Pureref 2.0 now available

Pureref, a popular tool among artists and designers for organizing and viewing reference images, has released version 2.0. This major update introduces a refreshed user interface,, a new simple drawing tool, and support for animated GIFs, complete with playback controls for stepping through individual frames.

In addition, Pureref 2.0 offers a new rich text editor for notes, which supports interactable links, checklists, and more advanced formatting options. The update introduces a hierarchical grouping system, enabling users to create and view arbitrary hierarchies through a tree view menu making it easier to manage complex projects. Support for embedded image color profiles ensures that graphics are displayed accurately across different devices.

The new version also addresses performance with an image streaming system that caches images on disk,  reducing RAM usage. This feature replaces the previous “Zoom quality” setting with a more efficient “Cache on disk” mode. The update also includes improvements in saving and loading speeds, and improves the robustness of save and backup restore processes, reducing the risk of data loss in the event of a crash.

Severa morel user experience enhancements are included, such as support for panning and zooming with trackpad gestures, and slideshow controls with options to randomize the slideshow order. The coordinate picker has been improved to show selections and print pixel measurements, including the name and source of the hovered image. New functionality allows users to lock individual items within the scene, export selected items as a scene, and utilize a command palette for quick access to functions.

Further tweaks improve the overall functionality and reliability of the application. These include updates to the auto-save system, better permission handling in the auto updater, and numerous bug fixes across different operating systems. 

To find out more, visit the Pureref blog.