Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love old pictures. I have poured over boxes of them. I have tried to match faces from picture to picture. I have conjectured and sometimes discovered who various people were.
And we all know I wonder about what their lives were like - that's why I take my ancestors and put their lives into books and novels. So, when a friend used an online software program to bring her ancestors to life, I had to get in on the game.
I was NOT disappointed.
My Heritage, at myheritage.com, now has software that takes a photo and puts it into motion. It's easy to use, and the first time I went into the program it let me animate a number of photos. Later, when I went back, it forced me to purchase the Premium Plus membership. It can be pricey, but I do a lot of genealogy so the cost was worth it for me. My advice would be to go into the site and get as many photos done as you wish before leaving and/or they push you into the membership if that is not your cup of tea (or outside of your personal budget).
(FYI: There are also a number of other software programs online that will do this, too, but I have not explored those.)
Basically, you upload a photo and then with a few clicks the photos come to life.
Here is a before of who I believe may well be Milton McQueen, my 4th great-grandfather:
And here is an after:
Here is another before and after, this time of Ransom Van Buren Martin, another of my 4th great-grandfathers:
Something about the picture coming to life is haunting. Isn't it?
It's almost better than putting them into a book!