OneRoom, a minimalistic approach to photo editing for Windows Phone

No argument here. We have a ton of photo editors available in the Windows Phone Store. Which one is best? Your guess is as good as mine and one of the latest offerings hoping to catch your eye is OneRoom.
What sets OneRoom apart from the cornucopia of photo editors already available in the Windows Phone Store? You do have editing presets that helps you edit photos quickly and the app can handle images up to 38MP in size. The app is also minimalistic in design that hopes to make the editing flow more user friendly.
In just tinkering with OneRoom for a short time, it does have a bit of appeal but may struggle to knock off the more popular editors such as Photoshop Express, Fhotoroom or Fantasia Painter due to a few missing features. Still, if you are looking for another photo editor to add to your Windows Phone Library or are still searching for that one editor that fits your tastes bests, OneRoom is worth a try.
Simple Interface
As billed, the design of OneRoom is minimal. The only option available from the launch screen is to open an image to edit. Once chosen you have two menus that are available through two icons.
In the upper left corner offers a menu listing with options to:
- Open a new image
- Save the image you are editing
- Save and share the image you are editing
- Revert the image to its original condition
- Visit the developer's Facebook community
- Exit the app
In the upper right corner, you will find your editing tools. The Tools menu offers five broad editing categories that breaks down as follows.
- Presets: Here you can save a collection of image adjustments and apply them in one-touch fashion.
- Basics: Tools with the Basics category include cropping, tone curves, brightness, contrast, shadows, highlights, saturation, white balance, temperature and other exposure adjustments. Many of these tools are grouped together, such as white balance, tint and temperature, allowing you to make similar adjustments with one stop.
- Details: The sole tool in the Details category is a High Pass filter that is designed as a one-touch filter that will sharpen and give your images a little more "pop". Some describe High Pass as giving your digital images a film look.
- Color: Three tools rest in this category and include color saturation, split toning and black & white conversion. What set's the color saturation and split toning apart from the Basic Tools is that you can adjust the saturation and tones for a specific color.
- Effects: Here you will find the Fade, Grains and Vignette tools.
Each editing feature offers various adjustments to help you fine tune your image and if you need to zoom into detail, just tap and hold on the image to pull up a magnifying loop. The level of zoom with the magnifying loop is preset and cannot be increased.
Navigation is simple but does take a bit to get accustomed to. To back out of an editing tool, just hit the Tools' menu button to return to the main editing menu. If you tap the Windows Phone Back Button a confirmation menu will appear asking if you really want to leave OneRoom (a nice touch by the way). When you are ready to leave the editing tools, a big "X" sits in the upper right corner of the screen (the same is present for the Menu menu).
Images can be saved through your typical Windows Phone sharing options and are saved at their original size (well… unless you crop them down). When saved to your Windows Phone, OneRoom will create a folder in your Pictures Hub, making it easy to find your edited images.
Overall Impression
I have to admit that OneRoom grew on me the more I used it. It is a nice photo editor that will appeal to those looking for an editor to use for quick fixes, as well as those looking for a more traditional approach to photo editing. The High Pass filter is a nice one-touch option for giving your photos a little pop and I like how you can adjust the RGB (red, green and blue) factors while converting a color image to black & white.
OneRoom does lack creative filters but instead takes on a more traditional approach to photo editing. You can still create a sepia look or autumn tone with your images. It just takes a little more work than a one-touch filter.
While OneRoom has a few things going for it, there are a few things missing that, if added, would help with this app's appeal.
For starters, there is no free-form cropping. You have a collection of preset crops and while you can zoom/re-position images an unrestricted cropping option is needed. Next, the app only supports vertical orientation. If you are landscapes, an option for horizontal orientation gives you a better view of things.
All totaled, OneRoom is a decent photo editor to consider adding to your Windows Phone photo app library. The trial version will give you access to all the editing tools but will not let you save or share edited images. OneRoom captures a 4.5 Star rating in the Windows Phone Store, which may be on the high side but not by much.
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George is the Reviews Editor at Windows Central, concentrating on Windows 10 PC and Mobile apps. He's been a supporter of the platform since the days of Windows CE and uses his current Windows 10 Mobile phone daily to keep up with life and enjoy a game during down time.
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I feel like the Lumia Creative Studio is more than enough for me, I've had my 1520 for months and haven't felt the need to download a photo editing app yet.
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I have downloaded lots, but at the end the one really easy to use and reliable was Lumia creative studio. I have to admit though that the adobe PhotoShop app is nice and good too
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Creative studio was wasted with the big update it got a while ago. Still no colour pop.
Adobe is the best available at the moment -
Creative Studio has Color Pop now
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This. Color Pop was restored a few weeks ago.
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Then simply try fantasia painter. I am sure you will be amazed.
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I've Creative Studio, Adobe Photoshop and Fantasia... And use all three for specific functions...
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What does the full version of more? Or the trial one less?
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May add free or you may suport developer:)
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Trial version won't let you save or share edited images...
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Oh lol...thanks
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Than it's useless app... I'm not against the paid Apps, but I hate totally crippled functionality like this.
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So you're "against" paid apps, since this app is not free.
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Nop, against "useless" apps
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It's not a useless app, you just need to pay to make use of it. So you're against paid apps.
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Xm, still nope, just against useless apps. Lumia creative studio for example offers me easy more than this does, and it's for free, this is why it is useless, tell me that you got it now!
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Stop moving the goalposts. Your original point was that this app was useless because its trial wasn't fully featured. That sure sounds like you hate paid apps. I'm willing to bet you haven't even downloaded this app, yet you're already trash talking it. Pathetic.
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As it seems you didn't get it again! Lol! Improve your IQ and your ability to observe who states what, if you check my comments above, and what you said, you make no sense, buddy! *****
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I tend to skim past usernames, so my bad there. Calling it useless is still irreproachable, in my opinion. Is every feature replicable in Creative Studio? (Hint: no.)
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Oh, you may also do a backflip, if you are in that mood. But as it seems you find it hard to believe that some apps are useless than others that replace them
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No, I just dislike entitled individuals like yourself who mindlessly discredit the work of others. It usually comes from people who have failed to contribute to the world themselves.
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I think what they meant by "crippled functionality" is that the trail version is completely useless... You can edit, but what's the point in editing an image only to find you can't keep it... Sounds useless and pointless to me :/
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They could have added ads in the app. Or time limit like 15 days free use. Or watermark on saved images. But not letting us to save/share is something strange.
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Thats what I'm talking about! A 15 day trial would be acceptable, but not this.
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Cornucopia. That's the word of the day.
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Where?
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Here's what I don't understand, ONE means everything that Microsofts operates will be available in every device Microsoft offers. That's their claim, hence forth; why can't apps like these be available in desktop versions as well. For instance a Surface Pro 3 or one of those Monitor CPUs. There are numerous Apps which I have in my "Windows Phone" but not in my "Windows Surface". I find it quite inefficient. Even Apple has made their communication in ONE place, like the messaging irrespective whether you carry an Android Windows or Apple phone.
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First, not by Microsoft. Second, how do you have more space on your phone than your surface?:P
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Sir I didn't say I have more space on my phone, I said that there are numerous Apps on the Windows Phone Store, which I'd like to use on the Surface as well. And as far as Microsoft is concerned, Windows is just a segment of what Microsoft offers, it fall under the huge umbrella of what is Microsoft. But then again I perhaps did not understand what you mean by "Not Microsoft" please do enlighten me, perhaps I may be wrong. I understand that I cant find Apps like Fantasia Painter on the Surface Windows Store. Because that may be the developer's fault, or some other policy, but like One Note which is available in every device, like Onedrive. One room should also be available in Microsoft's devices such as the Surface or any other desktop app. Since One-like Apps are the flagship Apps for windows.
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Honestly, if you learn how to use this app, it is the best app in the store for photo editing. The tone curve option alone makes it worth the buy. Check out my instagram for results www.instagram.com/cliftonloosier
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that app looks nice but i think Afterlight's UI is better and more functional.
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This made me realise there is a fine line between minimalism and lousy design. I am judging on screenshots only. I have no intention of installing the trial.
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I'm happy with fantasia painter
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PicsArt is a very nice app, u should check it out