The recording of today's webinar, Getting Started with Heritage Collector Software - Part III, by Kathleen Bitter, is now available to view in our webinar archives. Kathleen demonstrated how to create customized family calendars and storybook pages, and answered lots of questions in the Q/A session.

View the recording

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 30 minute recording of Getting Started with Heritage Collector software Part III is now available to view in our webinar archives. Visit www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/webinars.asp to watch.

Purchase Heritage Collector Suite

Click here to purchase or for more information. It also comes with the 200 page e-book, The Digital Family History Guidebook. 

Special discount coupon

The special discount coupon of heritage2 that was announced during the webinar is valid for 10% off anything in our online store through Monday, October 1, 2012.

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

• Privacy and our Ancestors with Thomas MacEntee. October 3.
• Cruising with Legacy Family Tree in 2013. October 5.
• Researching Your Irish Ancestors: Beyond the Basics with Judy Wight. October 10.
• Ten Brick Wall Tips for Intermediate Researchers with Marian Pierre-Louis, October 17.
• Your Civil War Ancestors: Beginning Your Research with Michael Hait. October 24.
• Breaking Down Your Irish Brick Wall with Judy Wight. October 31.
• Researching Your Canadian Ancestors - an Overview with Claire Brisson-Banks. November 7.
• Genealogy for Novices: Where Do We Begin with Linda Geiger. November 14.
• The Big 4 U.S. Record Sources with Mary Hill. November 28.

Click here to register.

See you online!

I am a big fan of genealogy mailing lists, but I am also very selective. Subscribing to a mailing list means that you receive periodic emails from the list's owner. Over at http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ you can subscribe to over 30,000 such lists. Imagine how much you would get done with that many emails....

Today I learned about a new genealogy mailing list to which I quickly subscribed. It is authored by one of our favorite webinar speakers, Thomas MacEntee. He describes the "GeneaBloggers E-News" as

"the news not just for bloggers or "technies," but will include something for every member of the genealogy community. You'll be "in the know" and also be able to share the information with other genealogists and members of your favorite genealogy societies and groups."

If you have enjoyed learning from Thomas in our webinars, you will enjoy reading from him via his mailing list. Visit http://bit.ly/geneabloggers-enews to subscribe. By subscribing, you are also entered to win a $100 Amazon gift card.

Sign up for Thomas' next webinar

On Wednesday, October 3, 2012, Thomas MacEntee will present "Privacy and Our Ancestors" as a free webinar. Part of the Legacy Family Tree webinar series, you can sign up at www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/webinars.asp.

For the first time ever we have rescheduled our Wednesday webinar. You'll get a week off, and so will I (I was the scheduled presenter), so you will have more time to review the two Heritage Collector webinars and Mary Hill's "Use Your Digital Camera to Copy Records" webinar in the archives.

Yesterday, thousands of you received an email notifying you of the change, and hundreds of you wrote to me asking for clarification. Yes, the webinar has been rescheduled for August 14, 2013, which is just less than one year away. So you have lots of time to make plans around that day! If you can believe it, our weekly webinars are scheduled all the way through December 11, 2013, and there was only one opening between now and then - August 14, 2013. If you were registered, you do not have to do anything, except for changing the date on your calendar. You are still registered for "Digital Research Guidance."

Keeping our webinar schedule is extremely important to us, but in tomorrow's case, unexpected events popped up. We'll make it up to you, starting with the 10 remaining fantastic webinars we have planned for the rest of this year and the 39 already scheduled for 2013. Visit www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/webinars.asp to watch or register.

The recording of today's webinar, Getting Started with Heritage Collector Software - Part II, by Marlo Schuldt, is now available to view in our webinar archives. Marlo demonstrated how to create Gift Photo CDs, showed how to geotag your pictures and view them on a map, showed how to create slide shows, and answered lots of questions in the Q/A session.

View the recording

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 30 minute recording of Getting Started with Heritage Collector software Part II is now available to view in our webinar archives. Visit www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/webinars.asp to watch.

Purchase Heritage Collector Suite

Click here to purchase or for more information. It also comes with the 200 page e-book, The Digital Family History Guidebook. 

Special discount coupon

The special discount coupon of heritage2 that was announced during the webinar is valid for 10% off anything in our online store through Monday, September 24, 2012.

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

• Digital Research Guidance, Research Logs, and To Do Lists: FamilySearch, Research Wiki, and Legacy Family Tree with Geoff Rasmussen. September 26.
• Privacy and our Ancestors with Thomas MacEntee. October 3.
• Cruising with Legacy Family Tree in 2013. October 5.
• Researching Your Irish Ancestors: Beyond the Basics with Judy Wight. October 10.
• Ten Brick Wall Tips for Intermediate Researchers with Marian Pierre-Louis, October 17.
• Your Civil War Ancestors: Beginning Your Research with Michael Hait. October 24.
• Breaking Down Your Irish Brick Wall with Judy Wight. October 31.
• Researching Your Canadian Ancestors - an Overview with Claire Brisson-Banks. November 7.
• Genealogy for Novices: Where Do We Begin with Linda Geiger. November 14.
• The Big 4 U.S. Record Sources with Mary Hill. November 28.

Click here to register.

See you online!

Everyone can use a little research help every now and then, right? Learn about best practices in using the latest technology to organize and plan your research strategies. Call on these digital research assistants 24/7. Legacy's Geoff Rasmussen will educate, compare, and contrast the three major research guidance tools: FamilySearch, Research Wiki, and Legacy Family Tree's Research Guidance. You will learn how to easily keep track of what you've previously researched, as well as plan your research To Do List.

Join us for the live webinar on Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at 2pm Eastern U.S. Register today to reserve your virtual seat. Registration is free but space is limited to the first 1,000 people to join that day. Before joining, please visit www.java.com to ensure you have the latest version of Java which our webinar software requires. When you join, if you receive a message that the webinar is full, you know we've reached the 1,000 limit, so we invite you to view the recording which should be published to the webinar archives within an hour or two of the event's conclusion.

About the presenter

Geoffrey D. Rasmussen is the father of four budding genealogists. He graduated with a degree in Genealogy and Family History from Brigham Young University and has served as director and vice-president of the Utah Genealogical Association. He is a dynamic genealogy speaker on all forms of genealogy technology, and as host of the Legacy Family Tree webinar series, has spoken virtually to nearly 100 different countries. He recently received the Distinguished Presenter Award at the prestigious RootsTech conference in Salt Lake City (2011). He has authored books, videos, articles, and websites, and develops the Legacy Family Tree software program. On a personal note, Geoff enjoys playing the piano, organ, cello and basketball. His favorite places are cemeteries, the ocean, and hanging out with other genealogists. He met and proposed to his wife in a Family History Center.

Geoff is the author of:

• The Official Unofficial Guide to Using Legacy Family Tree: PLUS Research Advice, News, Views, and Technology Tips
• Legacy Family Tree Video Training CDs - Volume 1
• Legacy Family Tree Video Training CDs - Volume 2
• Sharing Genealogy Electronically webinar-on-CD
• Mapping Software for Genealogists webinar-on-CD
• Organizing and Sharing Digital Images webinar-on-CD
• Digital Images: Scanning, Editing, and Preserving Your Photos webinar-on-CD
• Navigating the New Census Tools in Legacy Family Tree webinar-on-CD
• Watch Geoff Live series
• Research with Geoff - Live! webinar-on-CD
• East Tennessee Tax Records Index, volumes 1, 2, and 3 (a fascinating read...)
• The Rasmussen Legacy
• The Genealogy Daily Calendar

Add it to your Google Calendar

With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinar will be live on Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at:

• 2pm Eastern (U.S.)
• 1pm Central
• 12pm Mountain
• 11am Pacific/Arizona
• 6pm GMT

Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here's how to attend:

1. Register at www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/webinars.asp today. It's free!
2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
3. You will receive a reminder email during the week prior to the webinar.
4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
5. Make sure you have the latest version of Java installed on your computer. Check at www.java.com.
6. Check your GoToWebinar connection here by clicking on the "Test Your GoToWebinar Connection" link.
7. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
8. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone.

We look forward to seeing you all there!

The recording of today's webinar, Use Your Digital Camera to Copy Records, by Mary Hill, is now available to view in our webinar archives. Whether you are a newbie to digital cameras or an experienced photographer, everyone seemed to learn something from Mary.

I have a new digital camera and still trying to figure it all out. This is GREAT!!! I've learned more in 30 minutes than I have in the couple months I have had it. She is explaining things so simply!! Can't wait to try this! - Patricia

Geoff was right - we can hear Mary smile when she presents, which makes for a more interesting presentation. Mary's presentation was also very thorough. Although I have been using a digital camera to copy records for almost ten years (I am on my second digital camera), I learned some things about adjusting the settings that I had not previously thought about. Thank you for a great presentation! - Beverly

I did not expect to learn so much. I especially liked learning how to use the function settings to get better pictures. I just wish I had seen this webinar before I went on my recent trip.

View the recording

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 27 minute recording of Use Your Digital Camera to Copy Records is now available to view in our webinar archives. Visit www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/webinars.asp to watch.

Pre-order the webinar-on-CD

Own your own copy of Use Your Digital Camera to Copy Records by purchasing the webinar-on-CD for just $9.95. It includes the complete 1 hour 27 minute recording of the class, the question/answer session, and 4 pages of handouts. Click here for more information or to purchase.

Special discount coupon

The special discount coupon of camera that was announced during the webinar is valid for 10% off anything in our online store through Monday, September 24, 2012.

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

• Digital Research Guidance, Research Logs, and To Do Lists: FamilySearch, Research Wiki, and Legacy Family Tree with Geoff Rasmussen. September 26.
• Privacy and our Ancestors with Thomas MacEntee. October 3.
• Cruising with Legacy Family Tree in 2013. October 5.
• Researching Your Irish Ancestors: Beyond the Basics with Judy Wight. October 10.
• Ten Brick Wall Tips for Intermediate Researchers with Marian Pierre-Louis, October 17.
• Your Civil War Ancestors: Beginning Your Research with Michael Hait. October 24.
• Breaking Down Your Irish Brick Wall with Judy Wight. October 31.
• Researching Your Canadian Ancestors - an Overview with Claire Brisson-Banks. November 7.
• Genealogy for Novices: Where Do We Begin with Linda Geiger. November 14.
• The Big 4 U.S. Record Sources with Mary Hill. November 28.

Click here to register.

See you online!

Our 10th annual Legacy Genealogy Cruise to the Panama Canal keeps getting better. Well-known genealogist and popular webinar speaker, Barbara Renick, will now be attending as one of our featured speakers. She joins a "Who's Who" cast of genealogy speakers - Megan Smolenyak, Karen Clifford, Geoff Rasmussen, Randy Seaver, Steve Salisbury, Dave Berdan, Ken McGinnis, and Luc Comeau.

Together they will present 25 hours of personalized genealogy education while at sea, along with some small group sessions. You will be able to meet with them during our group lunch and dinner meals, or catch up with them during the optional land excursions in:

• San Diego, California
• Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
• Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
• Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala
• Puntarenas, Costa Rica
• Panama Canal (cruising)
• Colon, Panama
• Cartagena, Columbia
• Fort Lauderdale, Florida

So if you've been considering your 2013 vacation ideas, we hope you'll join us from September 22 through October 7, 2013 in San Diego!

Register for the free webinar

To learn more about cruising with Legacy Family Tree in 2013, register for our free webinar. Christy Downing, our Legacy cruise coordinator, will show you where we are going and answer any of your questions. The webinar is on Friday, October 5, 2012 at 2:00pm Eastern U.S. time. Click here to register.

More information

For more information visit our cruise page here, send Christy an email, or give her a call at 1-888-505-6997.

The recording of today's webinar, Getting Started with Heritage Collector Software, by Marlo Schuldt and Kathleen Bitter, is now available to view in our webinar archives. Marlo and Kathleen demonstrated the Legacy add-on software, showing how it can help to manage your digital photo collections and share projects such as calendars, CDs, and storybook pages with your relatives.

View the recording

If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 40 minute recording of Getting Started with Heritage Collector software is now available to view in our webinar archives. Visit www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/webinars.asp to watch.

Purchase Heritage Collector Suite

Click here to purchase or for more information. It also comes with the 200 page e-book, The Digital Family History Guidebook. 

Special discount coupon

The special discount coupon of heritage2 that was announced during the webinar is valid for 10% off anything in our online store through Monday, September 17, 2012.

Register for our upcoming webinars (free)

• Use Your Digital Camera to Copy Records with Mary Hill. September 19.
• Digital Research Guidance, Research Logs, and To Do Lists: FamilySearch, Research Wiki, and Legacy Family Tree with Geoff Rasmussen. September 26.
• Privacy and our Ancestors with Thomas MacEntee. October 3.
• Cruising with Legacy Family Tree in 2013. October 5.
• Researching Your Irish Ancestors: Beyond the Basics with Judy Wight. October 10.
• Ten Brick Wall Tips for Intermediate Researchers with Marian Pierre-Louis, October 17.
• Your Civil War Ancestors: Beginning Your Research with Michael Hait. October 24.
• Breaking Down Your Irish Brick Wall with Judy Wight. October 31.
• Researching Your Canadian Ancestors - an Overview with Claire Brisson-Banks. November 7.
• Genealogy for Novices: Where Do We Begin with Linda Geiger. November 14.
• The Big 4 U.S. Record Sources with Mary Hill. November 28.

Click here to register.

See you online!

Join us this Friday, September 14 and next Wednesday, September 19 for two terrific webinars:

Getting Started with Heritage Collector Software (a Legacy add-on for your photos) with Kathleen Bitter. Whether you are just getting started with organizing your digital photos or have been using the Legacy add-on software, Heritage Collector, to manage your digital collections, you will benefit from this three-class series, taught by Heritage Collector's Kathleen Bitter. You may attend all three or pick and choose what suits your needs. Register once and you are registered for all three classes. September 14/21/28. Class details at the registration screen. Click here to register.

Use Your Digital Camera to Copy Records by Mary Hill. Learn how to use your digital camera to copy records from microfilm, original sources, books and manuscripts. Know what settings to use on your camera, learn about mega pixels, and how to get the best images possible in various circumstances. Wednesday, September 19, 2012. Click here to register.

Here's how to attend:

1. Register at www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/webinars.asp today. It's free!
2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
3. You will receive a reminder email during the week prior to the webinar.
4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
5. Make sure you have the latest version of Java installed on your computer. Check at www.java.com.
6. Check your GoToWebinar connection here by clicking on the "Test Your GoToWebinar Connection" link.
7. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
8. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone.

We look forward to seeing you all there!

Ever try scanning a document that is too large for your scanner? Here's a brief excerpt from the "Editing: Tips and Techniques" section of my upcoming book, Digital Images for Genealogists:

Sometimes you run into the problem of the document being too large for the scanner. My scanner, which has an 8 ½” x 12” scanning surface is not quite large enough for the thousands of 8 ½” x 14” pension papers I copied at the National Archives.

Below are two separate images – the top 85% of the document, and the lower 85% of the document. It is the overlap of the image that enables the software to properly merge the two together.

To digitize and stitch/merge an oversized document (in Photoshop Elements, other programs have similar features), follow these steps:

1. Scan the top part of the document and save it.
2. Scan the bottom part of the document and save it with a different name.
3. Go to File > New > Photomerge Panorama.
4. Click on the Browse button and select both files.
5. Click OK. If you get the question, “Would you like to automatically fill in the edges of your panorama, click Yes, and see how it looks.

The result is a beautifully-stitched document – the full 8 ½” x 14” document as one digital image.

Another use for stitching is when you want to take a picture of a beautiful scene, but the scene is wider than the width of the picture your camera can take....(continued in the book)

I'm still looking for the perfect title for this new book about digital images. If you have an idea, send me an email. If I choose your title, you're earned yourself a free copy! Mary Hill will also be speaking on the topic of "Use Your Digital Camera to Copy Records" in next week's webinar. Click here to register.