One of the "essential" features of image editing software is an option to set the rotation in increments of less than half a degree, preferably hundredths. Basic software supplied with an album program or genealogy program might allow 90 degree rotation. Simple image software supplied with a scanner or digital camera might allow rotation in one degree steps and have very simple touchup tools. Good software allows the scanned image on the screen to be rotated until it is straight when closely cropped to the desired area, "clarified" and then saved at the right size with an appropriate file extension. A one button "clarify" or "quick-fix" improves an image more than a lengthy session of changing brightness, contrast and unsharp mask. I'm saving items like newspaper clippings as 256 grey scale then 16 color uncompressed TIF. That choice is made with the full knowledge that some programs used for family history do not allow TIF images of any kind. The original item could be crooked or the placement on the scanner glass could be variable depending on the shape and size of the original. A set of crooked snapshots might not be any worse than the originals but a set of crooked newspaper clippings at angles of half a degree or more would look untidy. -- Elizabeth