RootsTech 2025 Update

Hello everyone. I am sure that you are all looking forward to the various holidays coming up in the next couple weeks. Those are great opportunities to talk with family, reminisce about old times, and gather more genealogy information.

As you probably already know it is that time of year again when I begin posting more frequently about RootsTech. I am part of the media team, a speaker, and will be working at a couple booths in the Expo Hall on March 6-8, 2025. It is a busy time. Between now and then I will have several posts about RootsTech encouraging you to participate either in person or virtually.

RootsTech registration has been open for several weeks and the current price for a 3-day ticket is $129. It is $79 for 1-day tickets. Online participation is free. However, for the next 10 days (November 25 - December 5) there is a Black Friday sale and ticket prices are reduced. So, get over there and buy your tickets while you can.

Remember that you can win a free 3-day ticket. Click on the links below to enter the RootsTech Ticket Giveaway contest. Each of us are giving away two tickets. 

• Miles Meyer - https://forms.gle/MzV6Esz9cA4vw4Pt8
• Aimee Cross - https://ancestryaimee.com/rootstech_giveaway  
• Aimee is also providing a free handout "10 Tips for a Better RootsTech Experience"
• Carolina Girl Genealogy - Carolina Girl Genealogy: Win a Free Ticket to RootsTech 2025!
• You can find these Giveaways and others at Conference Keepers.

The list of RootsTech classes is currently available. There are over 270 classes for all level and interests. Begin exploring the list to see which classes you want to see. A detailed schedule will probably be available sometime in January.

Another thing to look forward to are the Keynote Speakers. RootsTech is actively working on getting keynote speakers under contract and will hopefully be releasing their names over the next couple months. 

I am also looking forward to Relatives at RootsTech. This allows you to see how many of the people attending RootsTech are your relatives are and lets you reach out to them to share information. I usually have around 100 Relatives at RootsTech but others have tens of thousands of relatives. Please reach out to me if you find that we are related. I would expect to see this come out about a month before RootsTech starts.

I hope everyone has the opportunity to join me at RootsTech, and if you are see me there make sure you say "Hi".

MyHeritage Live Memory

In the past I have written about the various photo enhancement tools that MyHeritage has available.

• During RootsTech 2024, I posted about MyHeritage releasing the Reimagine app. This app automatically cropped individual photos from a photo album page and performed facial recognition, matching the various photos to those who were in them.
• In 2022, I posted about MyHeritage's AI Time Machine application which transported your images back to any time you wanted. Millions of people reimagined themselves as cowboys, Roman gladiators, and astronauts.
• During RootsTech 2022, I posted about MyHeritage releasing their Deep Story applications. The Deep Story application added onto the Deep Nostalgia application from 2021 by not only animating the images but allowing them to tell their own story. 
• During RootsTech 2021, I posted about MyHeritage releasing their Deep Nostalgia application. The Deep Nostalgia application animated the faces of our ancestors. 
• During RootsTech 2020, I posted about MyHeritage announcing their In Color photo colorization tool which changed our black and white and discolored photos to color images.

MyHeritage Live Memory

And now, MyHeritage has released their Live Memory application. This application can animate your photos into 5 second video clips. I have tried it on several of my photos and here is an example of one of the better versions. The quality of the video depends on the quality of the photograph. Poor lighting, shadows, blurriness all contribute to poor video output.

Original wedding photo

Live Memory video

The MyHeritage AI tool is able to take the context of the photograph and provides a relevant video that can be used to tell a story. Running the same photo through the Live Memory app several times does produce a different video each time so you can select the one you like the best if you aren't happy with what is produced.

The App is only available on the updated MyHeritage mobile app and can be used with your photo gallery on the device or the photos that have been uploaded to your MyHeritage Gallery.

If you want to learn more about the Live Memory app, visit MyHeritage's blog and read all about it.

RootsTech Ticket Giveaway

 

RootsTech 2025 is on the way. Currently, prices for tickets are $129 for a 3-day pass. That's about the same cost as a 1-day pass to a Disney World Park but there are fewer rollercoasters. As a RootsTech Media Representative, I have been provided 2 passes to give away to my readers. You can enter to win one of these passes at https://forms.gle/MzV6Esz9cA4vw4Pt8. Additionally, other Media Representatives will be giving away passes. I will provide a running list below as I receive links to their giveaways. You can enter as many contests as you like but can only win one ticket. Enter even if you have already bought your ticket because you can get a refund if you win.

• Miles Meyer - https://forms.gle/MzV6Esz9cA4vw4Pt8
• Aimee Cross - https://ancestryaimee.com/rootstech_giveaway  
• Aimee is also providing a free handout "10 Tips for a Better RootsTech Experience"
• Carolina Girl Genealogy - Carolina Girl Genealogy: Win a Free Ticket to RootsTech 2025!
• You can find these Giveaways and others at Conference Keepers.

Keep an eye on this page for updates and more contest links.