Your photo family tree

Over the last century, photography has become an essential part of any family get-together. How wonderful it is to be able to look back over the generations and compare your family then to your family now. Digital technology has made it even easier to share and display your precious family photos.

Here's a great idea for your next family reunion.

• Scan photos of family members into your computer. Use a photo-editing program, such as Adobe PhotoDeluxe, to clean up old pictures. Remove scratches, repair torn edges, and adjust the colors if needed. Resize and crop photos so they focus on the people.                  
• Add captions to your photos, identifying the person or people in the image, and include details such as the date of the photo or where the photo was taken.                  
• Print the photos on photo-quality paper. Trim away excess margins.                  
• On a piece of posterboard, draw a diagram of an ancestry chart, showing the various branches of your family. If you want, you can draw or paint the outline of a tree around the chart. Write the family name in large letters at the bottom.                  
• Using mounting tape, attach the trimmed photos to the tree, starting with the oldest ones at the "trunk" and spreading out through the branches.                  
• Decorate the borders of the family tree with stickers, stamps, dried leaves and flowers, or family mementos.

Your photo family tree will be a wonderful centerpiece for your reunion.

More ideas for creative family memories

• Create a digital photo family tree using the collage function of your image editor. You can display this on a Web site, e-mail it to family members, or print it out and frame it.                  
• Collect family stories from relatives. Using a word processor or desktop publishing software, assemble the stories with your photos, and print them out in book form. Add a cover, and present to family members as a special gift.                  
• Create a calendar with your photos, so that you can remember your family's history throughout the year.

Digital imaging is only one of the ways in which computers have helped people discover and preserve family history. Read more about Technology for Genealogy.