Why Sync Isn't Ideal
For easy reference, these are the links showing the information that is retrieved by means of a sync for Family Tree Maker and RootsMagic:
- RootsMagic "Magic Guides" PDF download: Using TreeShare for Ancestry
- Family Tree Maker support article About Sync, including What Information is Synchronized? snapshot via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine
- FTM 2017 — What’s Not Synced with FamilySync®
- Comparing FTM and Ancestry Trees when using FamilySync
Ancestry uses the term "Citation Media" to refer to historical record images on Ancestry that are attached to Ancestry online trees.
One big disadvantage to using sync as a means of downloading citation media is that a sync will only transfer whatever media item is attached to your tree. This means that a sync will only fetch the first pages of multi-page documents such as 2-page passenger lists, court records such as probate files which have a wrapper followed by the contents, etc.
Ancestry's tree system will sometimes offer the user the opportunity to attach an image that doesn't have indexed names to a profile by means of a weblink; however, weblinks are not part of the information that is brought down via a sync.
Keeping a separate research log
The easiest and safest solution to download all the images associated with an Ancestry online tree is the tedious one: to download the images manually at the time you attach the record to someone's profile. The tool to download images is in the slide-out panel on the right-hand side of the image viewer.
Users who realize they have probably skipped downloading images could try the following strategies:
Inventory what images you already have on hand by adding them to a source-centric program made for the purpose, such as Clooz, or by making an index card for each record in Scrivener, or adding a citation or the information from the Record Page to something like OneNote or Evernote.
Review each person's profile, making an inventory of downloaded images and downloading any skipped images, recording progress in a spreadsheet, either manually or with the help of something like John Cardinal's Online Repository Assistant (ORA). ORA does not have a specific aid for downloading Ancestry Citation Media, but the status boxes that ORA adds to the Record Details page provide a way to check off the images as you download or find them on your desktop computer. The straightforward way to go about this is to make a checklist or spreadsheet using the List of All People for your tree.
Another possibility: make a Genealogy Source Checklist like the one demonstrated by Crista Cowan on Ancestry's YouTube channel for each person on your tree, and mark up the list to show which items you've already downloaded.
Whatever means you choose, leave yourself breadcrumbs in the Notes or in your log so you can keep track of what progress you've made and what you plan to do next.