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refern.

refern is a reference library and canvas for artists and designers.

Keep your references organized, find images you remember saving, and arrange them on reference boards linked to your library.

30-day free trial · Windows, macOS, and Linux

It replaced PureRef, folder searching and pinterest for me!
Felipe Melo
A clean modern layout, that notion or obsidian vibe, but with a working canvas system
@MineheadArt
It gives me the organization tools I need without getting in the way of actually browsing my assets.
1n9_
I wanted to organize my Pinterest and local library, but I couldn't found something that worked on linux.
Jose Ramirez
i love the browser extension implementation, it has little icon on the corner of every image so i can save it quickly
tuan
I'm very grateful to come across this application and for the time it saves me
Kenny, @revachuli on IG
What stands out is respect towards the customer - clarity of communication, one-time purchase model, financial parity for users from around the world.
@mnsn
Best Linux alternative to Eagle!
u/SlobbedKnob
PARECE SER LA HERRAMIENTA PARA LOS CREATIVOS QUE REQUIEREN DE UN ASISTENTE PERO QUE TE PERMITA MANTENER LA CREATIVIDAD
OD_VIAL

From saving an image to using it in your work.

Have images spread across folders and drives? Browse them all in refern. Add tags like “poses,” “light,” or a project name so you can find them again.

Found a new image online? Save it to refern with the browser extension.

Import your Eagle or Allusion library, PureRef boards, and public Pinterest boards.

Learn more: See your saved images in one place.

See your saved images in one place.

Have images spread across folders and drives? Browse them all in refern. Add tags like “poses,” “light,” or a project name so you can find them again.

Found a new image online? Save it to refern with the browser extension.

Import your Eagle or Allusion library, PureRef boards, and public Pinterest boards.

Learn more: See your saved images in one place.

Find that image you had in mind.

Need a pose, a color, or a certain look? Search by tag or color. Pick an image to find others that look like it.

Bring back a reference you saved weeks ago, or spot something new in your own files.

Learn more: Find that image you had in mind.

Build a reference board for your next idea.

Drag images onto a board. Move them around, place them side by side, and add notes. Try out colors and light for a scene, or plan the feel of a room.

Need more ideas? Go back to your library and add more images to the same board.

Learn more: Build a reference board for your next idea.

Keep your references beside your work.

Keep a reference window on top of your drawing app, or put your board on a second screen. See what you need without switching back and forth.

Want to practice? Pick some images and set a timer for each one. Draw, take notes, and look back at your past sessions.

Learn more: Keep your references beside your work.

More ways refern helps.

Tag manager

One window for tags, hierarchies, categories, creators, and presets. Find likely duplicates, merge them, and add aliases so every spelling finds the same tag.

Linked references

Crops, groups, and the canvases an image lives in all stay connected back to the source.

Timed study

Practice with your own references and track sessions on a calendar. Keep notes, see your streaks, and link the work you made. Add work to any day, even when you did not use a timer.

Built for huge libraries

Browse, search, and edit libraries with a million items or more. Load small parts as you go, select across the full results, and track large jobs as they run. Speed depends on your files, drive, and computer.

Explore all features

Use your files in the apps you love.

Find a file in refern, then drag it into your project or open it in your usual app. Go from finding an idea to working on it.

Start with the folders you already have. refern reads those files where they are, so you do not need a second copy of your library. Imports and web saves can add new files.

Save from the web.

See an image you want to use later? Save it with the free refern Clipper. Add a tag as you save. The web link stays with the image, so you can go back to its source.

Try it with your own images.

Use the whole app free for 30 days. Add a folder, make a reference board, and try it on your next project. No card needed.

Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Have a question?

Come share what you are working on.

Meet other artists and designers on Discord. Share your work, ask for help, or tell us what would make refern more useful to you.

Join the conversation on Discord