Smart Folders Image Library: Auto-Updating Collections (2026)

By refern. Last updated: June 2026.

A smart folder is a saved search. You define the conditions once (a tag, a rating floor, a date window, a color label) and your image organizer re-runs that query every time you open the folder. No manual sorting, no dragging images between collections, no stale lists. The smart folder always shows what is currently in your library.

This guide explains what smart folders are, how to set them up in refern step by step, which filter combinations work best for reference artists, and how refern's approach compares to Eagle's.

What is a smart folder in an image organizer?

A smart folder is a virtual container that holds no files of its own. It stores a query. Every time you open it, the tool runs that query against your library and returns every image that currently matches. Add a new image that fits the conditions and it appears in the smart folder on your next visit. Remove the tag or rating that qualified it and it drops out. The folder stays current without any intervention.

Smart folders are also called saved searches or dynamic folders depending on the tool. The concept is consistent: you define criteria once, the software keeps the collection current, and you get a named shortcut to a filtered view of your library.

Before you start

To use smart folders in refern you need:

1. A refern workspace. If you have not set one up, open refern and point it at a folder of reference images. refern never copies your files. It indexes them in place using a local SQLite database and thumbnails stored alongside your originals. See how to set up your first reference workspace if you are starting from scratch.
2. At least some metadata on your images. Smart folders filter on tags, ratings, color labels, favorites, source URL, descriptions, file type, and date added or modified. The more consistently you tag and rate imports, the more precise your smart folders become. A good first smart folder to create is an "Unrated" folder, which requires no pre-existing metadata at all.
3. A refern license or active 30-day free trial. Smart folders are a standard feature, not a paid add-on.

Step 1: Understand what conditions a smart folder can use

Smart folders in refern are powered by the same local FTS5 search engine that drives the main search bar. Any filter you can type in the search bar can be saved as a smart folder. The available filter fields are:

Metadata filters:

• Tag (exact match, hierarchical match, or any of several tags)
• Rating (exact value, or a range such as "3 stars and above" using rating:>=3)
• Color label (the nine named labels: red, orange, yellow, green, teal, blue, indigo, purple, pink)
• Favorite status (is:favourite)
• File type (type:image, type:video, type:canvas, type:document)
• Has description or notes (useful for auditing gaps in your metadata)
• Source name or creator (text match)

Time-based filters:

• Date added (before, after, or relative such as dateAdded:>=2026-05-01)
• Date modified

Relationship filters:

• is:duplicate (files sharing a pHash with another file in your library)
• linked:true (files that have any cross-reference link)
• derived:true (files that were non-destructively cropped from another image)

You can combine any of these. For example: tag:anatomy rating:>=3 is:favourite returns every file tagged "anatomy" that is also rated 3 stars or higher and marked as a favorite.

Step 2: Build the query first, save it second

The fastest path to a working smart folder is to confirm the query returns the right results before saving it.

1. Open the search bar at the top of your library (shortcut: Ctrl+K on Windows or Linux, Cmd+K on macOS).
2. Type your intended filter. Use the operator autocomplete dropdown to fill in valid operator names and tag values. A chip appears for each operator you add.
3. Check the results. If they match what you expected, proceed to save. If not, adjust the operators until the result set is right.

Useful example queries to try before saving:

• rating:0 type:image (everything you have not rated yet)
• tag:pose rating:>=3 (rated figure references)
• is:duplicate (pHash matches worth reviewing)
• colorLabel:blue (blue-labeled references across all folders)
• dateAdded:>=2026-05-01 (everything added this month)

Step 3: Save the query as a named smart folder

Once the search returns the right results:

1. With the search active, look for the "Save as Smart Folder" option. In refern this appears as a button near the search bar or in the sidebar's Smart Folders section header.
2. Give the smart folder a name that describes what it shows. "Unrated this month," "Anatomy 3-star," and "Blue color studies" are more useful names than "Smart Folder 1."
3. Confirm. The smart folder appears in the sidebar under the Smart Folders section.

From this point on, clicking the smart folder re-runs the saved query against the current state of your library. You never need to update it manually.

Step 4: Build a starter set for any reference library

These five smart folders are useful in almost any reference library. Create them in order to build a useful foundation.

"To rate" (rating:0 type:image): Catches every image you have not starred yet. Open after a batch import session to work through new arrivals. The folder empties itself as you rate files.

"Favorites" (is:favourite): A one-click shortcut to your highest-signal references. Saving it as a named smart folder means one click from the sidebar rather than re-typing the filter each time.

"This month's imports" (dateAdded:>=<start-of-month-date>): Review what arrived recently before it gets buried under new imports. Update the date when you re-save it each month, or set a rolling window such as the last 30 days.

"Top poses" (tag:pose rating:>=3): Replace "pose" with your most-used subject tag. This is your pre-flight checklist before a drawing session: your best material, nothing below threshold.

"Duplicates" (is:duplicate): Run periodically to find files with matching pHash values. Useful for cleaning up after bulk imports from web browsing or after adding a folder that already had copies from another source.

Step 5: Maintain your smart folders as your library grows

Smart folders require almost no upkeep by design. A few habits keep them useful long-term.

Standardize tags before building tag-based smart folders. If you tag inconsistently ("anatomy" vs "figure" vs "body-pose"), smart folders split the results. Spend a few minutes standardizing tags first. refern's hierarchical tags let you place "figure-pose" under "anatomy," so a smart folder for tag:anatomy also captures everything tagged beneath it. See how to tag reference images for a system that scales.

Delete smart folders you no longer use. A folder called "To rate" that always shows zero items because you stopped importing unrated files is wasted sidebar space. Right-click it and delete. The underlying files are not affected.

Use smart folders alongside regular folders, not instead of them. Regular folders organize files on disk. Smart folders organize your view of them. A file can be in a regular folder called "2026-May-Faces" and appear in smart folders for "unrated," "anatomy," and "added this week" simultaneously, with no duplication and no files moved.

How smart folders compare between refern and Eagle

Eagle ($34.95 one-time, Windows and macOS only, as of 2026) also has smart folders, and they work well. Eagle supports multi-condition smart folders and nested smart folders (a smart folder inside another smart folder), which refern does not currently offer. If a hierarchy of smart folders is a hard requirement, Eagle handles that more explicitly (source: eagle.cool/blog/post/eagle4).

Where refern's smart folders extend further is in the breadth of available operators. Eagle's smart folder filters cover type, tag, rating, color label, date range, and annotation presence. refern adds derived: (find everything cropped from a source image), linked: (find everything with a cross-reference link), and is:duplicate as saveable filter criteria. For users who track image relationships and provenance, these operators are not available in Eagle at all.

A structural difference also applies to how each tool handles files. Eagle copies every imported file into its proprietary .library folder, which doubles disk usage for any reference collection (source: alternativeto.net/software/eagle-cool/about/). refern indexes files in place and never moves or copies them. A smart folder in refern that matches files on an external drive or in an existing project folder works the same as one pointing at local SSD files.

Common problems and fixes

"My smart folder is empty even though I have matching files." Check that the tag name in your query matches exactly what is in your library. A typo like tag:anotomy instead of tag:anatomy returns nothing. Open the search bar and use the operator autocomplete to confirm the correct tag name appears as a suggestion.

"I want to filter by a color range or a hex value, not just a color label." Color-label filtering (the nine named labels) works in smart folders. Hex-based color search, which matches files by their dominant color palette, is available in the main search bar but cannot yet be saved as a smart folder criterion. Use color labels as a workaround: assign a color label to images when you import them, then filter by colorLabel:blue (or whichever label fits).

"A file stopped appearing in my smart folder after I edited its metadata." That is correct behavior. Smart folders show files that currently match the criteria. If you removed a tag or cleared a rating, the file no longer meets the filter and the smart folder reflects that immediately. If the change was accidental, undo it and the file reappears.

"My sidebar is cluttered with too many smart folders." Delete smart folders you no longer use by right-clicking them. Name new ones by what the results represent, not what the query says. Five specific smart folders you actually use are worth more than twenty vague ones.

Next steps

Smart folders pair with several other features in refern:

• How to tag reference images: consistent tagging is what makes smart folders precise. Hierarchical tags and tag macros for fast batch tagging are covered here.
• How to search with operators: the full operator syntax, including combinations and edge cases you can build smart folders from.
• How to find duplicate images: the is:duplicate workflow, which works as a smart folder or as a one-off search.
• How to organize reference images: the broader folder and tag structure that makes smart folders more effective.