Image Size When Using Flare as an External Editor

When I use Flare as an external editor from iPhoto, Aperture, or Lightroom it ends up increasing the file size of my image. Why?

Flare's default image compression errs on the side of higher quality, which makes for a larger file size than the compression settings on many cameras. Additionally, adding filters and textures to an image can make it more visually complex, which can also result in a larger file size.

To reduce the file size of the JPG that Flare saves back to iPhoto, you need to set the JPG compression to a lower value. This can't be done directly, but you can use this workaround: Open an image directly in Flare (not via iPhoto), then save it as JPG. Set the quality to the desired amount - the lower the quality, the smaller the file size will be. Flare will now remember that quality setting when used as an external editor for iPhoto. Keep in mind that lowering the quality like this is actually degrading your image - you'll need to find the right balance between image quality and file size.