Introduction: How to Create a Fake ID - Copy and Modify Your Card

In this Instructable, I'll be showing you how to make a duplicate of basically any ID or other sort of bill of fare. I will besides outline the methods for modifying this bill of fare for any sort of novelty purpose.

Notice I say novelty - this is not intended for fraudulent or otherwise illegal activities. I accept no legal responsibleness for any said ventures.

As this is my get-go instructable, whatever comments or questions are welcome and appreciated.

Update: It's been a few years since I wrote this. Since I'm non doing this anymore, I guess I'll give away my best secret... The ID Warehouse is a site I used to get going, and contains a ton of gratis templates and like shooting fish in a barrel guides that helped me figure it out. The sign-up process can be annoying, simply it'due south definitely worthwhile. The guy backside the site is also super helpful if you're stuck.

Best of luck!

Step one: Supplies Needed

For this project, y'all will demand the following items:

ID/any menu - Get out your old Joe Schmoe, INC. identification card, library card, or any it is you feel yous demand to have an upgraded duplicate of.
Photoshop - or any other equivalent software - however, I'm gonna be using photoshop so it will be easier to follow forth if you lot are using information technology as well.
Scanner - Good quality if possible
Printer - Likewise skilful quality
Laminator - more detail on which type when I get to it
Teslin paper - available from several websites. I recommend www.poisonid.com as information technology is the only site I could find selling the 4 x 6 perforated sheets I utilise hither. They run from $4 United states for a single ID to $33 for a pack of 20. IMO, go for the big pack because in all likelihood you will spiral upwards a couple of times in the process of making this. Brand sure yous get the kind for your printer, whether inkjet or laser. Artisyn newspaper supposedly is simply is adept or better, just I've never tried information technology.
Butterfly laminate pouches - Again, many websites to cull from. If y'all purchase from PoisonID, they come with the teslin newspaper. However, if you desire your card to be magnetic stripe-scannable, then you volition need to buy from a site selling 10 mil pouches (PoisonID's are 7 mil - close, but probably won't work with a magnetic strip encoder). They will as well need a magnetic strip on the dorsum - try here
Ruler
Scalpel or scissors or both
Sand paper

Optional:

Hologram overlays - available from PoisonID as well as many other sites. Gives it some extra pizazz. However they are stick-on so they're a royal hurting in the ass to apply without mucking up.
Magnetic stripe encoder - Pretty expensive normally. I would look for one on ebay to try and score information technology for under $150. Good luck.
Curling fe/regular atomic number 26/hair straightener - if the ID you are trying to copy has a hologram on it, use one of these to go rid of information technology.

Footstep ii: Preparing the Card

The kickoff affair we will need to do is make a template out of your desired old bill of fare. If the carte contains a hologram, nosotros will cease up making it unusable before we can make a copy out of it. This is to ensure a adept scan that you can work with. Retrieve, the quality of the template yous create can make or break this carte.

To starting time, get out the carte y'all will be copying. For this demonstration, I am showing the procedure of duplicating a "Joe Schmoe Inc." corporate identity menu.

If the old card is worn out, take a rag to information technology and try and go rid of any gunk left on the surface. Also, if your bill of fare has a hologram, it has to go. To accomplish this, exercise the post-obit:

Go out your iron/curling iron/pilus straightener/portable hot, apartment surface.

Let information technology heat up, and so gently start applying it to one of the edges of your carte. Make sure not to leave the atomic number 26 on the menu for very long - use quick motions, dragging the iron away from you off the edge of the carte du jour, on and off fairly fast. This prevents ruining the menu by melting it or making bubbles.

Apply the iron to the card until you lot can lift up the top laminate layer. Depending on what type of card information technology is, information technology may contain much of the text and mayhap even the photograph. Don't worry if bits of the background design come off every bit it is fairly easy to repair any harm in Photoshop.

Footstep iii: Scanning the Card

Toss your new, hologram-costless card into your scanner. If it has any quality settings, be sure to set them to maximum. Fire it upwardly, and if you're lucky y'all should get something that looks like the motion-picture show below.

Most likely you lot volition have a fair bit of text left, which we will be replacing in the next stride to improve quality.

Pace 4: Photoshop Fixing 1

In this step nosotros volition remove the remaining text, as well every bit getting rid of any imperfections.

Open your scan in photoshop. In this example we will exist changing the "ID blazon" section of the card to say "total clearance" - that's what you had in mind for a fake ID correct?

Select the Clone Stamp tool, and Alt-click in the area surrounding the text you lot want to supervene upon. You may demand to adjust the brush size to fit the area you are working on (this is done from the toolbar across the height). Work slice past piece, making certain the area you alt-click has a like colour/texture to the background behind the text. Next, click over the adjacent section of the text to replace it.

In one case y'all are done removing all the text (yeah, all of it. Scanned and so reprinted text looks terrible), fill it in using the type tool. You will want to try and match the font to that on your ID. If y'all can't, Helvetica or Helvetica Condensed is a adept bet for an official-looking typeface.

Continue using the Clone Postage tool to replace whatever blemishes or holes in the ID, such as in the photo surface area, where bits of color may be left over. An culling to the Clone Stamp is the Marquee select tool (keyboard shortcut 1000). For areas that are simpler to gear up (ie, text or holes over solid background), just select a spot next to information technology and copy and paste it over.

Step 5: Photoshop Fixing ii

This step really should be Photoshop Fixing 1, simply information technology's not. You're gonna have to pick up the slack that I've left off.

What nosotros're going to do now is replace the header texture, besides equally any other sort of divider or background confined that didn't survive scanning. Notice on the image in step 3 how the blue bars on the epitome look kinda crappy? Nosotros will now rectify that then when you print it, information technology does non look antique.

First off, locate the spots yous need to set. If at that place is text over peak of it which you replaced, make information technology invisible past going to the Layers tab on the right hand corner, and clicking the eyeball next to the specific text layer. What you lot're virtually to exercise volition brand the previous job of cloning the groundwork over the old text in these spots redundant. This is the reason step iv mostly should have come beginning. Simply that's ok, practice is skilful.

Side by side, detect a mode of selecting the box. This should exist easy if it doesn't take rounded corners. Only choice your Marquee Select tool, and highlight the area. If your area is of an odd shape, such as the header with rounded corners on the example carte du jour, refer to steps 1 - four of the image beneath.

The method I've described in the picture below will somewhat replicate the pattern on the card I have copied. For unlike patterns, feel free to ask, otherwise figure information technology out yourself. Fix your foreground color to the one of the nighttime colours of blue on the header (use the eyedropper tool and click over the spot where the color is). Set the groundwork color to white.

Get the gradient tool. For those not familiar with Photoshop, it's hiding behind the paint bucket tool. Get to the gradient options on the peak toolbar, and select radial gradient. Then, on the aforementioned panel set up the gradient blazon to "foreground to groundwork". Making sure yous yet have the box selected, drag a straight line downward from above the center of the box to beneath the bottom of it. Aim for a nice spherical slope throughout the centre of the box without also much harsh white.

Next, you will want to add a pattern overlay. What I did was create a new paradigm well-nigh 10 x 10 pixels, draw a squiggly black line across information technology, and so get Edit->Define Pattern. Next, I separated the header box into a divide layer, by selecting it, copying it, deleting information technology, then pasting information technology. It will paste into a new layer - just line it back up to where it was. Now, correct click on your new layer and go to Blending Options. Select Pattern Overlay, and select the pattern you just created. Lower the opacity down to a skilful level (10% seems pretty good), and voila. Feel free to mess with it to reach the desired result. Go along in mind the details are not very noticeable once the card is printed and laminated.

Repeat the steps on this page for whatever other boxes which need fixing. Later that, un-hibernate any text layers yous had previously hidden, re-create and paste your picture show into the white box, and brand whatsoever needed finishing touches to your template.

Step six: Printing

Now that y'all take a nice working template, it'southward time to make it a menu. Get out your Teslin/Artisyn paper, and put it into your printer tray. Depending on your printer model, you may have to adjust the slider on the paper tray to line up with the size of your newspaper (that is, bold you purchased the 4x6 perforated Teslin newspaper, which you should). Make sure the Teslin newspaper you purchase is for your type of printer, whether inkjet or laser.

Earlier you print the template on Teslin, you may want to do a few test runs on regular four x 6 newspaper to get the alignment right so that it fits right within the perforated expanse. Go the size to the right dimensions and middle your image.

In one case you've got information technology aligned correctly, go to Photoshop, and striking Print Preview->Page Setup. Under Paper Size, select 4x6 and hitting OK. Click Print, and then on the next screen become to Properties. Set it to Photo Press - Borderless, and then impress.

When it's done, don't pop the card out of the perforation. We all the same have to print the remainder of it. Oh yeah, did I mention at that place'southward a back side?.

For the back side of the card, just repeat the steps used to create the template of the front end side. Once that's washed, flip your Teslin paper over and stick it back in the printer. Print again.

You tin can now pop the card out of the perforation. If the tempate did not fit perfectly into the perforated surface area, use your scalpel and ruler or scissors to trim information technology to shape. It is ok if you have a few areas to be cut downwardly, but as long as you can make it look good when finished.

Footstep 7: Laminating

The next step is to laminate your card. The reason we take used Teslin paper rather than regular newspaper is that when laminating, Teslin adheres much more strongly to the pouches. This will prevent your card from falling autonomously.

When it comes to using a laminator, you volition want i that can handle the thickness of laminate pouch y'all are using. Try and use ane that accepts at least 7 mil, preferably x. It must also exercise hot laminate, not cold. Good quality laminators volition produce better results.

Plough on your laminator and allow it heat up.

While information technology's heating, put your freshly-printed template into the laminate pouch, with the top of your card against the seam. This will salvage yous from cutting important parts of the ID off in example the laminate pouch slips in the laminator. It is also possible to employ a tiny amount of super glue on the dorsum of the card to secure it in identify.

Once the laminator is ready, put the carte du jour in seam-commencement. Requite it a bit of time to absurd when it comes out earlier handling information technology or bending it. If the card comes out floppy or information technology seems the laminate has non adhered, run it through the laminator again.

Step 8: Finishing Touches

When your carte du jour comes out, yous will probable have to cut and sand down edges of the laminate. Your scalpel, ruler, pair of scissors, and sand paper volition practise the fox. However, be careful with the sand paper equally you may end up turning the edges of the card white.

One time you lot are satisfied with your product, y'all can add a hologram overlay (as seen below). Simply peel and stick, making sure y'all line it up square. To prevent getting bubbling nether the overlay, perform this step in a vacuum. If y'all don't have a vacuum chamber at your disposal, or take no way of getting into space, then just work your style edge to border with your finger while sticking it on, getting rid of the air underneath. This can be catchy. Too a good reason why you should buy several hologram overlays.

If yous however have bubbles under the hologram, use the back side of a knife or a rolling pin to force them out.

Finally, if you lot want to make your card swipeable, exit your magnetic stripe encoder. What comes next y'all volition take to figure out, as I have never operated ane.

Congratulations, yous're finished.

Be the First to Share

Recommendations

  • Anything Goes Contest

    Anything Goes Contest