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Read old handwriting

For hard-to-read acts today, you type what you see (Documents → What does this say?). Printed English screenshots use on-device Read screenshot OCR (Mac/Windows). Italian handwriting still needs you (or a practice Transkribus-style draft for learning Approve) — that practice path is not automatic civil-act HTR. Nothing goes straight into your tree. This is not legal advice.

Video

Walkthrough script: guides/SCRIPTS.md → read-handwriting.

What to do today

  • Drop or keep the photo under Documents.
  • Open What does this say? and type Name / Town / Year (or Fill from your Home note).
  • Save → Find → open FamilySearch / Antenati yourself.

You do not need a handwriting draft for Find links or the citizenship checklist. Prefer typing; it is the supported path in current kits.

Practice draft (optional)

Only if you want to try the Approve loop with a mock draft:

  1. Open your project → Find → Read old handwriting (practice).
  2. Choose a clear JPG or PNG.
  3. Under Who is this record about?, pick someone already on your tree.
  4. Click Run practice draft. Expect a placeholder transcript — not a real reading.
  5. Open Approve only to learn the habit; reject freely. For real genealogy, trust what you typed under Documents.

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 Documents 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 only — no paid outside OCR runs, and no live Transkribus call. A live handwriting option may ship later as an optional add-on; until then, do not advertise or expect “Atto reads your documents for you.” Always check any draft 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 Documents.

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

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