Collect Web References With a Question in Mind
Before opening another tab, write the question your references need to answer. "How does wet stone catch light?" creates a more useful selection than "find more environment inspiration."
Separate discovery from capture
Browse broadly enough to understand the subject, then select images that contribute different information. A wide view, a close surface detail, and a contrasting lighting condition may be more useful than many near-identical pictures.
Use your own media or sources that permit your intended use. Keep capture distinct from publication: successfully saving an image does not establish permission to display it on a public board.
Save context with the file
Record the creator, source page, and why the image matters. Check whether a repost identifies the original source before treating the repost account as the creator. Add a short note if authorship or permission still needs checking.
The browser capture walkthrough explains refern's extension controls and connection requirements. Alt+Shift+S, or the button beside Save, captures a region of the page, and Alt+right-click is a quick save. One clip can carry several creators.
The clipper also saves videos: direct video files and Reddit, Pinterest, and X videos, with audio. Video saving needs refern 1.10.1 or later, does not cover YouTube, and has a 500 MB cap. On Danbooru, Gelbooru, and Safebooru it saves the original image, and on ArtStation the 4K original. Capture support still varies by site; inspect the saved file instead of assuming it is the largest original or has complete source data.
Make one review pass
Open the saved selection in the library. Remove unrelated captures from the working selection, check dimensions and readability, and assign a few useful tags. Keep alternate versions when they show a meaningful difference. refern's Review workspace shows each file in a large preview with its tags, rating, creators, and source link beside it; in culling mode (V), Up keeps a file and Down moves it to Trash, and both can be undone. The Fewest tags first order brings untagged captures up early.
Do not immediately delete suspected duplicates just because they look alike. Use the duplicate-review guide before changing the stored collection.
Turn the selection into work
Arrange the useful references on a canvas. Label what each contributes: material response, silhouette, scale, or a camera relationship. If several images serve the same purpose, choose the clearest for the working board while keeping useful source records in the library.
Stop collecting when the current question is answerable. Start a new search when the work reveals a new gap. This is a suggested habit, not a measured productivity improvement.
For an ongoing collection, use the tagging guide. For the project board itself, see making a moodboard from your own photos.