External Editor Integration

Configure external applications to edit images from ImageGlass

Overview

ImageGlass seamlessly integrates with external editing applications, allowing you to quickly open images in your preferred photo editor. Configure default editors per file type and control what happens to ImageGlass after launching the editor.

Quick Start

To open the current image in an external editor:

1. Press E (default shortcut) or
2. Right-click the image and select Edit
3. ImageGlass launches your configured editor

If no editor is configured for the image type, ImageGlass will prompt you to set one up.

Configuring Edit Apps

1. Open Settings

   Go to Settings > Edit section

2. Add New Editor

   Click Add to create a new editor configuration

3. Configure Editor Details

   Fill in the editor information:

   • App Name: Friendly name (e.g., “Photoshop”, “GIMP”)
   • Executable: Full path to the application executable
   • Arguments: Command-line arguments (optional)
   • File Extensions: Comma-separated list of extensions
4. Save Configuration

   Click Save to add the editor

Edit App Configuration

Basic Structure

Each edit app consists of three components:

public class EditApp
{
    public string AppName { get; set; }      // Display name
    public string Executable { get; set; }   // Path to .exe
    public string Argument { get; set; }     // Command arguments
}

File Extension Mapping

ImageGlass stores edit apps in a dictionary keyed by file extensions:

Dictionary<string, EditApp> EditApps

Example configuration:

Extension	App Name	Executable	Argument
.jpg	Photoshop	C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop\Photoshop.exe	"%1"
.png	Photoshop	C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop\Photoshop.exe	"%1"
.psd	Photoshop	C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop\Photoshop.exe	"%1"
.svg	Inkscape	C:\Program Files\Inkscape\inkscape.exe	"%1"

Using Command Arguments

The %1 placeholder represents the image file path:

"%1"                    // Basic usage (quotes handle spaces)
--file="%1"             // Named parameter
"%1" --fullscreen        // Additional flags
-o "%1" --edit-mode      // Multiple parameters

Always wrap %1 in quotes to handle file paths with spaces correctly.

Popular Editor Examples

Adobe Photoshop

App Name: Adobe Photoshop
Executable: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2024\Photoshop.exe
Argument: "%1"
Extensions: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .psd, .tif, .tiff, .bmp

GIMP

App Name: GIMP
Executable: C:\Program Files\GIMP 2\bin\gimp-2.10.exe
Argument: "%1"
Extensions: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .bmp, .xcf

Paint.NET

App Name: Paint.NET
Executable: C:\Program Files\paint.net\paintdotnet.exe
Argument: "%1"
Extensions: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .bmp, .pdn

Affinity Photo

App Name: Affinity Photo
Executable: C:\Program Files\Affinity\Photo\Photo.exe
Argument: "%1"
Extensions: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff, .afphoto

Inkscape (Vector Graphics)

App Name: Inkscape
Executable: C:\Program Files\Inkscape\bin\inkscape.exe
Argument: "%1"
Extensions: .svg, .svgz

Adobe Lightroom

App Name: Adobe Lightroom
Executable: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Lightroom Classic\lightroom.exe
Argument: "%1"
Extensions: .jpg, .jpeg, .dng, .cr2, .nef, .arw

After Editing Actions

Control what happens to ImageGlass after launching an external editor:

Available Actions

public enum AfterEditAppAction
{
    Nothing,    // ImageGlass continues running normally
    Minimize,   // Minimizes ImageGlass window
    Close       // Closes ImageGlass application
}

Configuration

1. Open Settings

   Go to Settings > Edit

2. Choose Action

   Select from After editing dropdown:

   • Do nothing (default)
   • Minimize ImageGlass
   • Close ImageGlass
3. Save Settings

   Changes apply immediately

When to Use Each Option

Do Nothing

• Quick edits where you want to compare before/after
• Using ImageGlass as a reference while editing
• Multi-monitor workflows

Minimize

• Working on a single monitor
• Reducing clutter while keeping ImageGlass active
• Quick access to return to browsing

Close

• One-time edits where you won’t return to ImageGlass
• Freeing system resources for intensive editing
• Batch editing workflows

Advanced Scenarios

Multiple Editors per Extension

Configure different editors for the same file type:

1. Use Descriptive Names

   Create separate entries with clear names:

   • “Photoshop (Quick Edit)”
   • “Photoshop (RAW Processing)”
2. Set Different Arguments

   Use different command-line options for each workflow

3. Default Editor

   The first matching extension becomes the default (E shortcut)

4. Alternative Access

   Use Open With menu for other configured editors

RAW File Processing

For camera RAW files, configure specialized processors:

App Name: Adobe Camera Raw
Executable: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2024\Photoshop.exe
Argument: "%1"
Extensions: .cr2, .nef, .arw, .dng, .orf, .rw2

Batch Processing Integration

Combine with command-line batch processors:

App Name: ImageMagick Convert
Executable: C:\Program Files\ImageMagick\convert.exe
Argument: "%1" -resize 1920x1080 "%1"
Extensions: .jpg, .png

Be careful with batch processing commands that overwrite the original file. Always test with copies first.

Script Integration

Launch custom scripts or batch files:

App Name: Custom Edit Script
Executable: C:\Scripts\edit-image.bat
Argument: "%1"
Extensions: .jpg, .png

Example batch script (edit-image.bat):

@echo off
set IMAGE=%1
echo Processing: %IMAGE%
"C:\Program Files\MyEditor\editor.exe" %IMAGE%

Open With Menu

The Open With feature provides quick access to Windows file associations:

Usage

1. Right-click on an image
2. Select Open with
3. Choose from:
   • Windows default application for this file type
   • Recently used applications
   • “Choose another app” for more options

Keyboard Shortcut

Press D to open the “Open with” dialog.

This is useful for one-time opens without configuring a permanent edit app.

Configuration File

Edit apps are stored in ImageGlass settings file:

Location:

%AppData%\ImageGlass\Settings\igconfig.json

Format:

{
  "EditApps": {
    ".jpg": {
      "AppName": "Photoshop",
      "Executable": "C:\\Program Files\\Adobe\\Photoshop\\Photoshop.exe",
      "Argument": "\"%1\""
    },
    ".svg": {
      "AppName": "Inkscape",
      "Executable": "C:\\Program Files\\Inkscape\\inkscape.exe",
      "Argument": "\"%1\""
    }
  }
}

Manually editing the configuration file requires closing ImageGlass first. Changes while the app is running will be overwritten.

Troubleshooting

Editor Won’t Launch

Checklist:

• Verify the executable path is correct
• Check file exists and has .exe extension
• Ensure you have permission to run the application
• Test the command in Command Prompt manually

Example test:

"C:\Program Files\MyEditor\editor.exe" "C:\Pictures\test.jpg"

File Path Issues

Symptoms:

• Editor opens but doesn’t load the image
• Error about file not found

Solutions:

• Ensure %1 is wrapped in quotes: "%1"
• Check if the editor requires specific argument format
• Try using forward slashes in the path

Wrong Editor Opens

Possible causes:

• Multiple editors configured for the same extension
• Windows file associations interfering

Solutions:

• Reorder edit apps (first matching extension is used)
• Check Windows default programs settings
• Use fully qualified file extensions (.jpeg vs .jpg)

Portable Applications

For portable editor installations:

1. Use absolute paths, not relative
2. Avoid paths with Unicode characters
3. Test the portable app launches independently first

Executable: D:\PortableApps\GIMP\gimp-2.10.exe

Network Paths

Editors on network drives require UNC paths:

Executable: \\SERVER\Apps\Photoshop\Photoshop.exe

Network paths may be slower to launch and require network connectivity.

Best Practices

Use consistent naming: Name editors clearly to distinguish between different workflows.

Test arguments: Always test new editor configurations with a sample image first.

Document custom scripts: Add comments to batch files and scripts for future reference.

Keep paths updated: Review editor paths after software updates or reinstalls.

Related Features

• Keyboard Shortcuts - Customize the edit image shortcut
• Context Menu - Access edit commands from right-click menu
• Clipboard Operations - Copy images to edit in other applications