In case you are in need of help, have a suggestion to make or found a bug in PureRef you have come to the right place! https://www.pureref.com/forum/index.php Sun, 26 Jul 2026 01:49:38 +0200 Phorum 5.2.23 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?2,5921,5921#msg-5921 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?2,5921,5921#msg-5921 You can export a transparent PNG and add it right on top of PureRef so you don't have to keep remeasuring.]]> SmallKiwi General Sun, 26 Jul 2026 01:39:51 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?4,5920,5920#msg-5920 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?4,5920,5920#msg-5920 SmallKiwi Bug reports Sun, 26 Jul 2026 01:35:11 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5919,5919#msg-5919 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5919,5919#msg-5919 _NN_ Suggestions Sat, 25 Jul 2026 06:14:18 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5917,5917#msg-5917 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5917,5917#msg-5917
Thanks.]]> Glep Suggestions Fri, 24 Jul 2026 10:07:50 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5916,5916#msg-5916 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5916,5916#msg-5916
First of all, thank you for such an amazing tool! As an environment artist, PureRef is an absolute must-have in my daily workflow.

I would like to suggest a new feature: Layered Images (or Image Parenting).

The Concept:
The idea is to allow attaching or "pinning" a smaller, high-resolution detail image directly onto a specific spot of a larger base image (like a sprawling landscape, concept art, or a city map).

How it would work in practice:

Coordinate Locking: The detail image becomes a "child" of the base image. When you move or scale the parent image, the child follows.

Strict Z-Order: The child image always stays on top of its parent, regardless of other sorting.

Nesting: The hierarchy can go deeper. You could attach an even more detailed crop to the first child image (e.g., Main Landscape -> Building close-up -> Brick texture).

Why this is useful:
When working on large-scale environments, I often need to reference both the macro layout and the micro details. Placing them side-by-side works, but you lose the spatial context of where that detail belongs.

With this feature, I could place high-res snippets exactly where they belong on the main canvas. To examine a detail, I would simply zoom into that specific area of the main image, essentially creating an infinite-zoom canvas with localized high-res textures.

Thank you for considering this idea and for your continuous work on PureRef!

Best regards

Example: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55413084739_0f02b72556_b.jpg]]> Hardway Suggestions Thu, 23 Jul 2026 10:10:07 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5905,5905#msg-5905 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5905,5905#msg-5905
With that out of the way, I absolutely love this program, and its so sleek and easy to use. I used to enjoy things like Pinterest a lot, and often you could find boards that had fun inspiration, or a collection of images for a specific character. But of course we all likely know what Pinterest is (and the AI nightmare that plagues it).

My idea is less Pinterest and more like Clip Studio's Assets 'Store' where you can create and upload your own assets for others to use as a tool! Perhaps even a small, one-time fee (say maybe 0.99 or something in that range) for access to the library could also stimulate a good stream of suppourt while also providing searchable, tagged, and indexed reference boards, of anything the users could think of! Sort of way to reward those who want to back your work with their wallets. Of course people who have already donated or paid would be grandfathered in.

This is just my idea and I hope it doesn't come off a pushy or preachy I just think it would be really cool to have. By no means do I want to imply the Pure ref team Has to or Needs to do this, but if its something they're open to, maybe exploring!]]> EmGhostlyScholar Suggestions Sat, 04 Jul 2026 16:32:10 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5904,5904#msg-5904 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5904,5904#msg-5904 aruman Suggestions Fri, 03 Jul 2026 20:09:12 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?5,5903,5903#msg-5903 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?5,5903,5903#msg-5903
Could not open file for save.
Source file C:/Users/user/AppData/Local/Temp/PureRef/ce5d5a63e0df4faea402de1e8f1f21d3_AutoSave.pur can not be copied to D:/Art/pureref/strawberry.32336.pur: Cannot create D:/Art/pureref/strawberry.32336.pur for output. (D:/Art/pureref/strawberry.32336.pur)]]> fei Help Thu, 02 Jul 2026 09:02:09 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5898,5898#msg-5898 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5898,5898#msg-5898
OR

within the arrange by path, each row of images, or each image block, would be representative of the parent folder they came from, so that they can quickly be organized as well as have some visual separation between which is in what folder.]]> jogrnaut Suggestions Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:33:27 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?5,5896,5896#msg-5896 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?5,5896,5896#msg-5896 My file is 591MB]]> d896848643 Help Tue, 30 Jun 2026 17:16:26 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?5,5895,5895#msg-5895 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?5,5895,5895#msg-5895
I've been using the pureref very usefully.
but now I have a problem with opening the file.
the warning said "The file you are trying to open might be corrupt (incorrect signature).

I just clicked Try to recover button, but it seems not working perfectly.. some of the images are lost.
What should I do? Can I get some help?

2.0.3 is my version

and I share the link to my file
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TMt_yemu_IsDeC1kAFvi-EDAfH_XH0Jr/view?usp=sharing]]> roalfhs Help Tue, 30 Jun 2026 17:13:29 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5892,5892#msg-5892 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5892,5892#msg-5892 vinhshiro Suggestions Thu, 18 Jun 2026 08:05:28 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5891,5891#msg-5891 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5891,5891#msg-5891
If that's not possible, then how about being able to double-click the title bar to shrink the window down to zero height, with just the title bar visible until it is double-clicked again. This would be similar to how palettes in Clip Studio Paint shrink down to a title bar when double-clicked, and then expand when double-clicked again.]]> MarkSweeney Suggestions Tue, 16 Jun 2026 17:48:22 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?4,5888,5888#msg-5888 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?4,5888,5888#msg-5888 redstars8 Bug reports Thu, 16 Jul 2026 01:47:17 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5887,5887#msg-5887 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5887,5887#msg-5887
The idea is to allow users to designate any image within a board as a custom "Cover Image" or "Board Thumbnail." This image would represent the board visually wherever thumbnails are displayed, such as in Windows Explorer, recent files, project browsers, or any future library-management features.

Currently, when working with dozens or even hundreds of PureRef boards, it can become difficult to quickly identify the correct board from filenames alone. Artists often remember projects visually rather than by name. A custom cover image would make browsing and locating boards significantly faster.

Suggested Workflow:

* Right-click any image inside a PureRef board.
* Select "Set as Board Cover" or "Set as Thumbnail."
* The selected image becomes the visual representation of that board.
* If no cover image is selected, PureRef continues using its current automatic thumbnail generation.

Possible UI Behavior:

* A small badge or icon could appear on the selected image indicating it is the board cover.
* Users could change or remove the cover at any time.
* The cover image could be displayed in:

* Windows Explorer thumbnails
* Recent Files lists
* Open Project dialogs
* Future library or asset-management views

Benefits:

* Faster navigation between projects.
* Easier management of large reference collections.
* Better visual organization for artists, designers, and creative professionals.
* Improved recognition of boards without relying solely on filenames.

This feature would function similarly to a book cover, allowing users to immediately recognize a board based on a single representative image rather than opening multiple files to find the correct one.

Thank you for your time and for creating such a useful tool.]]> HexTheArtist Suggestions Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:43:22 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5885,5885#msg-5885 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5885,5885#msg-5885 Reido Suggestions Fri, 05 Jun 2026 23:06:04 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5884,5884#msg-5884 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5884,5884#msg-5884 ljy26lee Suggestions Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:07:44 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5883,5883#msg-5883 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5883,5883#msg-5883 I'd like to suggest adding a right-to-left (reverse Z-order) arrangement option as an alternative to the current left-to-right Z-order layout used when arranging images by name.
Current behavior:
When arranging images by name, they are laid out in standard left-to-right, top-to-bottom order (left Z-order):
1 → 2 → 3
4 → 5 → 6
7 → 8 → 9
Requested behavior:
An additional option to arrange in right-to-left, top-to-bottom order (reverse Z-order):
3 ← 2 ← 1
6 ← 5 ← 4
9 ← 8 ← 7
Use case:
This is particularly useful for artists working with manga or right-to-left (RTL) publications, where reference images represent pages or panels that are read from right to left. Using the current left-to-right layout forces an unintuitive reversal of the reading order, making it harder to navigate and compare references while working.
It would fit naturally alongside the existing toggle behavior (toggling the same arrange command to reverse order), or could be a separate option in the arrange menu.
Thank you for the great tool!]]> okikonnyaku1121 Suggestions Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:27:37 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?4,5881,5881#msg-5881 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?4,5881,5881#msg-5881 Oneiro Bug reports Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:28:34 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5878,5878#msg-5878 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5878,5878#msg-5878 I wanted to suggest adding a way to creat and manage templates (in the future possibly even with a free community marketplace?)

This could allow you to imrpove your workflows massively.
For example:
- Adding questions to fill out before/while making the moodboard
- Adding premade zones to your moodboard to better structure things
- Boards with a preselected image set (includes a variety of themes and styles and subjects to choose from for inspiration)
and so on

Also I would like to request a revamped startup experience + a Library where you can easily browse boards and put them into folders (and subfolders;) to organize them.

Idealy the startup page would then use a mix between a „New Board“ + 3 Stared/Most used Templates + Last 3 Boards (Pinned/Stared Boards have higher priority?) as a quick start window.]]> VisualChris Suggestions Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:17:35 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5876,5876#msg-5876 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5876,5876#msg-5876 JC3d Suggestions Sat, 30 May 2026 15:12:46 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?5,5867,5867#msg-5867 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?5,5867,5867#msg-5867
I then
- rightclick -> images -> nomalize -> width
- rightclick -> images -> arrange -> by name
- rightclick -> images -> align -> distribute vertical

Is the a way to achive the same result in a easier way?

Jorgensen]]> Jorgensen Help Fri, 29 May 2026 13:55:38 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?5,5866,5866#msg-5866 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?5,5866,5866#msg-5866 Skikea Help Fri, 29 May 2026 13:39:10 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5862,5862#msg-5862 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5862,5862#msg-5862
But there is one pretty big problem for my use-case. I have a lot of important data in the filenames of the pictures. But there doesn't seem to be a way to make the filenames visible in the pictures. This would be pretty easy to implement, and I would do it myself if I had the code. But I don't.

Just a caption on an image, maybe a slot above the image, that shows the filename. So that it can also use the "optimize" function.

I hope you take this request and make this a feature. Until then, I will unfortunately have to use another app for this use-case. But I just LOVE this one. Thanks!]]> sakani Suggestions Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:25:25 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?5,5861,5861#msg-5861 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?5,5861,5861#msg-5861
I'm using Pure Ref 2.1.2, and tested to open in some other older versions but unsuccessful.

the archive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1z2zN0s8zUxbs6jzzqyxyeRUYKY9eEBuE?usp=sharing]]> sevenclix Help Fri, 29 May 2026 13:37:55 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5857,5857#msg-5857 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5857,5857#msg-5857
Kind of like an auto layout for Pure ref. Basically beautified grids of photos after using the arrange - optimal command. Or we could possibly have a function like arrange - grided (equidistant) or even something like arrange -grided( masonry ) :

for example ---- https://www.erikjo.com/work]]> Reido Suggestions Sat, 16 May 2026 18:52:25 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5856,5856#msg-5856 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5856,5856#msg-5856 Reido Suggestions Sat, 16 May 2026 18:41:30 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5855,5855#msg-5855 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5855,5855#msg-5855
If it becomes available for use on large-screen tablets (Android, iOS) and iPads in the future, its usability would improve significantly.

Thank you very much to the developer. ^^]]> ljy26lee Suggestions Fri, 15 May 2026 09:04:25 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5852,5852#msg-5852 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5852,5852#msg-5852 It would be great if we could add functions by customizing the title bar, e.g., Window / Resize to selection. If that’s possible, we could drag the function(s) into the bar. Or do it some other way without having to right-click.

Thanks,]]> BenLaps Suggestions Mon, 11 May 2026 16:11:22 +0200 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5849,5849#msg-5849 https://www.pureref.com/forum/read.php?3,5849,5849#msg-5849
I wanted to offer / promote the idea of adding the feature to minimize the app to the System tray on windows or Menu bar on MacOS. I find myself always having the app open so I can paste any references as I find them / work. However, I sometimes need to cmd+tab or alt+tab and the app starts being annoying / on the way if I just leave it open.

In order to solve this, I think it'd be great if I could choose to minimize the app to the system tray when I'm not using it. It'd get out of the way. And when I need it, it'd be right there waiting for me to open it up again.

I know, this is very silly, I could easily just close the app when not in use, but I think there are many other creatives out there who tend to keep apps open in the background and I'm probably not the only one who has run into this. And I don't see any downsides for regular users if this feature exists or not.]]> HideOnFluff Suggestions Mon, 11 May 2026 19:57:54 +0200