iFamily History: Use Google Photos to verify same person

Nathan Dylan Goodwin asked people on twitter if they thought the person in two different photos were the same person. Social media is a great way to get other people's opinion but I suggested another way.

Are you scanning in photos and not sure who everyone is or if they are in another photo? Try the following.

Side Note before you start
You might want to create a separate Google account with just your ancestor photos. It doesn't cost anything and then your personal photos will be separate. This gives you less recent photos to mix with your ancestors.

Search
1. Go to Google. If necessary, create a Google account.

2. Log in, if you are not already.

3. Click on the 9 dots in the top right hand corner of the screen. The menu appears.

4. Click on the Google Photos icon. The following menu appears on the left. Photos on right.

5. Click Albums from the left menu.

6. Click on People or Click on People & Pets.
Pets was recently added. (Explanation below.) Some platforms does not include Pets yet.

A photo of each person you have in all the photos you have upload are listed. If you have created photo albums they are listed here.

7. Click on the photo of the person you want to find match photos of. Photos that Google Photos thinks is the same person will appear on the web page.

Google Photos will find the same people even if they are children. If Google Photos is not sure if it is the same person with different ages, it will ask you if it is the same person.

Add a name to the person/album and share with others.

Near the top left hand corner of the screen it will ask you for a name.

1. Click on Add a name

2. Type in the name of the person.

3. Hit Enter.

Pets added comment by Google Photos

About Lianne Kruger

Genealogy

I researched my paternal grandmother's line to the first three white landowners of Canada in the 80's. I began genealogy going on genealogy trips in Ontario, England, and Scotland at graveyards with my mother starting at age 7 on. As a teenager, I sat in front of a microfilm reader with a list of names every Saturday at an FHL while my mother volunteered helping others.

I have spoken at Genealogical conferences and sessions at RootsTech (UT), FamilyRoots (UT), The Genealogy Show (in Birmingham, UK) as well as in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ogden, and Ontario.

Click on My Speaking Experience for session titles.

I have articles published on BYU Studies Quarterly magazine website and FamilySearch as well as AGS Relatively Speaking and Tree Climber.

Click on My Publications for complete list.

3 comments:

Nathan Dylan Goodwin2 May 2020 at 10:10
Thanks! Just went through these steps. Google hasn't suggested, yet that they are the same person. Maybe it's thinking about it!
M. Diane Rogers2 May 2020 at 13:40
Picasa used to do this. Is it the same tech? It recognized certain people at different ages, like my Na, very well. I'll have to make a date to try this again. Wonder how it does with the sweet baby pics I have? Most unidentified :-( but I do have some IDed. I will see what Google thinks!
Lianne Kruger3 May 2020 at 11:01
One of my daughters is shown under step #7. Those photos are over 10 years apart, so it did that well.