Ancestral Author: Unearth Your Family's Story

Ancestral Author offers a seamless way to document and explore your familial history, making genealogy both engaging and accessible to everyone.
Ancestral Author: A Comprehensive Genealogy Software
Ancestral Author by Ancestral Softworks is a powerful genealogy software designed to help users create detailed and professional-looking family history books. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced genealogist, Ancestral Author provides all the tools you need to document your family tree in a visually appealing and organized manner.
Key Features:
- User-Friendly Interface: Ancestral Author offers an intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to navigate through various features and options.
- Gedcom Support: The software allows you to import GEDCOM files, making it convenient to transfer your existing genealogical data into the program.
- Customization Options: Users can customize their family history books by choosing from a variety of templates, fonts, colors, and layouts.
- Comprehensive Reports: Ancestral Author generates detailed reports including ancestor charts, descendant charts, relationship charts, and more.
- Rich Media Support: The software lets you include photos, images, and other media files to enhance your family history book.
- Citations and Sources: Ancestral Author helps you maintain accurate and detailed citations for your sources, ensuring the credibility of your research.
Upsides:
- Easy-to-use interface for users of all levels
- Allows for customization of family history books
- Supports rich media integration
- Detailed reports provide comprehensive view of family tree
- Helps in maintaining accurate citations and sources
Downsides:
- Lacks advanced collaboration features for multiple users working on the same project simultaneously
- May require some time to learn all the customization options available
Ancestral Author by Ancestral Softworks is a feature-rich genealogy software that caters to both beginners and experienced genealogists. With its user-friendly interface, customization options, comprehensive reports, and support for rich media integration, Ancestral Author is an excellent choice for creating professional-looking family history books. While it may lack some advanced collaboration features, it remains a reliable tool for documenting and sharing your family tree with future generations.
Overview
Ancestral Author is a Shareware software in the category Home & Hobby developed by Ancestral Softworks.
The latest version of Ancestral Author is 2.9.27, released on 12/27/2018. It was initially added to our database on 08/25/2007.
Ancestral Author runs on the following operating systems: Windows.
Ancestral Author has not been rated by our users yet.
Pros
- User-friendly interface with easy navigation and organization of family history data.
- Ability to create professional-looking charts, reports, and books for family genealogy.
- Integration of multimedia files such as images and videos to enhance the storytelling aspect.
- Support for multiple languages to cater to a diverse user base.
- Advanced features like source citation management and timeline creation for detailed ancestor profiles.
Cons
- Limited compatibility with newer operating systems and devices may cause stability issues.
- Occasional bugs or crashes reported by users when working on large family trees or reports.
- Lack of cloud-based storage or syncing capabilities, making it difficult to access data across multiple devices.
- Pricing may be considered high compared to other genealogy software options on the market.
- Less frequent updates or slower development pace compared to competing products.
FAQ
What is Ancestral Author?
Ancestral Author is a Windows-based software developed by Ancestral Softworks that allows users to create comprehensive and professional-looking genealogy books based on their family history research.
What are the key features of Ancestral Author?
Some key features of Ancestral Author include the ability to import data from popular genealogy software, generate ancestor and descendant reports, customize book layout and styles, and include photos, charts, and illustrations in the final publication.
Is Ancestral Author compatible with other genealogy software programs?
Yes, Ancestral Author supports importing data from popular genealogy software such as Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, and Personal Ancestral File (PAF). It provides a straightforward process to import the data into the software for generating books.
Can I customize the layout and design of my genealogy book created with Ancestral Author?
Absolutely! Ancestral Author offers a wide range of customization options for book layout and design. You can choose from different templates, fonts, colors, and styles to create a unique publication that suits your preferences.
Can I include images in my genealogy book created with Ancestral Author?
Yes, you can include photos, charts, and illustrations in your family history book. Ancestral Author supports various image formats, allowing you to enhance your book with visual elements that bring your ancestors' stories to life.
Does Ancestral Author support generating reports for both ancestors and descendants?
Yes, Ancestral Author provides the ability to generate reports for both ancestors and descendants. Whether you want to create a book focused on your direct lineage or an all-inclusive family history publication, Ancestral Author has you covered.
Is Ancestral Author suitable for beginners in genealogy research?
Ancestral Author is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive, making it suitable for beginners in genealogy research. Its interface is straightforward, and the software provides step-by-step guidance to help users create their family history books.
Can I export my genealogy book to different file formats?
Yes, Ancestral Author allows you to export your completed genealogy book to various formats, including PDF, Microsoft Word, RTF, and HTML. This flexibility enables you to share your work with others or publish it in different mediums.
Is technical support available for Ancestral Author?
Yes, Ancestral Softworks offers technical support for Ancestral Author. Users can visit the company's website or contact their support team via email for assistance with any technical questions or issues they may have.
Can I try Ancestral Author before purchasing?
Yes, Ancestral Softworks provides a free trial version of Ancestral Author that allows users to explore its features and functionality before making a purchase decision. The trial version can be downloaded from the official website.

Boris Weber
I am an editor at UpdateStar. I started as a support engineer, and am now specialized in writing about general software topics from a usability and performance angle among others. I telecommute from UpdateStar’s Berlin office, when I am not working remote as a digital nomad for UpdateStar. When I'm not analyzing the latest software updates, you can find me exploring new cities, immersing myself in local cultures, and discovering innovative tech trends across the globe.
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