Best Family Tree COLOR-CODING Tool - Family Tree Maker Tutorial

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

QOTD: How do you color your tree in Family Tree Maker?

[@CadillacBunner]

I use a combination of colors and border styles for the boxes. This was really helpfu!

[@robins8769]

Too amusing! I missed the live version of this as I was on a genealogy field trip in East Texas. But I caught the "I don't like the color orange." Spoken by a true Aggie!

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Gig'em. So true. So true. Orange is not a great color for an Aggie.

[@lindabright4609]

Devon, once you have used the filter to find all ancestors born in Ky, how do you get back to the original index view?

[@tinplategeektoo]

Thank you Devon, a very helpful tutorial. I might even start to use the 8 great grandparent colouring approach as the tree collapse highlighting looks cool. I've used FTM for a while but haven't really got to grips with it or used any of the none obvious features.

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

I'm happy to have introduced you to some cool features and different approaches.

[@pinwheelgrl9304]

I got real excited when you said FTM could do colors 'forward and backward'. So I wanted to buy the program for dna work, but I then realized I couldn't see anywhere it had a 'descendant view' like on Ancestry. My main problem is getting lost in all the descendants - but I just have to SEE how they all blend into each other! Is anything helpful for seeing all the descendants in downline mode? Lists and ahnentafels just don't cut it. Thanks.

[@cathyc6725]

I used color coding to see if my grandmother's Henderson line was related to a Henderson line that married in to another line of my grandmother's family. I was able to see clearly that they were not related to each other. I also used it to keep my 2 unrelated Jones lines separate.

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@junebutka6571]

I match mine to my DNA as tagged in ancestry. To carry through the same colors to identify the DNA line connection.

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Cool. But how do you account for the fact that Ancestry has more colors than Family Tree Maker?

[@marci.abraham]

It does? I was just thinking that FTM must have way more colors than Ancestry...which only has 24 colors to code your DNA matches with. Maybe I'm not following...?

[@junebutka6571]

@@FamilyHistoryFanatics I go to the 8 grandparents and color them. The color goes up or down though their line.

[@groundedbutstillgoing5533]

Absolutely so fascinating and Gig'em Ags!

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Gig'em Right back at you.

[@tommysts1920]

thanks for your knowledge.

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

My pleasure. Happy to share.

[@staceycoates1418]

I think I like Rootsmagic's color coding more. There are more colors and with the sets you can expand so much more. So while I would like the visual representation of multiple colors on the person, I think Rootsmagic is more versatile in the long run. But the pedigree collapse... Not that I have it in my lines but in matches lines it would be so nice to see.

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

That's a fair analysis of both programs.

[@AncientArchivist]

Thank you Devon. Great explanation as always. Is there somewhere in FTM that you can note what you have used each colour for? or do we just keep a postit note on the side of the screen, lol. Thanks.

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Sadly, there isn't a way in FTM to note the color scheme you used. Unless you want to add this as a note for the home person. But you might not remember that you added that note. This is one feature that RootsMagic does better.

[@AncientArchivist]

@FamilyHistoryFanatics thanks Devon, posting note it is then, 😆.

[@staceycoates1418]

I know longer use Family tree maker, but it would be nice to have the visual representation of multiple colors.

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

So true.

[@vinswellasandridge1790]

Where can I purchase the Family Tree Maker Program

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

www.mackiev.com/ftm/

[@irishdawn8387]

how do I put custom emoji icon/images in my tree like immigrant ships, star of david icons and so on....

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

I'll be honest with you. Since I'm not a fan of that practice, I don't know the answer. I'd recommend seeking out tips from Crista Cowan on Ancestry.

[@dennisstewart5660]

Is family tree maker being discontinued?

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Family Tree Maker 2019 by Makiev, to my knowledge, is not being discontinued. The version that was produced by Ancestry was discontinued in 2015.