TechZone

Is your digital family history hiding in plain sight? Stop letting your hard work disappear into generic filenames like “IMG_0054.jpg.” This video reveals the power of metadata—the digital equivalent of writing names and dates on the back of a physical photo. You will learn how to permanently embed stories, citations, and faces directly inside your files, ensuring that your research travels safely wherever your photos go. Watch now to transform your chaotic folders into a searchable, future-proof archive and guarantee that your ancestors’ identities are never lost again. * * * Author’s Note: I want to be transparent that this material – DESC Tech Tip – Using Metadata for Genealogy – was created in part with the help of an artificial intelligence (AI) language model – Gemini Pro 3. The AI assisted in generating an early draft of the article, but every paragraph was subsequently reviewed, edited, and refined by me. The final content is the result of extensive human curation and creativity. I am proud to present this work and assure readers that while AI was a tool in the process, the story, style, and substance have been carefully shaped by the author.

Was your ancestor’s $500 land purchase a steal or a fortune? Stop guessing. This video reveals the top tools—including the AI-powered Wolfram Alpha and the gold-standard MeasuringWorth—to instantly translate historic currency into modern value. You will go beyond simple inflation to uncover what money really meant in the past, from daily wages to purchasing power. Learn to turn dry financial records into rich, relatable family stories. Watch now to finally understand the true economic reality of your ancestors’ lives. * * * Author’s Note: I want to be transparent that this material – DESC Tech Tip – Calculating Historic Value of Money – was created in part with the help of an artificial intelligence (AI) language model – Gemini Pro 3. The AI assisted in generating an early draft of the article, but every paragraph was subsequently reviewed, edited, and refined by me. The final content is the result of extensive human curation and creativity. I am proud to present this work and assure readers that while AI was a tool in the process, the story, style, and substance have been carefully shaped by the author.

Ever click a source in your family tree only to find a “Page Not Found” error? Stop losing your evidence! This video reveals how to use the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine to save webpages forever. You’ll learn how to create permanent, unbreakable links for your citations, ensuring your research on obituaries and local history sites remains verifiable—even if the original site goes offline. Protect your hard work from digital decay. Watch now to make your genealogy research professional, permanent, and future-proof. * * * Author’s Note: I want to be transparent that this material – DESC Tech Tip – Internet Archive Saving a Webpage – was created in part with the help of an artificial intelligence (AI) language model – Gemini Pro 3. The AI assisted in generating an early draft of the article, but every paragraph was subsequently reviewed, edited, and refined by me. The final content is the result of extensive human curation and creativity. I am proud to present this work and assure readers that while AI was a tool in the process, the story, style, and substance have been carefully shaped by the author.

Is your genealogy research missing a massive, free resource? Google Books is a powerhouse for family historians, offering instant access to millions of rare, out-of-print texts that you can’t find on standard genealogy sites. This video reveals how to use the platform as a “super-index” to find ancestors missing from traditional records, download entire family histories for free, and locate hard-to-find physical books in libraries near you. Don’t let valuable clues slip through the cracks—watch now to master these hidden features and break through your brick walls! * * * Author’s Note: I want to be transparent that this material – DESC Tech Tip – Google Books – was created in part with the help of an artificial intelligence (AI) language model – Gemini Pro 3. The AI assisted in generating an early draft of the article, but every paragraph was subsequently reviewed, edited, and refined by me. The final content is the result of extensive human curation and creativity. I am proud to present this work and assure readers that while AI was a tool in the process, the story, style, and substance have been carefully shaped by the author.

Stop struggling with faded, unreadable documents on FamilySearch! Most researchers overlook the powerful tools hidden right in the image viewer—tools that can instantly reveal impossible-to-read handwriting and save you hours of scrolling. In this video, you will learn how to manipulate images to make faint ink pop and navigate massive record collections with speed. Don’t let a bad scan hide your ancestor. Master these essential features to improve your accuracy, speed up your workflow, and finally break through those stubborn genealogy brick walls. Watch now to see what you’ve been missing! * * * Author’s Note: I want to be transparent that this material – DESC Tech Tip – FamilySearch Image Tools – was created in part with the help of an artificial intelligence (AI) language model – Gemini Pro 3. The AI assisted in generating an early draft of the article, but every paragraph was subsequently reviewed, edited, and refined by me. The final content is the result of extensive human curation and creativity. I am proud to present this work and assure readers that while AI was a tool in the process, the story, style, and substance have been carefully shaped by the author.

Stop getting generic, surface-level answers from AI! The secret to breaking brick walls isn’t just asking questions—it’s assigning Roles. In this video, discover how telling AI to “act as” a professional archivist, DNA expert, or social historian transforms it from a basic chatbot into a specialized research partner. We reveal the top 5 personas that unlock deeper historical context, decipher impossible handwriting, and analyze evidence with professional rigor. Don’t just chat with AI; build your own expert research team. Watch now to revolutionize your family history strategy. * * * Author’s Note: I want to be transparent that this material – DESC Tech Tip – Using Roles for AI Prompts – was created in part with the help of an artificial intelligence (AI) language model – Gemini Pro 3. The AI assisted in generating an early draft of the article, but every paragraph was subsequently reviewed, edited, and refined by me. The final content is the result of extensive human curation and creativity. I am proud to present this work and assure readers that while AI was a tool in the process, the story, style, and substance have been carefully shaped by the author.

Family history can happen when you least expect it: having coffee with your cousin, passing a commemorative plaque, or on the road. Here are 5 simple iPhone tricks to make sure you never miss an opportunity to break a brick wall.

Gedcom files are useful for transferring family tree data but they aren’t easy to read or work with on their own. In this TechZone, we’ll explain how you can use AI to easily extract information from a gedcom file and create word documents or spreadsheet.

Discover how Photoshop’s Generative Expand tool rescued a photo mishap in this short, practical TechZone video. Learn how a simple AI feature transformed a too-narrow senior portrait into a frame-worthy keepsake. Ideal for genealogists and tech-curious users looking to enhance or repair images using modern, accessible tools. Other uses for the tool, as well as other tools are also discussed.

Les sous-titres et la voix de cette vidéo ont été doublés en français à l’aide de l’IA. Découvrez comment l’outil Génératif Expand de Photoshop a sauvé un faux pas photographique dans cette courte vidéo pratique de TechZone. Apprenez comment une simple fonctionnalité d’IA a transformé un portrait senior trop étroit en un souvenir digne d’un cadre. Idéal pour les généalogistes et les utilisateurs curieux de technologie cherchant à améliorer ou réparer des images en utilisant des outils modernes et accessibles. D’autres utilisations de l’outil, ainsi que d’autres outils, sont également discutées.

In this TechZone video, we’ll explain how you can create AI-generated images with ChatGPT to enrich your genealogy research and presentations. Discover practical tips for visualizing historical contexts, creating custom family tree illustrations, and bringing ancestral stories to life.

If you’ve used Google Translate, DeepL, or Bing Translator, you’ve probably used machine translation. But do you know how it works and when it’s most helpful in your genealogy research? This brief TechZone will introduce the concept of machine translation, show some examples of how it works, and suggest when it should and should not be used in genealogy research.