Want to learn all about photo editing? This article will walk you through adding, replacing, editing, and removing photos in your Family History Project.

We accept JPG and PNG files. You can upload photos from your device or your Ancestry Tree. We recommend file sizes between 2-5 MB and a resolution of 150-300 pixels per inch (PPI) for the best-printed results.

Video tutorials are available at the end of the article.

First, create a new project, or open the project you'd like to edit.

If you're working on a book or calendar, click on the page you wish to edit to enter edit mode.

The "Edit" tab below the book pages will also take you to the editor.

Click here to learn more about the book editor tabs.

You'll have edit access immediately if you're working on a poster.

1. Select the image you want to replace on the page. You'll see a blue box around it.

2. Select the Ancestry tab in the left toolbar.

3. Find the photo or record you want to add and click it to insert your new image into the selected placeholder.

If you want to search for a specific person's records and photos, use the Select Person button to search Ancestry records and photos for an individual.

1. Select the image you want to replace on the page. You'll see a blue box around it.

2. Select the Photos tab in the left toolbar.

3. Find the photo you want to add and click it to insert your new image into the selected placeholder.

If you want to upload a new image, click the Upload Photo button and select browse files to upload images from your device. Select the image from your files, and click "Open" to begin the upload.

Once you've uploaded the photo, select the image you want to replace on your project page and click the Photos tab in the left toolbar.

Then click on the new photo you want to add. It will automatically insert into the selected placeholder.

Please remember that once you've uploaded an image, you must go to your photo library to select and add the uploaded image to the project. If you don't add the image before exiting the project, it will disappear from your uploads.

To learn how to favorite photos, embellishments, and backgrounds for easier access while customizing your project, please see The Favorite Feature.

If you'd like to add a new image for which there is no placeholder, you can find the photo you'd like to add from the Ancestry or Photos gallery.

Then, click on the image you want to add, which will automatically populate on the page. It will settle at a larger size, but you can easily crop, resize, round, and move the image around.

1. Click on the photo you want to crop. You'll see a blue box with white squares around the image.

2. Select the Crop button from the top white toolbar.

A crop tool will appear around the photograph, and the rest of the project will be temporarily greyed out.

3. Position the cursor over the top of one of the white squares until it becomes a double-sided arrow.
4. Hold the left-click button on your mouse and drag it in to crop the photo.
5. Select Done from the top white toolbar to save your edits.

1. Click on the photo you want to edit. You'll see a blue box with white squares around the image.

2. Select the Crop button from the top white toolbar. A crop tool will appear around the photograph, and the rest of the project will be temporarily greyed out.

3. Position the cursor over the top of the picture and Hold the left-click button on your mouse. While holding the left-click button, drag the mouse to move and position the image.

4. Select Done from the top white toolbar to save your edits.

1. Click on the photo you want to resize. You'll see a blue box with white squares around the photo.
2. Position the cursor over the top of one of the white squares until it becomes a double-sided arrow.
3. Hold the left-click button on your mouse and drag in or out to increase or decrease the photo size.

1. Click on the photo you want to rotate. You'll see a blue box with white squares around the photo.
2. Click the Rotate button from the top white toolbar until the image is set to the desired orientation.

1. To reposition or move a photo, click on the photo you want to move. You'll see a blue box around the photo.
2. While holding the left-click button on your mouse, drag the photo to move and reposition it. Blue dotted lines appear to help you align with other elements placed on your project. You can use these as a guide to making sure everything lines up.

If you'd prefer, you can also move a photo around by selecting it and then using your keyboard's arrow keys. This is great for smaller movements.

Select the image and click the border button in the top white toolbar to add a border around the photo. You may increase or decrease thickness or change the color. To remove it altogether, change the thickness to zero.

You may also round photos in your project. You can click on the image you'd like to round. Then resize and reposition the photo as needed, then click the Rounded button in the top white toolbar.

1. Click on the photo you want to remove. You'll see a blue box around the photo you'll be deleting.
2. Click the trash can icon in the top white toolbar, or hit the delete button on your keyboard.

If you accidentally delete something, you may use the Undo button in the top white toolbar immediately after deleting it. The undo feature will bring the element back to your project. Please be sure to undo it instantly, as once you've moved on to something else - you won't be able to undo it anymore.

While in the page editor, hover over the photo you want to set as the background. You'll see a grid of dots in the upper right corner of the image. Click on those dots to fix it as the background.

If you want to return to the default design, it is the first background in the backgrounds category.

When editing your Family History Book, you'll see a pink border around each page. If you hover your mouse over the border, you'll see the message, "Items in the shaded area may be cut off."

You can add text, photos, and embellishments to the edges of the page, but please note that anything in the shaded area may get cut off in production or fall into the bookbinding. We print ordered projects as you've created them, so please check for typos, correctness, and layout.

Here's more information on the bleed zone.

Videos:

Photo Editing: Replace or Add a Photo to a Family History Project

Photo Editing: Resize, Crop, Edit, or Delete Photos in a Family History Project

Check out these articles next:

Adding and Editing Text in Your Family History Project

How to Customize Your Family History Project with Embellishments

How to Change the Background of the Pages in Your Family History Books and Calendars