My new software 'requirements'

[Fidgetsmum]

I have Christmas present money to spend on a new 'decent' genealogy program and no - I'm not going to ask (specifically) which I should buy, but I'd be grateful for suggestions on programs which will allow me to...

Import a Gedcom
Import images on a 'cut and paste' basis (as FTM 2005 does) as opposed to having to create a specific file for each image - which I've found that some programs require.
Print a variety of charts particularly with the option to include no siblings, all siblings or just the siblings of primary individuals.

As I say, suggestions welcome.
My thanks

[Browneyes]

Hello Fidgetsmum,

If you google "compare genealogy software" amongst the results there'll be something from 'About.com: genealogy' that might help you.

Browneyes x

[Colin Moretti]

...
Import images on a 'cut and paste' basis (as FTM 2005 does) as opposed to having to create a specific file for each image - which I've found that some programs require....If you embed images, however, it can make your GEDCOM file rather big, depending on the resolution/size/compression of the images. It's much better to have them as separate files, I would have thought, as GEDCOM files can get rather large even without this. Mine, which has just over 1000 individuals, is more than 1.5 MB in size although I think that I've a couple of small images that I embedded before I realised the implications.

Colin

[tony vines]

I've not checked to see whether it can do everything you specify but Family Historian claims to be the only program that uses the full Gedcom code. I have used it for 3-4 years and find it very good and oriented towards the British way of doing things. The majority of genealogy software has US origins and while there is nothing wrong with that as such it does mean that it tends to be biased towards the US ways of recording information.

A new version is about to be released but if you buy the current version there is a deal that allows you to upgrade to the new version when it arrives FOC. See family-historian.co.uk

On the subject of embedded images while I agree entirely with Colin's advice the downside of not embedding them becomes apparent when you change PCs as I have just done. This is because it is very easy for the paths to the images stored on your PC to become corrupted i.e. they no longer point to wherever you have stored your images on the new PC. This is particularly annoying when the operating systems are different as well e.g. XP/Vista and they do helpful things like re-name the folders that come with the OS.

I think that you can try before you buy too.

[ChristineR]

Try the free MyHeritage Tree Builder before you buy anything. :)
If it does what you want then you can spend your money on something else.

It allows you to browse your computer looking for photos to add, once added you can add notes and people associations to each photo. The photos are then stored in three sizes in the MyHeritage photo file - including two thumbnails of around 7 and 21kbs for the personal photos that can be printed on charts and displayed in your project files.

You can choose ancestor or desendant chart - in either horizontal or vertical format - choosing fonts, colours, borders, etc; and numbers of generations.

Close family charts includes siblings and will show all spouses and children. (I didn't realise it did that!)
Further investigation of the options allows one to choose which ones to include -
primary - parents, children, spouse(s), brothers and sister
secondary - primary relatives of primary relatives
two more levels, and then finally - 'any relative'.

You get the usual choices on exporting your gedcom, who you include, privatisation, notes, sources, as well as a gregorian calendar format. You can choose to include photo information. It asks you if you would like to create a subfolder in another destination for the exported photos, to prevent accidently causing changes to your project files if you import the gedcom into another application on the same computer.

One can import and export from Excel.

The only annoying thing about it, it was periodically asking me If I wanted to upload files to my MyHeritage Tree (the software for this is included in the download - they have free and paid tree sites, but I dislike the layout of the 'interactive' trees. Seems cumbersome to me)
Then I discovered how to stop that from happening - delete the file from the 'publishing request' via the Publishing Settings in tools. So it wouldn't happen if I had never uploaded in the first place.

I have not yet updated to the latest version of TreeBuilder now available.
:)
oops you said import, not export. You can import Gedcoms files (.GED) Package file (.ZIP) Family Tree Legend file (.FTL)
It then asks if you want to open a new project file for it, or merge into a current file. Then of course asks if you want to upload it right away!

[twist69]

Try Brothers Keeper, it does everything I ask of it, and it is free to Download, just google Brothers keeper.

[Fidgetsmum]

Thank you to everyone for all the suggestions - many of which have, helpfully, included things I hadn't actually realised I needed to think about. I think in particular I've also realised too late, as Colin mentioned, that I've included too many images and, as others have said, failed to think about the size of those images - in future I shall keep them separate. It's helpful to be directed towards software with a more UK emphasis too.

I'm grateful to you all ... back to Google and looking for free trial downloads of your suggestions.

Thank you again
F'smum

[Colin Moretti]

...

On the subject of embedded images while I agree entirely with Colin's advice the downside of not embedding them becomes apparent when you change PCs as I have just done. This is because it is very easy for the paths to the images stored on your PC to become corrupted i.e. they no longer point to wherever you have stored your images on the new PC. This is particularly annoying when the operating systems are different as well e.g. XP/Vista and they do helpful things like re-name the folders that come with the OS....But Family Historian can very easily redirect such links on a folder-to-folder basis (ie, it doesn't have to be done separately for each file) at the click of just a few buttons.

Colin

[MythicalMarian]

Well, Fidgetsmum, I'll keep it short and sweet, and stick my neck out by saying that I've tried about half a dozen free and paid packages over the years, and I am totally thrilled with Family Historian and won't be changing again. The only thing I would warn against with this particular package is the query part of it. Unless you are a bit computer savvy, customising your own queries can be a bit daunting at first, but the program does come with a lot of loaded queries that will no doubt cover most requirements.

[Fidgetsmum]

Thanks MythicalMarian - the sticking out of necks is always welcome. I have downloaded the trial version in the past but, compared with FTM I found it difficult to navigate (just lack of practice I guess). My one beef against it was that not all the GEDCOM I got it to import arrived properly - it left out about 63 members of the same extended family - again I guess that was probably my fault.