbers you realize an error was made during entry, you can press the volume down button, which will take you to the MANUAL entry shortcut as a failsafe.
Once all colors are entered correctly, press the volume up button one last time to create the image.
Run the COLOR PREDICTION (REMOTE) shortcut. After the 4th item is colored, you now know the complete sequence of colors. Press any volume key.
Enter the 5-digit number corresponding to the sequence of colors chosen by the spectator. For example:
Balloon - Dark Green (3)
Hair - Yellow (5)
Dress - Red (1)
Hands - Dark Blue (2)
Feet - Purple (4)
The sequence would be 35124.
Once entered, the stick figure is created and saved into the photo app.
Run the COLOR PREDICTION (REMOTE) shortcut.
Simulate the input:
Press the volume up button 1 time and pause.
Press the volume up button 2 times and pause.
Continue this process, increasing the number of presses each time. Perform this for 4 colors.
Observe the shortcut’s behavior. It should process the inputs and create the predicted image.
During testing, allow any pop-ups requesting permissions (e.g., access to photos or files) by selecting "Always Allow".
You will also need to run the MANUAL version of the shortcut. At some steps selecting Always Allow may take up to a minute to respond and may require running the shortcut more than once to complete.
If you’d like to experiment with customizing a Shortcut but are concerned about making irreversible changes, consider creating a duplicate first. Here's how:
Duplicate a Shortcut:
Long-press on the Shortcut you wish to modify.
Select "Duplicate" from the context menu to create a copy.
Rename the duplicate Shortcut to something like "TEST" for clarity.
Experiment Safely:
Now you can make changes to the "TEST" version without worrying about impacting the original Shortcut. Once you’re satisfied, you can apply your edits to the primary Shortcut.