Genealogists Are Loving LiveMemory™!

  • By Daniella
November 25, 2024

We’ve just launched LiveMemory™, our incredible new photo animation feature, and users have been floored by the results. Some have even been brought to tears seeing beloved family members brought to life in video so realistically, and reconnecting to sweet childhood memories.

LiveMemory™, available on the MyHeritage mobile app for iOS and Android, enables you to turn any still photo into a short video clip using AI. It animates the scene in the photo, reimagining it as if you had traveled back in time to watch it live.

Here are a few of the reactions and breathtaking results genealogy experts and enthusiasts have shared.

Roberta Estes of DNAeXplained was blown away by this feature: “I was NOT PREPARED,” she wrote in her blog post, titled ‘MyHeritage Releases LiveMemory™ & Knocks it Clean Out of the Ballpark’.
“Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face, and I couldn’t even speak – not a single word. I tried not to flat-out ugly cry… What an incredibly emotional experience… This amazing 5-second video required an entire handful (or two) of tissues and brought [my mom] back to me in a way I had never imagined possible.”

“Thank you, MyHeritage, for this incredibly moving experience!” she adds. “You sure know how to impart joy in a way no black-and-white record, or photo, ever could!”

You can read the rest of her post and enjoy more of her examples here.

James Tanner also praised the new feature in his blog: “Looks like magic… this goes well beyond the previous animation efforts.”

 

David Allen Lambert thanked MyHeritage for “giving me new AI smiles” and happiness as he enjoyed this LiveMemory™ of his mother with her siblings:

He also shared some amazing historical photos brought to life from Stoughton, Massachusetts:

David animated a photo of boxing legend Mickey Bishop, who looks like he’s about to deliver a powerful knockout punch:

Karen Cummings was deeply moved to see this LiveMemory™ of her mother holding her as a baby:

Debbie Kennett showed that the feature also works wonderfully with the furry family members we have lost over the years:

“I’m not crying — you’re crying,” wrote J. Stephen Little Jr.:

Janna Helshtein also shed a tear over this photo of herself as a baby:

I know we all love watching our ancestors come to life thanks to @myheritageofficial.bsky.social but I'll confess, looking at this, me, waving back at me, made me cry#Livememory #Genealogy

— Janna Helshtein (@jannahelshtein.bsky.social) 2024-11-22T06:04:01.301Z

Then she made her own mother cry with this incredible video she compiled of LiveMemories™ from her parents’ wedding:

I couldn't help myself. My parents' wedding in 1965. They could not afford a video, so thanks to @myheritageofficial.bsky.social #Livememory combined 4 photos and added music on Kapwing. Sent this to my mom and she was in tears#Livememory #Genealogy

— Janna Helshtein (@jannahelshtein.bsky.social) 2024-11-22T09:30:29.495Z

Tami Osmer Mize brought us back to her dad’s early days boxing in the yard in 1934:

Fran Kitto shared this lovely LiveMemory™ of her Nana all dressed up for a party in 1920:

 

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A post shared by Fran Kitto (@travelgenee)

Chroniques92 shared this beautiful LiveMemory™ of her parents exiting the church on their wedding day:

Richard Hill got to see his birth mother — whom he never met in real life — in motion thanks to this LiveMemory™:

I never met my birth mother and only have a few pictures of her. One shows her as a child with her older sister. I used the new LiveMemory feature on the MyHeritage app, which uses AI to turn a photo of people or animals into a five-second video. It's pretty cool, especially with historical images.

— Richard Hill (@richardhilldna.bsky.social) 2024-11-23T17:12:35.564Z

Jana Last shared this remarkable LiveMemory™ of her paternal great-grandfather and three of his siblings:

She also shared this LiveMemory™ of her 3rd great-grandfather:

Ricky Crume created this incredible LiveMemory™ with the colorized and enhanced version of a photo of his relatives in North Dakota, circa 1909:

Kira Brennan shared this amazing LiveMemory™ of her grandmother:

Pretty amazing! The girl on the left that takes off her hat is my grandmother. #LiveMemory 😀

— Kira Brennan (@kirabrennan.bsky.social) 2024-11-24T13:25:50.525Z

These posts have evoked many appreciative comments from friends and followers on social media. Here are a few we’ve collected:

This is just a handful of the incredible responses and the beautiful examples people have shared! If you haven’t tried this amazing feature yet, go ahead and make sure you have the latest version of the MyHeritage app, and give it a try. We invite you to share your results on social media using the hashtags #LiveMemory and #MyHeritage.

Enjoy!