You have to wonder at the way developers think sometimes. "I know, we'll release a utility that will take photos and add visual effects, users will love it!" Never mind that this is a very crowded app genre and that a couple of dozen other titles claim to also do this. Still, in Autodesk's defense, at least they're getting more involved with the Windows Phone ecosystem, plus there are a few overlay effects here which are unusual - and you can't argue with the price.

From the Store description:

Pixlr makes it easy to transform everyday images into stunning works of art. Whether you’re applying a quick fix to your photos or adding a personal touch with effects, overlays, or borders, Pixlr has everything you need to make your moments beautiful.

• Easily modify different elements of your photo and adjust color and contrast.
• Access powerful features in a simple and easy-to-use interface.
• Apply quick fixes to your photos with features, such as crop, straighten and more.
• Autofix to balance out colors and adjust for poor lighting conditions with a simple one-click fix.
• Erase imperfections with red-eye tool.

Here's Pixlr in action, starting with a 'Software Agreement', believe it or not - you can tell that this is a 'big company' at work, can't you(!):

Is there REALLY a need for this on a phone in 2015, Autodesk? A license agreement?!! (right) a super-simple opening screen with just one button (plus settings cog) - why not just move users straight to selecting photos IN a gallery view? When a UI has just one button, you can skip the button itself, surely? I'm sure you can find somewhere else to stick the Settings cog, etc.

Into photo 'editing' then, with four main areas to explore. Oh, and ignore the 'download' icon top right - it actually means 'save'. Umm... ok. (right) At least you can multi-touch zoom in and pan around to explore the image rather than having to work 'zoomed out' all the time, as in some other utilities. Here I'm considering 'straightening' my image, since the rose arch is clearly off vertical...

In fact, the straightening interface is top notch, with an analogue slider letting you control the exact angle. Of course, rotating a rectangular image through an acute angle does mean that you lose some resolution, i.e. part of the frame. But, overall, job done. (right) Next, it's into effects, with all of them named after people, curiously. Still, the previews are very quick. I've never believed much in filters like this, their effect is always too drastic, but hey, they seem popular for others....

The 'overlays' are more interesting, combining abstract bitmapped effects with your original image pixels - again the previews are very quick so you can instantly see if the resulting image will be an improvement or not - it depends what arty effect you're going for!

Although it's tempting to lambast Autodesk for a slightly clunky UI in terms of layers and icons, we should bear in mind the price (free, with no in-app-purchases - or, at least, not yet) and that this is a 'v1.0'. No doubt it'll get better, probably in the Windows 10 Mobile time frame. In the meantime, you can download this here in the Store.