Build a Reference Library You Can Actually Use

Start with a real piece of work and the reference questions it raises. You do not need a large archive before you can begin. A smaller collection with clear sources can be more usable than a large unsorted download folder.

Choose a first collection

Use photographs you made, original artwork, or reference material you are allowed to use. Keep complete source sets together when their original organization carries useful information. Preserve receipts, licenses, and source notes separately from thumbnails.

Name the collection by a stable context, such as a shoot or project. Avoid moving every new image into a elaborate subject tree before you know how you will retrieve it.

Connect the files to refern

Follow workspace setup to select content folders and file types. Normal indexing reads those existing files in place and creates index/preview data. Imports and copy actions are separate operations that can add files.

If the collection includes layered paint files (PSD, PSB, Krita, OpenRaster, Clip Studio Paint, or Procreate), include those types in the workspace's File types shown setting. refern then shows a flattened preview of each, without layers or editing. Keep your own working files in their own structure, as described in how to organize digital art files.

Open a few representative images to check that the expected collection is available. Keep external drives connected when they hold the originals.

Add only useful organization

Choose a small number of tags based on what you want to find again. A project might need subject, view, and light; another might need material and manufacturing process. Use source and creator fields for attribution rather than folding everything into tags.

Try a search after tagging a sample. This checks whether the labels support your actual question. Expand the vocabulary when a real search fails, not because an empty category looks incomplete.

Build a first board

Pick references that contribute different information and add them to a canvas. Put a short reason beside each one. The board should help the project, while the broader library remains available for later work.

After the project, keep the useful source records and tags. Consider a smart folder only for a selection you expect to revisit.

Protect the work

Back up the media and workspace data. Original files preserve pixels; workspace data preserves organizing work. A preview cache is not a substitute for either.

Use the backup guide to plan a restore check. If you already have a large collection, the organization guide focuses on improving what exists without restarting it.