My Top 5 Photo Editing Apps

Recently, Nokia ran an article on their blog about the best photo editing Apps for the Nokia Lumia. The list the published is full of decent Apps, but only a few of the 5 make my list of the best photo editor for your Windows Phone. Their list iincluded: Nokia Creative Studio, Instalgram (Beta), Fresh Paint, Phototastic and PicsArt.
Below is the list of the top 5 photo editors that I have used for my Nokia Lumia 925. I would love to hear your thoughts on them and if there is something I am missing. Before you start reading, I really wanted to include Thumba, but they haven’t officially updated for Windows Phone 8 yet, so I am not sure if they still qualify as a current release or not. That said, here are my top 5 photo editing Apps.
Phototastic (FREE)

Yes, there is a paid version of Phototastic and yes it is well worth the $1.99 download cost. That said, you can easily play with your photos with the free version and turn out some really fun images. It almost seems like Phototastic was designed for the Instagram generation with its square formatting and easy sharing. Phototastic comes in at #5 on my list as it offers some easy ways to create collages and has basic editing capabilities.
Fotor (FREE)

Fotor sneaks in to the #4 space on my countdown of editors. The free version of Fotor contains enough great editing tools to be good. The paid version is great. As a matter of fact, it would be higher up on the list if there were not as many new editors that offered more for free. The interface is clean and simple. The effects process well and minimize that ‘edited’ look. Final images usually turn out at a decent print quality.
Using Fotor couldn’t be more simple. You just open an image, and click through the bottom menus to select the features you want to apply or adjust. A single tap of the bar opens up the options and a second one selects the effect or edit. Overall, Fotor is an impressive free editor.
Photo Editor powered by Aviary (FREE)

Photo Editor by Aviary is one of those online editors that used to drive me nuts. It did an OK job of auto-correcting images, but they just never turned out right. Aviary's Windows Phone app makes plenty of steps in the right direction and easily finds a home in my five favorite editors. The flexible design and the fun tidbits make it a bit more playful for photos, but everyone needs a bit of fun once in a while.
Nokia Creative Studio (FREE - Lumia Only)

Nokia Creative Studio is one of those Apps that just works. It isn't filled with over the top functionality, but it does what it does very well. You can create a color pop image or a collage in play mode. You can edit the color balance, brightness, clarity and vibrance (saturation) as well. You can also fix red-eye and crop images in the Fix section. Finally, you can apply a focus object circle or a tilt-shift to an image. Overall, the basic 'photo filters' that come at the start of Nokia Creative Studio make this addition perfect on my Lumia 925.
Fhotoroom (FREE)

Fhotoroom is one of the strongest editing programs that I have used next to Photoshop and GIMP on my computer. It has the functionality of a fully loaded photo editor packed into an interface that fits in the palm of you hand. Fhotoroom is easy enough to use for a beginner, yet powerful enough to make those 20MP and 41MP images shine.
From simple contrast adjustments to creating a bokeh on the edge of your images that make even the pro's blush. The power of Fhotoroom is unmatched in Windows Phone Apps today. While others may offer a bit easier method for posting a shot to Instagram, Fhotoroom creates works of art that can be saved to your OneDrive, shared in the Fhotoroom community or even shared on Facebook.
Fhotoroom is by far the best photo editing App available today. If you haven't tried it yet, give it a shot. You don't have to register for an account, but if you do, you can share you works with other Fhotoroom users - most of which are carrying a Windows Phone as well.

This is by no means a complete list, or may not even scratch the surface of what the best photo App for Windows Phone is. I can tell you this though, as a photographer, I can tell you the features I look for in a photo editor and these Apps fit the bill better than anything else I've tried so far. If you have recommendations, let me know in the comments below.