After Ancestry.com announced that they were abandoning (aka “retiring”) their venerable Family Tree Maker (FTM) desktop application in Dec 2015, many users and genealogy bloggers asked, “What do I replace FTM with?” Several genealogy desktop app retailers offered discounts and help guides on how to transfer a family tree from FTM to their software. Most of them make it sound as if it’s as simple as exporting your FTM tree to a GEDCOM file and importing the GEDCOM into their application. I say, “Not so fast.” [Read more…] about Family Tree Software Alternatives, Part 1: How to Scrub Your Data (Updated 16 May 2018)
media
Why You Might Consider Combining Your Family Tree Maker Media Files into One Folder
While preparing my review of MacFamily Tree 7, I ran across an article on their website, “Switch from Family Tree Maker to MacFamilyTree and import your family tree.” The section headed “Attention: Media file import” caught my attention. I don’t agree with Synium’s statement, “Unfortunately the developers of Family Tree Maker made the very poor choice of not importing media files but just linking them. Just Family Tree Maker knows where these files are and there are just links to those media files.” I disagree on several counts: [Read more…] about Why You Might Consider Combining Your Family Tree Maker Media Files into One Folder
How to Closely Inspect Images in Family Tree Maker 2014
Sometimes zooming in on an image in your media library just isn’t enough. This need is addressed in Family Tree Maker 2014.
It includes a little gem called the magnifier tool. You’ll find it in the media detail views of the source and media workspaces.
[Read more…] about How to Closely Inspect Images in Family Tree Maker 2014
Improved PDF Support in Family Tree Maker 2014
I published a video today showing how Family Tree Maker 2014 displays PDF media and how to get it to change the thumbnail of existing PDF media files to a small image of the first page of the document.
[Read more…] about Improved PDF Support in Family Tree Maker 2014
Locate Missing Media in Family Tree Maker 2011
Image and other media files can go missing in Family Tree Maker 2011 when you move them around in Windows Explorer. The 2011 release of Family Tree Maker includes a new feature that locates the files for you. Learn how to use it in this video and get a sneak peak at the file system I use and recommend for storing genealogy files outside your genealogy database software; I’ll publish a series of videos on this soon.
[Read more…] about Locate Missing Media in Family Tree Maker 2011