New at Ancestry: The Explore Feature in Storymaker Studio!

10/29/2023

New at Ancestry: The Explore Feature in Storymaker Studio!

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New at Ancestry, New Ancestry Features and Tools, Ancestry Storymaker Studio, Exlore Your Ancestors

Ancestry's New Explore Feature in Storymaker Studio

Ancestry's New Explore Feature

Explore the times your ancestor lived in, through media! Ancestry has a new Beta feature they’re testing out to help enhance your family history and genealogy, Explore, in the Storymaker Studio. This feature lets you explore images that other members have in their public trees, that may have to do with either a particular ancestor of yours or a certain place and time period that you may be researching.

How to get to the Explore Feature

From any tree pedigree view or family view toolbox (on the left side of the screen), click on the Gallery photo icon that will take you to the Storymaker Studio or use their newer Right Click feature to bring up the Gallery shortcut icon, along with other shortcuts.
From there, click on Explore.

How to Get to the Explore Feature in Ancestry Storymaker Studio- Step 1

How to Get to the Explore Feature in Ancestry Storymaker Studio- Step 2

Ways to Explore

Click on one of the ancestors that you have just researched that will automatically be there for you.
Use the search function to choose a particular ancestor you’d like to explore.
Use the search function to choose a certain place and time period you’d like to explore.

Way to Explore with the Explore Feature in Ancestry Storymaker Studio- Example 1

Way to Explore with the Explore Feature in Ancestry Storymaker Studio- Example 2

Exploring a Particular Ancestor in Ancestry Storymaker Studio

Exploring a Particular Ancestor in Ancestry Storymaker Studio- Example 1

Exploring a Particular Ancestor in Ancestry Storymaker Studio- Example 1-2

Exploring a Particular Place and Time in Ancestry Storymaker Studio

Exploring a Particular Place and Time in Ancestry Storymaker Studio- Example 1

Exploring a Particular Place and Time in Ancestry Storymaker Studio- Example 1-2

I find that “exploring” an ancestor is the same as the image hints you get for that ancestor, under the hints on an ancestor’s profile page, but you cannot currently search for places and times under the hints, so this adds to that capability. Keep in mind that exploring places and times does not necessarily mean it actually has to do with that place and time, it may just be more public ancestor Images of a person who also lived in that place.

More Ancestry and Genealogy Resources:

Learn about more Ancestry updates, tips, tools, and features and other family history and genealogy resources under the Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.

9 Comments

Jenny Hawran link

11/1/2023 08:02:42 am

Following your directions, I don't see that I have that feature yet, but I'm looking forward to it. The fact that you can search images with places and times is super!

Diane Henriks link

11/2/2023 05:05:32 pm

Haha, no need! Within just a few days, only, of having it, they revamped the whole thing and have now changed Storymaker Studio to "Memories", as of yesterday. 😉 I will blog about it this weekend. 😉

Marian B Wood

11/2/2023 09:19:30 am

TY for explaining the specifics of this fairly new functionality. I'll give it a try!

11/2/2023 05:07:32 pm

Unfortunately, you won't be able to. Within just a few days of having it, they revamped the whole thing and have now changed Storymaker Studio to "Memories", as of yesterday. 😉 I will blog about it this weekend. 😉

Teresa link

11/6/2023 09:43:53 am

Yep, I went to check out what you'd written about, only to discover I now have Memories instead...Looks interesting and, so far, seems to be loading far faster than Storymaker Studio did...

11/6/2023 05:57:07 pm

Haha, yes, that was very short lived! ;)
I do not see a loading time difference between Memories and Storymaker Studio. My post for Memories went out yesterday, if you're interested. :)
In their pop up for the new page, they mentioned the same Explore feature, but I do not see it anywhere on the page. ;)

Erica Hahn

11/15/2023 02:24:36 pm

Is there a way I can turn this feature off. I find it distracting and not helpful.

11/22/2023 09:53:00 am

Are you talking about the new EXPLORE feature now in the Ancestor Profile timeline, that is mentioned in a newr blo post, "Discover Your Ancestors with Ancestry’s New Explore Feature!"?

Thomas Burns

2/16/2024 08:23:56 am

This feature is cluttering up my screen and not useful.