Pixlr-o-matic for Android Review

Whether it's Facebook or sites like Instagram, photo sharing has become a fad in the web age. Moreover, there are a slew of photo editing apps to help add special, refined touches to photos before sharing. If you own an Android phone, then the Google Play Store will give you umpteen such apps to choose from. One such popular app is Pixlr-o-matic (Click here to download the app). This photo-editing app has more to it than just being popular and that’s why you will find it time and again in our favourite photo editing apps list. To know what exactly you can expect from this app, read on.

Design and layout
Pixlr-o-matic's interface can be described in two words – neat and simple. The interface has a retro appeal to it and greets you with its classic logo at the top centre; the options to start clicking/editing a photo are lined right below it. The upper right corner is imprinted with ‘Pixlr’, which takes you to the company website, whereas the left corner shows the settings icon. If you take a close look at the app interface, you will find a couple of pictures by Pixlr that you can begin editing to get started with the different features that the app offers. We also liked how the homepage always shows the last edited image.

Simple and hassle-free interface

The interface is so simple and straightforward that navigating across the app and its features becomes quite smooth. To get started, you can either select an image from the gallery or take a quick snapshot with the camera option within the app. Using the camera option, will also let you choose third party camera apps (if installed) along with the Android stock camera. In our case, it let us take images using Camera360 and Vignette from within the app. Even while choosing images, it will show your stock Android gallery and third party Gallery apps like QuickPic and file managers. As you pick an image to edit, you will find a quick zoom-in/zoom-out option along with an icon that takes you to the store and ‘My Effects’ section.

Features
Pixlr-o-matic has a slew of photo editing options neatly categorised into Overlays, Effects and Frames. Overlays offers different colour effects and shades to seamlessly overlay your photos and make them sharper. Effects adds several patterns of light to your image, giving it a dramatic look. You can choose from various options such as Glitter, Gaze, Cyborg, Metal, Paint, Dirt, Scratches and so on. Frames offers some lovely options from flowery to round and rustic frames, which will neatly border your images before displaying them. And there won’t be a dearth of Effects/Overlays/Frames. As you select the image to be edited, you will find a row of effects smoothly sliding below the image and giving you a glimpse of each of these effects on the photo. Just select the effect you want and the image is good to go.

Effects sliding below the image

Pixlr-o-matic has a plethora of effects and overlays to choose from, which can be combined to bring out the best photo possible. If you don't want to scratch your head over these combinations, simply tap on the ‘Shuffle’ icon, which will then put together random effects to liven up your image. Surprisingly, we were very pleased with the random effects, and you won't be disappointed either. Next to the Shuffle icon, you will find an option that takes you to the store from where you can download more effects and even uninstall them depending upon what suits you the best. And here’s the best part – you don't have to pay to download these additional effects as they are absolutely free. Here, you will also find the ‘My Effects’ option wherein you can view and compare the image with multiple effects. Similarly, you can also view the image with different frames and overlays. This is definitely the best feature of the app.

Once you are done editing, hit on save and the app will let you choose the image size. You can stick to the original image size, but the app recommends smaller sizes. It is also possible to share the image right away as the app shows your complete social suite from Facebook and Picasa to Gmail and Evernote. It makes storing and sharing simple and quick.

View multiple effects simultaneously

Performance and conclusion
In a nutshell, Pixlr-o-matic is a pretty straightforward and hassle-free app to use. You will quickly get the hang of it, even if you are an amateur. The app doesn’t come across sluggish or laggy, but it did shut down a couple of times with a pop-up message that read – “Unfortunately, Pixlr-o-matic  has stopped". There are dozens of effects, overlays and frames to choose from and you can download more for free. The Shuffle button efficiently selects random effects for your photo and is pretty good at what it does. However, we did miss fun-filled effects like the ones you see in Picsay and Camera360. While using the app for clicking pictures, you will notice that it does not impose an in-app interface but lets you use your stock Android camera and its features right away. I could use my Galaxy Nexus and all the features that have been added by the new Android 4.2 update. If you love clicking and fiddling with images, then this free app is worth a try.

To download this app for iOS click here

To download this app for Android click here