Create and share photo collages, called Photolines, that showcase the portraits of 2-4 people in your family tree.

To create Photolines, you must have:

An Ancestry account. If you don’t have one, create a free Ancestry Account.
A family tree with at least two generations.
Clear portrait photos from at least two generations.
A home person assigned in your tree.

Creating Photolines

From the app:

Open the Ancestry app and sign in.
In the bottom menu, select the Memories tab, then tap Create.
Under Collages, tap Create a family collage. If prompted, assign a home person in your tree.
Tap View (and skip to step 7) or Complete Photolines.
Select an image or tap + Add Media. If prompted, allow Ancestry access to:
- Your camera to take pictures and record video.
- Your photos, videos, music, and audio on this device.
Didn’t allow it?
Choose Take Photo or Camera roll (iOS)/Upload from Device (android).
- If prompted, move or resize the profile image and tap Next or Done (top right).
- If prompted, tag people in this photo and add the title, date, location, description, and category.
To change or adjust any image in your Photolines, tap the photo you want to change.
Choose to Create story, Save to gallery, Share your Photolines, or add pictures to your Photolines.
- Create story: Builds a slideshow story for your tree about your Photolines to be shared with others on Ancestry who have the same relative(s) in their tree (based on your Family Tree’s Privacy settings). Learn more about Ancestry Stories.
- Save to gallery: Saves the photo collage as an image in your tree’s gallery. When you’re done, tap the X (top left) and choose Go to gallery or Okay.
- Share (top right): Select a sharing method and follow the prompts to send a link to this collage. If the recipient has the Ancestry app, the collage will open in the app; if they don’t have the app, the collage will open on the Ancestry site.
- Add pictures: tap a picture and your tree’s media will open. Select the image you want to add or choose + Add Media. Repeat the process to include additional Media in your Photolines.

From a browser:

Sign in to Ancestry.
In the navigation bar at the top, select Memories.
Scroll down to the Gallery and select Photos.
In the Gallery, select a Photolines.
Click Save to gallery (and skip to step 10) or Add photo (or the “+” sign in a gray circle).
On the Upload Photos page, click Choose files.
Select the photo on your computer and click Open or OK.
Enter any information (like title and date) you want to include and click Done.
Find your completed Photolines and click Save to gallery.
Choose Done or Share Photolines and choose a sharing option.
- Family groups > select a family group > add a message, if desired > Share.
- Ancestry Message > choose or enter a recipient > add or edit the message > Send.
- Email > if prompted, select your email program > choose or enter a recipient > add a message > send the email.
- Facebook > if prompted, log in to your Facebook account > add a message > Post to Facebook.
- WhatsApp > choose or enter the contacts/chats you want to share the collage with > select the button to forward the collage to those chats.
- X > if prompted, log in to your X account > add a message > Post.
- Copy Link > selecting this will copy the link to your clipboard. Paste this link anywhere you want to share the collage.
- Download > the record will be downloaded to your computer. If you can’t find it, check your Downloads folder.

Managing your Photolines

From the app:

Open the Ancestry app and sign in.
In the bottom menu, select the Memories tab.
Scroll down to the Media section and tap photos.
Select a Photolines.
At the bottom of your screen, use the image toolbar to make changes.
- To adjust (flip and rotate), colorize, sharpen, and filter: tap the pencil.
- To tag someone: tap the person icon, and then tap Add tags.
- To like your Photolines: tap the heart. To unlike, tap the heart again.
- To view and leave comments: tap the comment icon.
  - Enter your comment and tap the up arrow ⬆ in a green circle to post it.
  - To edit or delete your comment, tap the three dots next to your message, and choose Edit or Delete > Delete.
- To edit details or delete the image: tap the i symbol in a circle ⓘ.
  - To change the title, date, location, description, and category tap the three dots (iOS) or Edit (Android).
  - To delete the media, tap Delete media > Delete. Deleting is permanent and can’t be undone.
- To share your Photolines: In the top right, tap the share icon > select a sharing method > follow the prompts to send a link to this collage. If the recipient has the Ancestry app, the collage will open in the app; if they don’t have the app, the collage will open on the Ancestry site.

From a browser:

Sign in to Ancestry.
In the navigation bar at the top, select Memories.
Scroll down to the Gallery and select Photos.
In the Gallery, select a Photolines.
Use the image toolbar to make changes.
- To edit details, view and leave comments, or delete the image: click the i symbol in a circle ⓘ.
  - To link Photolines to someone, click + Add person > select a tree > start typing their name, then select it from the drop-down menu.
    
    To unlink the Photolines from someone, click their name and choose Unlink Person from this Photo.
  - To leave comments, enter your comment and click Submit to post it.
    - To mention a person or group in your comment, type “@” and select a group or begin typing the name/username of someone you want to mention before submitting your comment.
    - To edit or delete your comment, click the three dots next to your comment and choose Edit or Delete.
  - To delete the media, click Delete media > Delete. Deleting is permanent and can’t be undone.
  - To change the title, date, location, description, and category click Edit, update information, and then select Save.
- To tag someone: click the person icon > click a person in the image > start typing their name, then select it from the drop-down menu.
- To edit a photo: click the pencil icon or edit > choose Adjust, Colorize, Sharpen, Filter, Crop or Rotate.
- To share your Photolines: click the share button and choose a sharing option.
  - Family groups > select a family group > add a message, if desired > Share.
  - Ancestry Message > choose or enter a recipient > add or edit the message > Send.
  - Email > if prompted, select your email program > choose or enter a recipient > add a message > send the email.
  - Facebook > if prompted, log in to your Facebook account > add a message > Post to Facebook.
  - WhatsApp > choose or enter the contacts/chats you want to share the collage with > select the button to forward the collage to those chats.
  - X > if prompted, log in to your X account > add a message > Post.
  - Copy Link > selecting this will copy the link to your clipboard. Paste this link anywhere you want to share the collage.
  - Download > the record will be downloaded to your computer. If you can’t find it, check your Downloads folder.
- To adjust (flip and rotate), colorize, sharpen, and filter: click the pencil .
- To download your Photolines: click the download button . The record will be downloaded to your computer. If you can’t find it, check your Downloads folder.
- To print: click the printer icon .

Frequently asked questions

Where are my Photolines saved?
Your Photolines are saved on Ancestry in your tree's gallery, and the gallery of anyone tagged in the image. If you uninstall the app, your Photolines will remain on the ancestry website.

Who can see my Photolines?
If your tree is public, other Ancestry members can see Photolines that are attached to deceased people in your tree. (Read about Living People in Family Trees.)

If your tree is private, only you and the people you’ve invited to your tree can see your Photolines.

For help changing your tree’s privacy settings, see Family Tree Privacy.

Who can make changes to my Photolines?
Only you and the people you've invited to your tree as editors can create, edit, and delete Photolines for your tree. People you've invited as contributors can change anything they’ve contributed, and guests can view your Photolines but can't add others or make changes.

For help changing someone's role or their ability to see living people in your tree, see Sharing a Family Tree.

How do I give the Ancestry app access to my pictures and camera?
When prompted, allow the ancestry app access to your pictures and camera.

If you didn’t allow the Ancestry app access to your pictures or camera, you can change your device's settings to allow it. For help allowing the Ancestry app access to your pictures or camera, select the device type you’re using: