trick for getting painted in headlight buckets out?

[timspider]

I'm taking out my headlight buckets to give the wiring a boost. Trim ring and 2 interior rings came out easily. I've got the bucket screws out, but I can see that the whole thing is painted in pretty tight.
My caveman solution is to pry around the edges until it's all freed up, but this will bend the edge up a bit.
Anybody know of an easier method to free up painted in headlight buckets with minimal damage?
thanks

[TStark]

I'm thinking heat gun; judicious use of heat can soften things up.

[azruss]

I would razor blade around the bucket so when you remove it, you wont pull the paint thats on the body. If the bucket has been painted along with the car, you can expect those surfaces to be poorly prepped and the paint will pull easily.

[timspider]

Careful caveman worked. Thanks for the assist.