This review originally appeared within iLounge’s iOS Gems series within the compilation article, iPhone Gems: Top Photography and Image Manipulation Apps. Additional details may be found in the original article.
Designed to be a universal photo enhancer, Jade ($5) is a rather disappointing photo app for the iPhone and iPod touch. Upon launching the app, the user is presented with the device’s photo library, including camera roll, as Jade does not feature the ability to take a photo within the app itself.
Once a photo has been selected, it will appear on the screen with a navigation bar at the top for selecting a different picture, plus a slider bar and save button at the bottom. The app saves in 1024×768 resolution, and automatically places the slider at what it considers to be the optimal position.
The developer describes Jade as using “state of the art algorithms to enhance image colors, contrast, and dynamics, while preserving the overall quality” of the image. In reality, it’s hard to tell exactly what the app is doing — moving the slider from side-to-side will result in the picture looking different in terms of color, contrast, and exposure, but not necessarily for the better.
Perhaps the best way to describe the processing is as a less-effective iPhoto’s “Enhance” feature with an adjustable slider.
With only one main feature, it’s nearly impossible to justify Jade’s $5 asking price when compared to its competition. It gives the user virtually no control over exactly what adjustments are being made to their photos, and really doesn’t provide enough enhancement to even be worthy of inclusion as a do-everything filter in a competing app. The description makes it sound great, but without dramatically improved performance, Jade simply falls short of its promise.
