Atto

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Read old handwriting

When a civil-act scan is hard to read, Atto can draft the text for you to check. The draft waits on Approve — it never goes straight into your tree. This is not legal advice and not a guarantee that every letter is correct.

Video

Video walkthrough coming soon. Script: guides/SCRIPTS.md → read-handwriting.

When to use it

  • You already have a photo or scan of an act (from Antenati, a comune PDF, or your camera).
  • The handwriting or print is hard to type by eye.
  • You know who the record is about — or you can add them to the tree first.

Skip this step if you can read the act yourself and type a short Inbox note. Find links and the citizenship checklist do not require a handwriting draft.

Steps in Atto

  1. Open your project → Research → section 3. Read old handwriting.
  2. Choose a clear JPG or PNG of the page (one act or one register page is enough).
  3. Under Who is this record about?, pick the person in your tree. If the list is empty, import a GEDCOM on Home or approve a find that adds someone first — otherwise Approve has nowhere to attach the draft.
  4. Click Read handwriting. Wait for the draft.
  5. Open Approve. Compare the draft to the image. Fix names and dates in your head (and in notes) before you accept. Reject costs nothing.

Photo tips

  • Fill the frame with the act text; crop busy margins if you can.
  • Even light — avoid glare on plastic sleeves and deep shadows.
  • One page at a time beats a whole book in one blurry shot.
  • Keep the original image in your vault Inbox or raw folder; the draft is a suggestion, not a replacement for the scan.

What the kit does today

Out of the box, readings use a practice / mock path so you can learn the loop without a third-party account. A live handwriting service may be offered later for licensed kits; until then, treat drafts as training for the Approve habit — always check against the image.

Atto does not train models on your family scans, does not use “AI architecture search” on Antenati dumps, and does not auto-merge. Damaged names stay suggestions until you Approve.

If Approve stays empty

  • You skipped the person picker — choose who the act is about and run again.
  • Your tree has no people yet — import a GEDCOM or approve another find first.
  • You rejected the draft — that is fine; try a clearer photo or type what you can into Inbox.

Still stuck? Support — in the app use Home → Advanced → Copy report for support. Never email certificates or full license.json.

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