Using Flare as an External Editor

How do I set up Flare as an external editor for iPhoto, Aperture, or Lightroom?

Version 1.2 of Flare introduced the ability to use Flare as an external editor in iPhoto, Aperture, and Lightroom. Designate Flare as your external editor in one of those apps and you can jump into Flare to edit your photo, then return right to that app when you're finished. Here's how to set it up:

For iPhoto:

Go to iPhoto > Preferences in the menu bar. Under the Advanced tab (or the General tab, if you're using iPhoto 09), change the "Edit photo" setting to "In application..." and choose Flare from your Applications folder in the sheet that appears. Close the Preferences window, and you're all set.

To edit a photo with Flare, control-click on the photo in iPhoto and choose "Edit in External Editor". Once you're done editing in Flare, click the "Save to iPhoto and Quit" button in the upper left corner of the Flare window.

Please be aware that, as of iPhoto '11 version 9.4.3, the external editor behavior has been changed from non-destructive to destructive. This means that photos exported to external editors can no longer be edited or converted back to the original image in iPhoto.

For Aperture:

Go to Aperture > Preferences in the menu bar. Under the Export tab, Click the "Choose" button to the right of the External Photo Editor field and choose Flare from your Applications folder in the sheet that appears. Close the Preferences window, and you're ready to go.

To edit a photo with Flare, control-click on the photo in Aperture and choose "Edit with Flare". Once you're done editing in Flare, click the "Save to Aperture and Quit" button in the upper left corner of the Flare window.

For Lightroom:

Go to Lightroom > Preferences in the menu bar. Under the External Editing tab, Click the "Choose" button next to Application and choose Flare from your Applications folder in the sheet that appears. Close the Preferences window, and you're ready to go.

To edit a photo with Flare, choose a photo in Lightroom and go to Photo > Edit In > Edit in Flare... in the menu bar. Once you're done editing in Flare, click the "Save to Lightroom and Quit" button in the upper left corner of the Flare window.