My Sketch has a pretty popular track record, so when the universal app became available for free earlier this week I snagged it to take it for a test drive.

In My Sketch, you can take new photos or use ones from your library and turn them into so-called “sketches.” Once you select an image, you’ll have to crop it either to landscape or portrait. The fact that cropping is required makes me a bit crazy, especially because the crop box maintains its aspect ratio, so it’s possible you won’t be able to crop the image to your liking.

There are 25 effects available in My Sketch, and each offers the ability to manipulate brightness and contrast. Although I appreciate the variety of filters, I ultimately was unimpressed with My Sketch’s output. The finished product is simply a black-and-white image with a pencil-marked frame around the edges, its style dependent on the filter you choose.

Considering the average nature of the finished image, it’s frustrating that the conversion takes so long. You can’t easily preview what the effects look like, so switching among the options can be time-consuming. My Sketch’s best feature is its ability to save an image as three different sizes — 50 percent, 75 percent or 100 percent — and then share via Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Tumblr or email.

If My Sketch stays free, sure, pick it up and give it a try, but skip it for $1.99.

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