Above the Trees

Holiday photo-cards are a great source of heirloom-worthy photo-history. They chronicle the growth of children (and the aging of parents!), new marriages, new babies, and sometimes even include pets and home exteriors. For many, the annual holiday photo may be the only image from that year that includes everyone in the family. If you have access to a scanner, take a few minutes to scan these special images when they arrive. Then be sure to upload them to your Family Photoloom account so you can tag each person and link everyone - including friends and pets - to your family history.

But then what? In years past, I struggled over what to do with all those photo-cards once they were scanned - along with the collection of beautiful handmade cards and family letters that arrive in our mailbox every holiday season. In my perfect world, they would be painstakingly scrapbooked and on display in a satin-lined album with gilded edges, but in the rush of the season, they were lucky to make it into the “keep for later” box.

Then a few Christmases ago, I received a festively decorated binder as a gift from my daughter Laura. Filled with plastic sheet protectors and brightly colored paper dividers denoting a decade of Christmases to come, it offered a perfect, effortless solution for preserving our holiday treasures.

To make your own "Holiday History Binder," all you need is a 3-ring notebook, some acid-free and archival safe plastic sheet protectors, and a little imagination.

Decorating can be as easy as slipping a special picture into the front of a view-binder, or as involved as making a fabric-covered album like the one Laura made for me. Either way, once complete, it takes only a few minutes to slide those special cards, photos, and letters into the sheet protectors, and your holiday history is preserved, ready to share and enjoy for generations to come.

I have a lot of opportunities to talk with folks about their family photos, and one commom lament is, "I don’t have anything. It was all lost in a (fire/flood/tornado)." Or, "My third cousin 'borrowed' them all years ago, and we haven't seen them since." Or simply, "My family didn’t keep any family photos.”

Then we get to talking a little more, and I ask, "You have a picture of yourself, right?"

"Of course I've got pictures of myself."

"What about your parents? Do you have any pictures of them? Or your children?"

"Well, yeah, I've got lots of pictures of them. But I mean family history pictures. I don't have any OLD pictures."

Let's stop right there. Remember, the first word in family history is FAMILY. That includes you, and it includes now! And, as with anything, when you are just starting out, the best approach is start simple, and go from what you know (or what you have) to what you don’t know (or what you don’t have). So let’s start with what you do have:

Start your Pictorial Family History:

1. Make a list of your immediate family members – parents, children, spouse – and look to your own pictures to find an image of each person on your list. You don’t need to start with a lot of pictures – in the case of family history preservation, one picture is infinitely better than none.


2. If the images you have chosen are not already digitized, scan them, or have someone to scan them for you.


3. Add your grandparents and their other children (your aunts and uncles) to your list. Do you have photos of them? Scan those too. Also, make a list of what you don’t have. (We’ll discuss how to deal with that in an upcoming installment.)


4. Create a file on your computer labeled “Family History Images” (or something like that). Copy all of your family history images into that file. (If you have a lot of images, you may need to create sub files.)


5. Upload your images onto your free Family Photoloom account, and tag all the individuals. Then go into the “Relationship View” and drag each individual into the relationship setter. You now have a 3-generation chart complete with pictures on your screen, with the potential for literally infinite family lines and relationships.

Each of these steps should take you fifteen minutes or less. Do one a day for a week (with weekends off!) and you will be on your way!

Next week: Protecting Your Precious Family Photos

Free genealogy tutorials and classes for beginners:

• GenTutorials (Great series of tutorials, presented by GenWriters)
• Finding Your Ancestors (BYU Independent Study Course)

Do you have a great idea for our 15-Minute Family History series? Email it to me at renee at photoloom dot com. I’d love to hear about how you are getting your family history done, one bite at a time!

Digital Pictures 101: Part 2 - Compression

Awhile back, we explored “resolution” in digital imaging, and discussed tips on how to choose optimal scanning resolution. We also identified the problem that optimal scanning presents, especially in the case of creating a digital archive: image files can be huge – and can easily fill up your hard drive. And although hard drives are getting larger and cheaper every day, the limiting factor might be your backup media – which in this day and age tends to be CD’s DVD’s or online internet backups. Image compression can significantly reduce this burden. As the name suggests, “compression” technology results in smaller file sizes. There are two major types of compression: Lossless and Lossy:

LOSSLESS compression (PNG, TIFF, BMP file formats)

• Reduces file size with no loss in image quality.
• Does not compress to as small a file size as lossy. (See Table)
• Use when archiving and editing images.

LOSSY compression (JPG or JPEG file formats)

• Reduces files size with some loss of image quality.
• Allows for variable levels of quality (compression) to be
• selected by the user.
• Use when sharing images.

Popular Digital Image File Formats

• JPG or JPEG – Joint Photographic Experts Group. Most digital cameras use this by default. Lossy compression.
• TIFF - Tagged Image File Format. This flexible image format allows for many color depths, and can use Lossless or Lossy compression
• PNG - Portable Network Graphics. Handles 24-bit (true) color, Lossless compression.
• BMP - Windows bitmap. Not compressed.

The following MB Comparison Shart is based on a sample image that is 5400x3600 pixels:
The main point to take away from all this is that JPG (pronounced jay-peg) is simply amazing at compressing file sizes with very little loss in image quality. This is especially true when scanning images at very high resolution (300 dpi or higher) and saving files with high quality settings (about 90% of the maximum setting). JPG compression allows you to store and share hundreds of high quality images on a CD instead of dozens.















In these examples, the three cropped images above, cropped from the original, shown are (1) Low-Quality JPG, (2) a High-Quality JPG, and (3) TIFF file (no compression).

Another factor to consider is color depth. Color depth is the number of bits (or bytes) per pixel. More bits per pixel result in more available colors in the final output. Color depth also effects file size, so pay attention to scanner settings.

Generally an uncompressed image will be 1/3 the file size if it is scanned in 8-bit per pixel gray scale instead of True Color— a good thing to remember if you are scanning a lot of documents or black and white photographs and need to save hard drive space.

• Typewritten or handwritten documents should be scanned with 8-bit per pixel gray scale.
• Black and white photographs should be scanned with 8-bit per pixel gray scale unless you want to preserve the subtle sepia or yellowing; then choose True Color.
• All other color photographs or color documents should be scanned using True Color.

Doing the right thing with image compression:

• Archive using lossless compression. (Please!)
• Experiment before picking a compression: Zoom way in to your compressed files to see how the lossy-compression is effecting the quality.
• Choose a compression that allows your project to fit on the media provided.
• Share excellent quality copies using compressed files.
• Use 8-bit gray scale color depth for documents and black and white photographs to save disk space.

My Pop, Lester Masters, loved his little sister, Hettie. I can still remember the first time he showed me this photograph; how he ran his thumb around its edge, and how his eyes softened and his gravelly voice smoothed when he started to talk.
I never met Hettie. But I know her. I look at this picture—Pop’s protective arm around her—and I hear her story whispering in my memory.

So now it’s my turn to pass on Hettie’s story, to weave the thread of her history with my own. And as I do, the fabric of our family becomes richer, and its connections more tightly entwined—not only between Hettie and Pop, but between us all; and not just for now, but for ever.

Sometimes I need to remind myself that even as we labor to gather, document, and conserve the history of our generations past, we must also remember to preserve the people and images of today. Family history is happening.

It was with this in mind that I chose the image for today’s blog post: Our daughter, Olivia, with Zane, her Welsh pony. In the summer of 2004, Zane was twenty years old, and stood about 12.1 hands. Livy was eleven and just a bit taller. Livy was a quiet, profoundly layered child, and Zane a good listener. It was a good fit.

The summer of ’04 was hot and dry, at least by Oregon standards. Every bootstep across the fairgrounds sent a little cloud of dust puffing out from under your heel, and the water hoses behind the 4-H barns were flowing non-stop – kids were giving their horses second and third baths just for an excuse to play in the water.

Throughout the week of fair, Livy competed in both Western and English classes, and even earned a Championship ribbon for English Walk-Trot. There were other wins and other ribbons, but I don’t remember them all now. (It’s astounding had quickly history can fade!) The picture here was taken on the afternoon of Showmanship trials, long after ribbons were handed out and hair was let down.

There is another image like this one, taken earlier in the day – one in which Livy is smiling, bright and combed, and Zane is standing square, head up, eyes dancing. And while it is a lovely picture, it is this image that holds my memory: this singular bond of girl and horse – this tie that will be never broken. He will always be her first love, and she his girl. A moment in our family history? Yes. But also, a portrait of the infinite, enduring threads that weave the fabric of our lives.

When Cheryl called us recently to suggest a new feature for Family Photoloom, she probably wasn’t expecting to see it up and working in less than 24 hours. But it was!

Cheryl asked for a feature that would allow her to save a portrait she created in her Family Photoloom account to her hard drive, so that it could be used as the “key” picture for that individual in other genealogy applications. The result is our new One-Click Download feature.

Portrait Downloads: Each time you tag a face or anything else with Family Photoloom, a portrait is created. When you choose a record from your “Records” list, all the portraits of that individual appear in a “Portraits List” on the right of your screen.

To download a portrait for use in other applications, simply click the new ‘download’ button that appears on a portrait in the “Portraits List” when the mouse cursor is over it. You will then be prompted to save image to your computer’s hard drive.

Picture Downloads: One-Click Downloads have also been added to the group picture thumbnails at the bottom of the screen to make it easy to download a “full picture.”

Thank you, Cheryl!

One last note: When you contact us at Photoloom, know that we set the bar on Member Support high. We want to hear from you. Tell us what you like, what needs improvement, and what you’d like to see in the future. Who knows, you might even be the next “Cheryl,” and your new feature could be up and running by tomorrow.

Let’s face it; times are tough, and we, like many people, are pinching our pennies. This year, even our family reunion fell victim to the economy. Every two years, we hold a Hughes family reunion, gathering the descendants of my great-grandparents, Willie and Effie Hughes, to swap pictures and stories, collect and correct genealogy information, and generally catch up since the last reunion. However, out-of-control fuel and travel costs forced the family as a whole to forego the reunion and hope for better days on the horizon.

But all was not lost: our reunion instead became a virtual (that is to say, an online) reunion. And it wouldn’t have been the same without Family Photoloom. Family Photoloom enhanced our online reunion by creating a virtual family reunion for our pictures. We have over 350 pictures focusing on Willie and Effie Hughes, spanning six generations. The face tagging and relationship indexing data stored in our Family Photoloom account connects our pictures exactly the same way that a family is connected. You can browse generation to generation or sibling to sibling. You can focus on a single person and see ALL the portraits for that person, or flip over to the relationship tab and see all the pictures of the complete family group. Family Photoloom enhanced our “Virtual Family Reunion” and enabled us to stay connected, even as we pinched pennies and stayed at home on our “stay-cation.”

FAMILY PHOTOLOOM – The Ultimate Family Deal

While we’re talking about saving money, let me take this opportunity to describe the financial benefits of our Photoloom business model for you. In addition to being family-friendly, Family Photoloom ‘pocket-book’ friendly as well. This is because one Premium Family Photoloom Account is all you need to support your entire family organization.

Here is how it works: The account sponsor signs up for the Premium Account, and everyone else signs up for a free trial account. The account sponsor invites all other family members to the family’s Premium Account. That’s all there is to it – a whole family that shares one Premium Account. (It is important to note that the sponsor of the Premium Account has control of not only of who has access to the account, but who has edit (or author) privileges.)

From a business standpoint, it may seem like a wild and crazy idea to allow people free access to a shared Premium Account, so let me explain why it makes good business sense to Photoloom LLC. Two words: Viral Marketing! Every core family is really a combined family: the husband’s family and the wife’s family and at each generation it doubles again. For example, the Willie and Effie reunion site does little for my mom, who is not from this family line; nor does it really meet the needs of my wife, who married into this group of nuts. Both are a potential new Premium Accounts for us. So while you see Free Accounts for all family members, we see Free Viral Marketing.

Times are tough, but we’ll get through them; we always have. We’ll come out stronger as we valiantly do our best to serve one another and help our families stay connected. Don’t let the economy ruin your family reunion – and let Family Photoloom help bring you closer, with a Virtual Family Reunion for your pictures.

Sincerely,
Scott Huskey

Coming next time: Learn about quick and easy Family Photoloom email invitations – it takes just one step to invite and add a new member to your account.

Digital Pictures 101: Scanning Resolution

As our family grows and our children venture into the world beyond our doors, we find our holiday gatherings all the more special. In the coming days, we will be gathering our family together, even flying a couple in from out of state.

So much of our holiday revolves around photos – they draw us together. Through their images, we reminisce about old times – the stories shared, the lives lived, the loved ones lost and found along the way. And throughout each day that we are together, we create for new moments and capture new images – photographs of tomorrow’s memories.

The holidays are a great time to get help from your family with identifying people in your old photographs. This season, as you sip your eggnog or take a break from the traditional family Monopoly game, consider grabbing those old family picture albums, and share with your family the memories and stories that come to mind simply by browsing their pages. Open an album (or a shoebox) and you’re sure to hear someone saying, “I remember when…"

I have found that it is my great-aunts who are able to fill in the blanks when it comes to old photographs. This reminds me of a family reunion we had at Roman Nose State Park, Oklahoma, in the year 2000. I thought I had it made. I brought a scanner and laptop, a cousin provided a projector and a printer, and I had more great-aunts assembled than ever before.

We sat together, the great-aunts and me, looking through photographs one at a time. At one point, I came across an old school photo, an image of twenty or thirty children. My Great-Aunt Hyla shouted, “Stop – I remember when this was taken! That’s me in the third row!” Then she went on to name three or four more people in the photograph.

We thought we were so smart. We printed the picture out and asked her to write down the names of all the people she could remember, with a circle around each face and a line to their name. We did this for several other photographs. I wish I had had Family Photoloom back then. Because although these printouts captured the information I wanted, they were no good after I folded them up, put them in my pocket, and accidentally lost them. (arghhh!)

Family Photoloom was created just for times like these. Give it a try. Upload a few pictures of the family – even better if you are not really sure who is in them. Then take some time during your family gathering to bring up your pictures on Family Photoloom... and wait, just wait for someone to a say,“ I remember when this was taken! That’s me in the third row!”

With Family Photoloom, you are ready with the tools you need to capture this information right in the moment. Plus, you can immediately share it with others. No DVD’s to burn and mail (been there, done that too many times – perhaps another Blog topic). It feels so good to be able to share photos with your entire family; not only can they tell you who’s in the pictures, but also how they are related to each other. Help your pictures come alive by gathering your family around them, and capture some old memories while you make new ones.

Happy Holidays from Photoloom!


Photo-scanning Resources
Be sure to read our post January 5, 2009 - No More Fuzzy Faces.

A great option for scanning photographs is to use the services of a Utah-based company called Securing Memories. (Update 7/27/09: Formally know as Echo Media) They scan negatives, slides, and photos from any format. We recommend them because we have found them to be a good group of people who do their work well, and they have a great respect for the treasure that their clients entrust to them. If you use them to digitize your media, they will upload your images to your Photoloom account at no extra charge!