{"id":158,"date":"2024-12-08T04:36:48","date_gmt":"2024-12-08T04:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/?p=158"},"modified":"2024-12-08T04:36:48","modified_gmt":"2024-12-08T04:36:48","slug":"myheritage-reimagine-is-this-new-photo-app-worth-a-try","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/08\/myheritage-reimagine-is-this-new-photo-app-worth-a-try\/","title":{"rendered":"MyHeritage Reimagine: Is This New Photo App Worth a Try?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MyHeritage<\/picture><\/noscript><\/p>\n

Put to the Test: Is the New MyHeritage Reimagine App Worth a Try?<\/h1>\n

Last Updated August 2, 2023<\/span><\/p>\n<\/header>\n

Ancestry 50% Off Gift Memberships for Black Friday (Gift to Anyone, Even Yourself!)<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Family History Daily regularly covers tools we love so that you can enjoy them as well. This guide looks at the new MyHeritage Reimagine<\/strong> photo app because it offers a wide range of photo scanning and enhancement features that are usually hard to find in one place.\u00a0<\/span>Please know that we may earn a small commission to support our work if you chose to download it. Thank you for your support.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finding an old family photo never fails to be a magical experience for genealogists. There\u2019s nothing like that feeling of laying eyes on the face of a never-before-seen ancestor, looking for familiar traits or expressions, and, finally, placing the image in its proper place in your family history collection. That\u2019s where the journey ends for many family historians; precious images are placed in a photo album or scrapbook, added to a shoebox meant for later sorting, or scanned into a family tree program.<\/span><\/p>\n

But what if there were a way to do more with those old photos? Maybe repair tears or other damage, add a little color, or even make the faces in the images come to life with AI automation? And, what if all of those options were available on one super-easy-to-use app? We covered some of these before, and now we have a new mobile app \u2013 MyHeritage <\/strong>ReImagine<\/strong> \u2013 a unique scanner and photo enhancer in one.<\/span><\/p>\n

Introducing the MyHeritage Reimagine Photo Scanner and Enhancer<\/h2>\n

Over the past several years, you may have noticed that MyHeritage, creators of <\/span>one of the top subscription-based genealogy sites available today<\/span>, has introduced several revolutionary photo editing tools. <\/span>First came <\/span>My Heritage in Color which, when coupled with the site\u2019s existing Photo Enhancer technology<\/span>, transformed old family photos into sharp and vibrant images that revealed previously-hidden details. <\/span><\/p>\n

Make Instant Discoveries in Your Family Tree Now Imagine adding your family tree to a simple website and getting hundreds of new family history discoveries instantly.<\/b><\/p>\n

MyHeritage is offering 2 free weeks of access to their extensive collection of 20 billion historical records, as well as their matching technology that instantly connects you with new information about your ancestors<\/b>. Sign up using the link below to find out what you can uncover about your family. Discover New Genealogy Records Instantly<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

MyHeritage\u2019s next tool, <\/span>Deep Nostalgia<\/span>, went viral on social media when it became available in early 2021 for its magical ability to animate faces in old photos. Even folks who had never before explored their family history were fascinated by Deep Nostalgia\u2019s artificial intelligence technology, and <\/span>animated everything from the faces of unidentified World War I soldiers to images of famous statues <\/span>and paintings.<\/span><\/p>\n

As more users experimented with the MyHeritage tool, the <\/span>company says<\/span> they increasingly \u201cexpressed interest in a photo-centric app with a more affordable, photos-only subscription.\u201d MyHeritage listened, and in May 2023 debuted Reimagine, an app that combines all of their cutting-edge scanning, enhancement, colorization, and animation tools into one solution<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyone can download the Reimagine app<\/strong> from either Apple\u2019s App Store or Google Play (for Android users), regardless of whether or not they have a family site subscription to the MyHeritage genealogy program \u2014 or even if they\u2019ve never been interested in researching their family history in the first place. <\/span><\/p>\n

What about pricing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Users can upload and improve a limited number of photos at no charge, but full, unlimited access to all the app\u2019s features requires an annual Reimagine subscription of $49.99, which includes a seven-day free trial. A $7.99 monthly subscription is also available, but does not include a free trial period.<\/span><\/p>\n

For a limited time, existing MyHeritage users with a Complete plan subscription (you can get a free trial here) can enjoy a 25% discount on the Reimagine annual plan<\/strong>. Complete plan subscribers will also receive unlimited photo storage and along with access to all photo <\/b>enhancement<\/b> tools<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

20 Billion Genealogy Records Are Free for 2 Weeks Get two full weeks of free access to more than 20 billion genealogy records right now. You\u2019ll also gain access to the MyHeritage discoveries tool that locates information about your ancestors automatically<\/b> when you upload or create a tree. What will you discover about your family\u2019s past?<\/p>\n

Claim My Free Record Access Now<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re wondering whether downloading or subscribing to the app will be a worthwhile investment, read on as we review the app\u2019s user-friendliness and each of its features.<\/span><\/p>\n

Getting Started with Reimagine<\/h3>\n

Downloading the Reimagine app to your phone or tablet is an easy and straightforward process for ios or android. Simply go to <\/span>the <\/span>App Store<\/span> or <\/span>Google Play<\/span> via the icons at the bottom of this page.<\/strong> Once it\u2019s downloaded to your device, open it to create an account. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you already have a MyHeritage.com account, you can log in using your existing user name (email address) and password. If you\u2019re not a MyHeritage user, you can create a new account using your email address, or your Apple, Google, or Facebook credentials.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your next step is to add photos to your new account. You have the option of uploading photos that are already stored on your device or scanning photos, multiple photos, or entire photo album pages using your phone. <\/span><\/p>\n

Yes \u2014 we said multiple individual photos and or complete photo album pages!<\/strong> This functionality has never before been available on MyHeritage apps, and it\u2019s \u201cas handy as a pocket on a shirt,\u201d as my husband\u2019s 96-year-old grandmother might say. It makes digitizing photos so much easier.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Reimagine

To start either process, tap the purple plus sign at the bottom of your screen, then choose the correct option \u2014 either Scan Photos or Upload Photos. If you decide to scan photos, you\u2019ll see a short tutorial video the first time you use the tool. The video recommends laying your loose photos or an entire album page on a flat surface in indirect light to avoid glare.<\/span><\/p>\n

To test the scanning tool, I purposely laid out my old photos in a disorganized layout, with some slightly askew. I tapped the button, and Reimagine immediately went to work, honing in on one photo at a time, realigning them one-by-one, and placing them in the app\u2019s album. As you can see from the second image below, one image was saved upside-down, but otherwise, the saved scans looked great!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"MyHeritage

Once you\u2019ve uploaded or scanned your photos, the Reimagine app offers several organization tools, including the ability to sort photos into albums, add titles, names, dates, descriptions, and location notations to each image, and even keep up with the day you uploaded them into the program.<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo Enhancer Options<\/span><\/h4>\n

Now that your old photos are stored in your Reimagine album, it\u2019s time for some photo editing. Put the enhancement features to the test by tapping any photo in your album to get started. The first time you open a photo, an onscreen tutorial will show you what you can do to enhance your images (you can access this tutorial again anytime by clicking the three dots in the upper right corner of your screen):<\/span><\/p>\n

Using a previously-scanned photo uploaded from my phone, I tried each of these photo enhancing options in the order they are presented on the app, starting with Colorize<\/strong>. After tapping the image of my mother-in-law, her parents, and her aunt at the beach, and adding a title to the photo, I then tapped the Colorize icon at the bottom of my screen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Reimagine

Next, I tried the Enhance<\/strong> option. Following the same steps as with colorization, I clicked the Enhance icon at the bottom of the screen and the app performed its magic, seconds later presenting a slightly enhanced version of the colorized image. In this case, the image was fairly crisp to begin with, so I didn\u2019t notice much of a difference in the two images.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now for the viral animation feature! After clicking the Animate<\/strong> option, MyHeritage Reimagine will ask which person in the image you\u2019d like to animate. Only one person can be animated using this feature at one time. A few seconds went by, and, voila! There was my husband\u2019s handsome grandfather (still handsome today at 98) moving his head slightly. <\/span><\/p>\n

Clicking the NEW Animation drop-down at the top of the screen revealed Special Animations to apply to the image. I applied the Smile feature, and Papaw\u2019s smile became wider; unfortunately, the other Special Animations were only available with a subscription.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Animations

The last feature to try was Repair<\/strong>. When I clicked the option for the beach photo I\u2019d been working with, the app told me the photo didn\u2019t require repair.<\/span><\/p>\n

I found two other images in my albums that, in my opinion, were in desperate need of repair. I selected the first image of a female ancestor, chose Repair, and anxiously awaited the enhanced image. Alas, the app told me the image didn\u2019t require any repair, contrary to my own beliefs. I tried the image of my ancestor\u2019s husband next, as it was slightly less scratched and damaged. This time, Repair worked, but not all of the discolorations were eliminated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"repair

Additional Reimagine Options<\/span><\/h4>\n

When using any of the enhancement features, you\u2019ll notice a few more options at the top of your screen.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first option allows you to crop, rotate, or resize the image. Any cropping, rotating, or resizing should be done prior to using the enhancement tools, though, as these edits will delete any enhancements you\u2019ve performed to the photo.<\/strong> If you forget this, don\u2019t worry \u2014 the app will display a pop-up message to remind you.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"cropping

Tapping the microphone icon uncovers a really cool option to record \u201cthe story behind\u201d the photo. The first time you open the record feature, you\u2019ll be asked to allow Reimagine access to your device\u2019s microphone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve provided access, recording your story is as easy as pressing the red button and speaking into your phone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"MyHeritage

The next icon probably looks familiar, as it\u2019s become the universal symbol for \u201cexport,\u201d \u201cdownload,\u201d or \u201cupload.\u201d Clicking this icon opens your phone\u2019s export options, offering you the option to save your enhanced photos to your phone, send them to someone via email or text, post them to social media, etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The three-dot menu following the export icon reveals several options, including save your photo to the library, edit the information you\u2019ve added to the image, view the tutorial we referenced earlier, or delete the image.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To save an enhanced image to your app album, select Save to Library, then choose which version you want to save: the original, the colorized version, or the comparison screen. You can repeat this process to save more than one version.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"MyHeritage

NOTE: If you want to create separate colorized, enhanced, animated, or repaired versions of an original image (rather than enhancing a colorized version, etc.), you\u2019ll need to save the original photo in your album as described above and open an original for each enhancement. <\/span><\/p>\n

Otherwise, clicking Save to Your Library seems to replace the original image with the new version. (According to MyHeritage, \u201coriginal photos are never modified or replaced; improved photos always \u2018piggyback\u2019 on the original and are stored separately;\u201d however, I couldn\u2019t find the originals in my Reimagine album after they were enhanced.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Images that have been colorized, enhanced, animated, or repaired will be marked with both a MyHeritage brand watermark as well as icons that show which features have been applied to the image (palette for colorization, wand for enhancement, moving ball for animation, bandage for repair). Also, the outlined icons at the bottom of your screen will fill in after you\u2019ve applied those particular options on the photo.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Reimagine

Is Reimagine from MyHeritage worth a try? <\/span><\/h3>\n

My recommendation is a resounding, \u201cYes, definitely, as soon as possible!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Are additional storage and unlimited use of features worth a $49.99 annual subscription, or perhaps the $7.99 month-to-month option? <\/span><\/p>\n

Your answer to that will depend on how many photos you plan to scan, how many would benefit from repairs or enhancements, if you\u2019d prefer to store your scanned or uploaded images in the app or elsewhere, and how long you\u2019d enjoy the fun animation and colorization features. We hope this evaluation has helped you decide!<\/span><\/p>\n

For more help digitizing and organizing your photos, check out our Organization Course for Family Historians.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Patricia Hartley<\/strong>\u00a0has been researching family history for over 30 years and has an M.A. in Public Relations\/Mass Communications from Kent State University.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Put to the Test: Is the New MyHeritage Reimagine App Worth a Try? Last Updated August 2, 2023 Ancestry 50% Off Gift Memberships for Black Friday (Gift to Anyone, Even Yourself!) Family History Daily regularly covers tools we love so that you can enjoy them as well. This guide looks at the new MyHeritage Reimagine […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2],"class_list":["post-158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genealogy-guides","tag-db"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":173,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158\/revisions\/173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}