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PureRef is a desktop reference-board app for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It lets painters and other artists collect images, arrange them on a freeform canvas, zoom and pan around them, add notes, and keep the board visible above Photoshop, Krita, Blender, Clip Studio Paint, or another application.
This guide targets PureRef 2.x, whose interface, features, and commercial licensing differ from many older tutorials.
What is PureRef?
PureRef is best understood as a working reference canvas—not a full image editor, cloud collaboration platform, or permanent digital-asset library. It is especially useful for anatomy, lighting, color, materials, poses, environments, composition, and moodboards that support a current painting or design project.
PureRef stores images locally, according to its official FAQ. It is less suitable when you need searchable tags, smart folders, browser access, mobile synchronization, team collaboration, or long-term management of thousands of archived images.
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Download and install PureRef
Download PureRef from the official download page, rather than a software mirror. The current page data retrieved for this guide lists PureRef 2.1.3, with these platform requirements:
- Windows: Windows 10 or later
- macOS: macOS 10.14 or later
- Linux: tested on Ubuntu 20.04
PureRef identifies GNOME and KDE as verified Linux desktop environments for all features. Transparency and window framing can behave differently elsewhere.
Personal and commercial licensing
Do not assume that a personal contribution automatically covers studio work. PureRef’s licensing FAQ distinguishes versions:
- PureRef 1.x licensing remains usable for commercial and non-commercial use.
- PureRef 2.x requires a per-seat commercial license for commercial use.
On August 18, 2026, the official page displayed a one-time 2.x price of $49, personal contribution options of $7, $15, and custom amounts, and business plans shown at $8 per seat per month annually or $10 monthly. Taxes and availability can vary by location, so confirm the current terms on the download page.
Create your first reference board
- Launch PureRef and start a new scene.
- Import three to five useful images before adding a large collection.
- Arrange the images by purpose and adjust their size.
- Use Canvas > Optimize to fit the canvas around your references.
- Save the scene with a descriptive project name.
Starting a new scene clears the current canvas. If it contains images, PureRef warns before removing them. The shortcut is Ctrl+K on Windows/Linux or Command+K on macOS.
Add images to PureRef
Drag and drop
Drag files from File Explorer, Finder, or another file browser onto the PureRef canvas. A browser may also allow you to drag an image directly into the board.
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Copy an image, screenshot, search result, or image from another creative application, then paste it into PureRef.
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Paste a webpage URL
PureRef 2.x can accept a pasted webpage URL and attempt to open image files found on that page. This is not a universal web downloader. Login requirements, anti-bot protection, dynamic images, unusual formats, or inaccessible sources can prevent import. If it fails, drag the image from the browser or save it locally first.
Supported formats
The official PureRef 2 materials list formats including AVIF, BMP, DDS, animated GIF, HEIC/HEIF, JPEG, JP2, JXL, PSD, RAW, SVG, TIFF, WEBP, TGA, and EXR. Treat that as the vendor’s listed compatibility rather than a guarantee that every codec behaves identically on every system.
Keep source links or attribution in a note, and use images you have permission to copy or reference.
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PureRef has separate controls for moving the view and moving an image:
- Pan: hold Alt/Option and left-drag, or drag with the middle mouse button.
- Zoom: use the scroll wheel, or hold Z while left-dragging.
- Trackpad: pinch to zoom and use two fingers to pan when PureRef detects the device as a trackpad.
- Reset zoom: Ctrl/Command+0.
- Focus the canvas: Ctrl/Command+Space.
- Optimize: Ctrl/Command+O.
- Pack and optimize: Ctrl+Alt+P on Windows/Linux, or Option+Command+P on macOS.
If trackpad gestures scroll instead of pan, check PureRef’s scroll-wheel functionality setting.
Arrange, transform, and crop references
- Select: click an image; Shift-click or drag a selection rectangle for multiple images; Ctrl/Command+A selects everything.
- Move: drag the selected image or group.
- Resize: use the transform gizmo. Hold Alt/Option to scale around the image center.
- Reset a transform: Ctrl+Shift+T on Windows/Linux, or Shift+Command+T on macOS.
- Rotate: drag outside the transform-gizmo corners, or hold Ctrl/Command while dragging. Hold Shift to snap to the nearest 45 degrees.
- Crop: choose Images > Selection > Crop image. PureRef 2.0 introduced non-destructive cropping; the shortcut is Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C on Windows/Linux or Option+Shift+Command+C on macOS.
Because scaling and cropping are non-destructive, you can prepare a board without permanently altering the original image files.
Organize a board for painting
A useful board should answer visual questions quickly. Try this structure:
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- Make the primary subject or target design the largest image.
- Group supporting references by anatomy, silhouette, lighting, materials, color, composition, environment, or pose.
- Separate factual references from general inspiration.
- Keep comparable images at a similar scale.
- Leave space between groups so they remain readable when zoomed out.
- Use grayscale when studying value or lighting.
- Make critical references large and secondary inspiration smaller.
PureRef also supports notes, grouping, grayscale, color picking, alignment tools, image coordinates, and slideshow features. Add a note beside an image rather than editing explanatory text into the source. Notes can record a source URL, color observation, proportion, camera angle, anatomy reminder, or the specific visual feature you want to study.
Notes and layout belong to the PureRef scene, so save the scene—not just an exported screenshot.
Keep PureRef visible while you work
Always on top
Choose Mode > Always on top to keep one reference board above your painting application. The shortcut is Ctrl+Shift+A on Windows/Linux or Shift+Command+A on macOS. This is the normal choice for working beside Photoshop, Krita, Blender, or Clip Studio Paint.
Transparent to mouse
Choose Mode > Transparent to mouse when the board must remain visible but clicks should pass through to the application underneath. The shortcut is Ctrl+T on Windows/Linux or Command+T on macOS.
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Overlay mode
Mode > Overlay selection makes each image its own floating window and removes the normal board background. It can be useful for separately floating references, but may create window-management clutter.
Always on bottom
Mode > Always on bottom can place a maximized PureRef board behind other windows, like an interactive desktop-style backdrop.
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Lock the board and window
PureRef has separate locks:
- Lock canvas: Ctrl+R or Command+R prevents interaction with canvas items.
- Lock window: Ctrl+W or Command+W prevents accidental window movement.
- Maximize: Ctrl+F or Command+F.
- Resize to selection: Ctrl+Shift+R or Shift+Command+R. With nothing selected, it applies to all images.
PureRef 2.0 also introduced a title bar. Its visibility is configured under Settings > Appearance > Titlebar visibility. If moving the window is difficult, the FAQ documents right-click-drag on Windows, Control-click-drag with a mouse on macOS, and two-finger drag with a macOS trackpad.
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Save a scene versus export an image
Save the PureRef scene to preserve the editable layout, image placement, notes, transformations, crops, and organization. Export an image when you need a flattened board for sharing, presentation, or importing elsewhere.
A PNG or other flattened export is not a replacement for the scene file: it does not retain editable notes, individual images, or board structure. Keep scene files with the related project and make backup copies before major reorganizations.
Improve performance on large boards
Large PSD, RAW, EXR, or high-resolution photographic files can consume substantial memory. PureRef’s settings handbook documents these controls:
- Auto downscale large images: reduces RAM use, potentially at the cost of image quality.
- Undo history: the documented default is 200; larger histories use more RAM.
- No cache: minimizes memory use but can increase CPU use and slow display.
- Cache on disk: trades disk and CPU activity for lower memory use.
- In memory: can display faster but uses more RAM.
- In memory, low zoom quality: prioritizes responsiveness at low zoom.
- Temporary directory: can be moved to a faster or less-full drive.
For a very large board, save a backup, remove unnecessary images, reduce undo history if RAM is limited, use smaller working copies when full resolution is unnecessary, and split one archive into several project scenes. No performance mode is universally fastest; the right choice depends on your hardware and board.
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A shortcut does nothing
Check that you used the Windows/Linux or macOS version, PureRef has focus, and another application is not intercepting the shortcut. Non-English keyboard layouts can map keys differently. On macOS, system-global shortcuts may require Accessibility permission. PureRef allows shortcuts to be rebound; check its shortcut editor when a documented combination fails.
PureRef is click-through
Focus PureRef from the taskbar or dock and press Ctrl+T/Command+T again. Then disable the mode before attempting to edit the board.
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The board is slow
Back up the scene, reduce very large images, try another performance mode, enable downscaling for future imports, reduce undo history, move the temporary directory, or divide the board into smaller scenes.
Transparency does not work on Linux
Linux window transparency and framing vary by desktop environment. GNOME and KDE are the environments PureRef identifies as verified for all features; do not expect identical behavior on every distribution or desktop.
A webpage URL imports nothing
Use direct drag-and-drop, save the image locally, or use the original image URL if available. Login-protected pages, dynamic loading, anti-bot systems, and inaccessible image sources can prevent URL import.
PureRef compared with alternatives
Choose PureRef when you want a fast, local, freeform desktop board that stays visible while you paint.
- Eagle: better suited to a permanent, searchable, tag-based visual asset library. Its official store describes a one-time purchase with lifetime updates; confirm current pricing there.
- Milanote: better for cloud moodboards, shared boards, comments, links, and collaborative planning. Its plans and limits are subscription-based or limited on the free tier.
- VizRef: better for an iPad-centered workflow beside mobile drawing applications. The U.S. App Store listing showed $3.99 on August 18, 2026; prices can change.
These are not interchangeable in workflow. PureRef prioritizes an on-screen working board; Eagle prioritizes cataloging, Milanote collaboration, and VizRef iPad use.
Quick shortcut reference
| Action | Windows/Linux | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Pan | Alt + left-drag or middle-drag | Option + left-drag or middle-drag |
| Reset zoom | Ctrl+0 | Command+0 |
| Optimize canvas | Ctrl+O | Command+O |
| Pack and optimize | Ctrl+Alt+P | Option+Command+P |
| New scene | Ctrl+K | Command+K |
| Lock canvas | Ctrl+R | Command+R |
| Always on top | Ctrl+Shift+A | Shift+Command+A |
| Transparent to mouse | Ctrl+T | Command+T |
| Crop image | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C | Option+Shift+Command+C |
Shortcuts can be customized, and version or system settings may affect how they behave. Check PureRef’s current shortcut handbook if a combination fails.
Quick Recap
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