refern is a library and reference board for your images, videos, working files, and saved web pages. Save from anywhere, find anything again, and lay it out beside your work.
30-day free trial · Windows, macOS, and Linux
It replaced PureRef, folder searching and pinterest for me!Refern replaced Pinterest and PureRef for me! The tagging system is powerful and the canvas system is really helpful as an inspiration board!Refern lets you manage your files without trapping them in an ecosystem like Eagle, and gives you greater control and much more features than Allusion.It has everything an artist would need for reference, so much value for the price, so much.It link to my folder and file instead of duplicate it. So it become the center of my Media management now.A clean modern layout, that notion or obsidian vibe, but with a working canvas systemIt gives me the organization tools I need without getting in the way of actually browsing my assets.I wanted to organize my Pinterest and local library, but I couldn't found something that worked on linux.i love the browser extension implementation, it has little icon on the corner of every image so i can save it quicklyI'm very grateful to come across this application and for the time it saves meWhat stands out is respect towards the customer - clarity of communication, one-time purchase model, financial parity for users from around the world.Best Linux alternative to Eagle!PARECE SER LA HERRAMIENTA PARA LOS CREATIVOS QUE REQUIEREN DE UN ASISTENTE PERO QUE TE PERMITA MANTENER LA CREATIVIDADHave 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 an image, a video, or a page online? Save it to refern with the browser extension, or paste its link to keep the page as a bookmark.
Import your Eagle or Allusion library, PureRef boards, and public Pinterest boards and sections.
Learn more: 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 an image, a video, or a page online? Save it to refern with the browser extension, or paste its link to keep the page as a bookmark.
Import your Eagle or Allusion library, PureRef boards, and public Pinterest boards and sections.
Learn more: See your saved images in one place.Need a pose, a color, or a certain look? Search by tag, color, or shape, like portrait, square, or 16:9. 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.Drag images, or any other file from your library, 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 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.One window for tags, hierarchies, categories, creators, and presets. Find likely duplicates and merge every group at once as one undo step, and add aliases so every spelling finds the same tag. Rename many tags at once with a prefix, a suffix, or find and replace. Check the preview first, and undo if you need to.
Paste or drop a link in the grid or on a canvas to save the page as a bookmark. Each one is a .url file in your folder, with its cover, title, and icon found for you. YouTube and Vimeo bookmarks play in place, and Save a copy keeps a page you can read offline.
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.
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.
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.
See something you want to use later? Save images and videos with the free refern Clipper, or save the page, a link, or every open tab as a bookmark. Videos from Reddit, Pinterest, and X keep their sound. Press Alt+Shift+S to capture part of the page, or Alt+right-click to save in one step. Add tags and creators as you save. The web link stays with the file, so you can go back to its source. Saving videos needs refern 1.10.1 or later, and bookmarks need refern 1.11 or later.
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.
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
