PureRef on Windows: When a Clipboard Shelf Is Enough

PureRef is the better tool when you need a reference board: many images arranged on a canvas, kept on top of the app you're painting or modeling in, and saved as a file you can reopen. A clipboard shelf, or Windows clipboard history (Win+V), is enough when you only need a few recent images or files for the next few minutes and don't need to arrange them. Many artists use both: collect with the clipboard, arrange and keep in PureRef.

What PureRef does well

PureRef is a stand-alone reference-image program for Windows, macOS and most Linux distributions. Its handbook lists the features that matter for reference work (Windows shortcuts shown):

• Adding images: paste with Ctrl+V, drag files from Explorer or images from a browser, or paste a web page URL and PureRef opens every image it finds on that page.
• Staying visible: Always on top (Ctrl+Shift+A) keeps the board above other windows; Overlay mode (Ctrl+Y) gives each image its own window; Transparent to mouse (Ctrl+T) lets clicks pass through to the app underneath, useful for tracing.
• Working with images: non-destructive crop (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C), flip horizontally or vertically (Alt+Shift+H / Alt+Shift+V), grayscale for a selection (Alt+G) or the whole canvas (Ctrl+Alt+G), notes (Ctrl+N), and a color readout in RGB, HSV and HEX (hold the left mouse button and press S).
• Saving: scenes save as .pur files. By default the images are embedded in the file, so one .pur carries the whole board; a setting switches to linking external files instead. You can also export the canvas as a single image.

PureRef is sold with a pay-what-you-want personal licence and paid commercial licences; the download page lists the current options.

What a clipboard shelf does well

Windows clipboard history (Win+V) keeps your last 25 copied items, as long as each is text, HTML or a bitmap under 4 MB. It has no canvas, doesn't keep file names, doesn't store files, and clears everything except pinned items when the PC restarts. It's good for "paste the image I copied five minutes ago".

A third-party clipboard shelf keeps more and survives restarts. Edge Drop, for example, sits on the edge of the screen, keeps copied images as PNGs and copied files as references to the originals, and lets you drag either straight into another app. It's a staging tray for this session's material, not a board: there's no free arrangement, scaling or always-on-top layout.

PureRef or a clipboard shelf: which fits the job

The last row is a different category altogether; Eagle vs Billfish compares the two main options for Windows.

How to use them together on Windows

1. Collect while you browse: copy images (Copy image in the browser) or snip with Win+Shift+S. Win+V or your shelf keeps the recent ones.
2. Open PureRef and paste with Ctrl+V, or press Win+V while PureRef is focused and pick an older item from history.
3. For files you've already saved, drag them in from Explorer or from your shelf instead of copying, so you get the original file rather than a re-captured bitmap.
4. Arrange, crop and annotate on the canvas.
5. Save the .pur next to the project (for example project\ref\board.pur). Keep the default embedded images if you'll move or share the file.

Animated GIFs are the exception. Figma's help notes that most browsers don't copy animated GIFs to the clipboard, so a pasted GIF arrives as a still image. Download the GIF and drag the file in if you need the animation.

When PureRef is more than you need

• You only need two or three images for the next half hour: a shelf or Win+V is quicker.
• The "board" is really a set of approved brand assets that must stay controlled: use a shared library or the brand folder.
• You need to find references by tag or color months later: an asset manager is built for search, PureRef for viewing.

How to build a mood board from copied images covers lighter-weight boards, and how to keep reference images beside your drawing app covers simpler side-by-side setups.

FAQ

Does PureRef work on Windows?

Yes. The download page offers installer and portable builds for Windows 10 and later, alongside macOS and Linux versions.

Are the images stored inside the .pur file?

By default, yes: saved scenes embed the images. You can change a setting so images are kept as links to files on disk, in which case you need to move those files along with the .pur.

Can I paste from Win+V into PureRef?

Yes. With PureRef focused, press Win+V and select an image; it pastes the same way Ctrl+V does. Win+V only holds the last 25 items and clears unpinned ones on restart, so add references to PureRef before you shut down.

Related reading

• How to Build a Mood Board From Copied Images
• How to Keep a Reference Image on Top While Drawing
• How to Add Reference Images in Blender (and Keep Them)
• Eagle vs Billfish: Asset Managers for Windows Designers

Sources

• PureRef — what PureRef is and supported platforms.
• PureRef Handbook: Features — always on top, overlay mode, transparent to mouse, notes, color code, grayscale and shortcuts.
• PureRef Handbook: Images — paste, drag and drop, URL paste, crop, flip, embedded versus linked images.
• PureRef Handbook: Save/load and export — .pur files and exporting the canvas as an image.
• Download PureRef — personal and commercial licence options.
• Copy and paste objects (Figma Help) — most browsers don't copy animated GIFs to the clipboard.
• Using the clipboard (Microsoft Support) — clipboard history limits, formats and restart behaviour.

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How to Install Guide · First 10 Minutes Guide · Drag & Drop Guide · Edge Drop vs Win+V · Support