Is FTM my next step?

[Blaeberry]

Hi,
I have about 250 people in my family tree and I'm looking for a way to view and display certain branches. I have an Ancestry subscription but I am always frustrated that I can't find a way to look at or print, say, one part of a branch, in a nice format.
I want some pages of the family tree to combine with scrapbook pages of ancestors so I want a flexible, attractive way to display the bits I want.
I'm not sure of the report or chart options available in FTM and so wondered if it is the thing I'm after.
Thanks in advance. :)

[Megan Roberts]

It may well be, but you need to know that Ancestry have sold FTM and it is now owned by another company. That company is working with Ancestry but they are not linked. If you want to check out their site for their new chart options:

http://www.mackiev.com/

[Lesley Robertson]

I've been a happy FTM for a long, long time. That said, Anc had already removed some tree options (I actually have 2 versions running side by side - from before and after Anc. Then there's the complications mentioned by Megan. Everything depends on how much you want the online sync.
Different people have different requirements so we can't guess which would suit you best. Most of the modern software packages have trial versions, and I'd advise anyone who's just starting to try as many as possible before deciding which to use. You wouldn't need to retype your test data set, any decent software can read and write ascii files - the genealogical version of text files. That means that if you generate such a file with your first test run, you can just read them in and play.

[Pam Downes]

Something else you might want to consider is whether you want your tree 'tied' to a company such as Ancestry (FMP also have an online family tree facility to which you can add media) or whether you want an 'independent' company such as Family Historian (I believe they are very good for attaching media).
You need to read the T&Cs of Ancestry and FMP carefully regarding 'ownership' of the trees and consider what happens if you cancel your subscription to either company.

Pam

[David Benson]

I've used several versions of FTM over many years and have never linked it to Anc. Started when it came on a few floppy discs. Just used as a standalone on my PC. I did not like the idea of 'sharing' my data or letting it get corrupted by number chasers with wrong data.

[Lesley Robertson]

We think alike, David!

[Blaeberry]

Thanks to everyone for your kind replies. That's given me a few things to think about. I don't mind if it isn't tied so I will look at Family Historian too. Even when I look at the websites (FTM or FH) they mention that there are lots of choices of charts and reports but I guess I want to see examples of a "tree" rather that a report iykwim. I might cancel my Ancestry sub at when my year is up so I do want a standalone system to continue with. I want software where I can make pages which will be nice to look at so I will look for the free trials now. Thanks again. Shaeron