Set Up Your First Workspace in refern

Start with a folder of reference images you already have on your computer. You can organize the collection further once it is in refern.

Create the workspace

During first-run setup, follow the workspace steps:

1. Give the workspace a name you will recognize, such as "Painting references".
2. Choose the folders that hold your images. Check the displayed paths before continuing.
3. Choose the file types you want included. If you include art files, refern shows built-in previews for PSD, PSB, Krita, OpenRaster, Clip Studio Paint, and Procreate files. Other files show the preview your operating system provides, where it has one; otherwise an icon. If your Clip Studio files show plain icons outside refern too, the Clip Studio Paint thumbnail fixes explain why.
4. Select Create workspace.

A normal workspace indexes existing files in place. You do not have to move your collection into a special library first. Explicit imports, browser saves, and copy, move, rename, or delete actions are separate: they can create or change files.

If your collection is inside an Eagle library, use the Eagle import guide to bring its supported metadata across too.

Let your references appear

refern scans the selected folders and creates previews. The time needed depends on the collection, file types, and storage speed. There is no fixed setup time that applies to every library.

Once some images are ready, browse a folder you know. Open a few files to check that you chose the right collection. If images are on an external drive, keep it connected while using them.

Start with a small amount of organization

Pick a few references for your next project and add useful tags, such as a subject, material, or lighting condition. Search for one of those tags to check that you can find the images again. Add more structure when you have a reason to use it. To organize as you go, start a Review of one folder and use its Untagged or Unrated queue.

You can arrange references on a canvas for a project while keeping the wider collection available in your library. You do not need to organize every image before starting work.

Include workspace data in your backups

Your images and your workspace data both matter. refern stores a database and generated previews alongside the workspace or in a separate data location you configure. Check that location when choosing what to back up.

Keep independent backups of your media and workspace data. Indexing files in place is a storage choice; it does not protect against a failed drive or an accidental deletion.