An intensity of a second flash is determined based at least partly on a predicted thermal condition that is influenced by a first flash that is previous to the second flash. A quality function of an image capture device is adjusted according to the determined intensity of the second flash. A scene is illuminated by the second flash at the determined flash intensity and the illuminated scene is captured and stored as an image using the adjusted quality function. In exemplary embodiments, an auto-exposure algorithm is compensated for flash intensity, which is maximized in view of temperature limits and constraints due to firing a pre-flash prior to capturing the image. Various approaches and apparatus and software are detailed.