How do you desaturate a lens flare? I'd like one to appear as a white Sun on an image I'm working on. I've done it before, but ca'nt remember how. = )

If you're just speaking of desaturating the colours of the lens flare itself, a simple way is to put the lens flare in its own layer, and then go to Image-->adjust, and then the saturate/desaturate option. Then again, maybe im talking outta my @$$. ry

It wo'nt render onto a blank layer, a no pixels to affect Error Window comes up.

Make a selection, apply a Lens Flare, then Image - Adjust - Desaturate. If you want to desaturate the whole image, deselect after you do the Lens Flare then Desaturate.

Without color the lens flare appears as a Sun would in a day time sky. I just want it desaturated not the sky itself.

Place a layer over the image and fill with black.Render the Lens flare on the black layer then set the layer to screen.This should leave a desaturated version of the Lens flare over your image & the black should vanish without affecting the colours of the image beneath.

To put a lens flare on its own layer, fill the layer with black, then, on the layers panel, change the mode of that layer to 'screen' and then place your flare. If you want to be sure the flare goes exactly where you want it, you can also mark a place on the black layer (a very small circle/dot of white -- or whatever color you want, just make it small). As I recall, the Apple version of PS let's you place the flare (if you're using the PS filter and not some other plugin) at an exact location by noting the spot on the navigation/info pallette whereas the PC version does not do this.