RootsMagic is one of the THE genealogy software programs out there for the PC. Now into it’s 12th year, it has certainly ‘proved’ itself as one of the “stayers” in the genealogy software world.

While I meet many people who have genealogy software, I find that quite a number of users don’t know their program deeply. They know enough to know how to enter details and print out what is required, often not utilising great features that the program has to offer.

RootsMagicTV is RootsMagic’s YouTube channel, and on it they have created a number of short videos on how to do this or that. in this post I just wanted to highlight a few of the features in RootsMagic that are not necessarily something that you’d use regularly. And some of you may not have even known that RootsMagic could do that.

Since I’ve previously mentioned about how to use RootsMagic on a Mac, and how to run it from a USB I’m skipping those this time … but here’s 6 more videos showing features that you can discover.

1. Customising RootsMagic to Feel More Like PAF
In June 2013 FamilySearch discontinued their genealogy software program Personal Ancestoral File otherwise known as PAF. While RootsMagic is a different program, it can be customised to feel a bit more like Personal Ancestral File (PAF), which helps those in the transition from PAF.

2.  Using Drag and Drop in RootsMagic
A short video showing how to use drag and drop to copy people from one RootsMagic file to another, whether to split off a family line, or add information from one database into another.

3. Colour Coding People in RootsMagic
If you want to highlight a person or a branch, colour coding is a way to do it. And this short video shows you how to do just that.

4. Importing an Ancestry Family Tree into RootsMagic 
Actually I’m sure you all knew that this could be done. but sometimes it is the ‘how-to-do-it” that gets people confused. So that’s why I chose to share this video with you. This video shows you how to import a family tree from Ancestry into RootsMagic, including people, relationships, data, and sources.

5. Creating a Shareable CD with RootsMagic 
A short video showing how to create a self running CD with your RootsMagic database, media, and intro page. The shareable CD does not require the person you share it with to have or install anything.

6. Mapping Your Family Tree with Family Atlas
Family Atlas is a mapping program, that is put out by RootsMagic. In this video they show you how to go about using this program to create your very own family map.

Links:
For links to RootsMagic software, click here
For visit the RootsMagic website, click here
To try our the free version of RootsMagic Essentials, download it here