First, let me point out that most of my performances happen for my students (I teach middle school band), so this effect is really geared towards them. Even still, if I can manage to get the presentation right, I think this would work well on anyone.

So, my idea is to use an iPad to reveal a chosen card. I am usually carrying my iPad with me, and often need to set it down to do a trick. I thought it would be neat to have a spectator select a card, shuffle it into the deck, and then, at the end, flip back the cover of the iPad to reveal an image of their selected card.

I'm not concerned about the method, but what I am struggling with is exactly how to do the reveal. Once the selected card is shuffled back into the deck, then what? I'm not totally sure how to get from that step to the reveal. I know this isn't exactly a new concept, and I'm sure someone else has thought to incorporate an iPad or similar device before, so any advice, especially coming from experience, would be welcomed.

A nice simple approach would be to stick the cards back in the pack- rub the deck on the top of the closed ipad case and say that the card is going through the case into the ipad and have one of your students open it.

P.S. wish my teachers did magic at school!!

Another angle to consider. Shuffling the card back in the deck isn't necessary. Have them lay the selected card on the iPad and focus or some such shenanigans.

Just an added thought. You might want to take a close look at iForce for iPad. Could have a lot of possibilities for what you are doing.

If you want to go dramatic, you could do what is essentially a card stab. You toss the cards up - swing the ipad through the cards as the fall - and reveal the screen.

That said, I have a pet peeve about phones, tablets and such used in magic that doesn’t use them in the way people use them. For example, forcing a card and then going to an email program on the ipad to show someone emailed a prediction to you last week is to me a better use of the ipad because it is being used like an ipad, not a stand-in for a deck of cards.

If you needed the card to appear on the screen, another more ipad-ee way would be to show a photo of you holding a blank card, they select a card, and you turn the ipad around to show your picture now holding the thought of card. Again, a more natural use of the ipad.

Just a thought.

If you put their card on top of the deck face up, then do a erdnase change making it look like the card is in your hand you could rub it into the ipad.

I saw (and subsequently figured out roughly) a magician perform at the Gadget Show Live a couple of years ago, whose name escapes me. His routine included 'taking objects out' of the screen, like cards and oranges and the like. If you can figure out a good way of doing it, the pulling out effect is very effective. I sometimes use it with my phone, which is just a bit bigger than a playing card.

Edit: after a quick Google-ing brought up nothing but a shaky video that I couldn't tell who it was, I gave up trying. I then found myself trying to find a cheap copy of A Hundred Ways to Win a Tenner and realised it was Paul Zenon... How could I forget that?

Place a piece of bluTak, or double sided tape on the back of your iPad. Placing your ipad over the deck then removing the iPad could remove the top (forced) card. If your ipad cover wraps around the back of the ipad it would hide the removed top card.

How about "cascading" the deck at the iPad screen then reveal. Or tossing the deck at the ceiling and "snapping a picture" of the chosen card as they rain down?

Lol could you rig the deck to blow out of a trumpet?