PureRef

PureRef is a standalone software application designed for artists, designers, and creative professionals who need a simple yet powerful tool to manage visual references. Unlike traditional image viewers or browser-based bookmarking, PureRef creates a dedicated floating workspace where users can collect, organize, and view multiple images simultaneously without cluttering their main project environment. The program runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it accessible across major operating systems. One of its core functions is the ability to import images from virtually any source. Users can drag and drop images directly from their file system, paste clipboard content, or drag images straight from web browsers. This eliminates the need to save files manually or rely on complex import workflows. Once inside the PureRef canvas, images are displayed as freely movable thumbnails that can be resized, rotated, cropped, and layered. Users can arrange them in any layout—grids, stacks, clusters, or overlapping piles—to create mood boards, color palettes, texture references, pose studies, or composition guides. The software’s standout feature is its “always on top” mode. By clicking a toggle, the PureRef window stays persistently above all other open applications. This is invaluable for digital painters, 3D modelers, sculptors, animators, or graphic designers who need to glance at references while working in software like Photoshop, Blender, ZBrush, Maya, or Clip Studio Paint. The window can be made semi-transparent, allowing users to overlay it on top of their canvas for direct tracing or alignment. PureRef also supports image grouping and tagging. Users can create named collections within a single session, such as “lighting references,” “anatomy poses,” or “color schemes.