Settings
Settings window
Settings
The settings window is where you can customize PureRef to make it truly yours. You can change nearly everything in PureRef to work the way you want.
Settings are saved to a file called PureRef.ini and can be found in:
Windows | %APPDATA% ( \Users\username\AppData\Roaming ) |
Mac | /User/.config |
Linux | /home/user/.config |
Updates
Check on startup
Enable to check for PureRef updates at start up. An internet connection is required.
Check now
Click to check for updates immediately. If green, you're up to date. Red means an update is available.
Performance
Embed local images in save file
Embedding images makes the PureRef file portable, but the filesize bigger since a copy of the image will be stored inside the save file.
Linking images makes the PureRef file lightweight but less portable. To move or share the file, the images will need to be moved along with it. If the save file can't find images in their original paths, it will also look for them in its own current folder and subfolders.
Auto downscale large images
Enable to automatically scale down images to the chosen size on addition to the scene. Enabling this is more RAM-efficient but images may lose quality.
Undo history size
Set how many undo states are available. Larger history sizes take up more RAM.
Zoom quality
Set to high or low, prioritizing quality (cleaner images when zoomed out but more RAM usage) or speed (less RAM usage but grainier images when zoomed out).
Saving & Loading
Warn before closing unsaved scene
Uncheck to skip warning when leaving an unsaved scene. If "Don't show this again" is checked in the unsaved warning dialog, this setting is changed.
Enable autosaving
Enable to autosave your current scene at set intervals.
Interval - Set the interval for how often autosaves should happen.
Number of recent loaded files
Set the number of recently loaded files in the right click menu.
Auto load last scene on start up
Enable to always load the most recently closed scene every time you start PureRef.
Window & Behavior
Show maximized on top of taskbar
Set whether Maximize should cover the taskbar or not.
Take window focus after drop
Set whether PureRef should be the active window after dropping an image into it.
Disable to drag & drop images from the browser without PureRef popping in front of it.
Lock window while maximized
Enable to force the PureRef window to stay maximized when attempting to move it. Move will function like Pan (While Maximized).
Scale scene on window resize
Enable to allow the canvas zoom to keep up accordingly when resizing the PureRef window, instead of staying static and cropping the view area.
Enable transform gizmo
Enable to show a transform gizmo around the selected images that can be interacted with to rotate and scale images.
Visibility - Set visibility of the transform gizmo handles. Choose to show all, only borders, only handles or invisible. When invisible, they still work.
Handle size - Set diameter of transform gizmo handle.
Fade out when application is inactive - Set if the transform gizmo should fade out when PureRef is not the active window.
Image borders
Set visibility of image borders to selected only, on or off.
Scroll wheel functionality
Set scroll wheel interaction behaviour: Pan canvas, zoom canvas or nothing.
Invert scroll wheel - Inverts the scroll wheel direction.
Finish note with Enter
Set whether Enter inserts a new line or finishes note editing.
Select all text on note edit
Set whether double clicking on a note selects all text or only enters edit mode.
Move window threshold
Adjust distance threshold between moving the PureRef window and opening the right click menu, in pixels.
Resize border width
Adjust size of the interactable edge/corner area for resizing the PureRef window, in pixels.
Both Move window threshold and Resize border width are good to increase for better error margin on touch devices.
Default window mode
Set to enable a window mode directly when you start PureRef. Choose between Overlay, Mouse transparency, both or last used. Select Normal to open PureRef without a mode enabled.
Show window state change popup
Enable or disable the notification popping up when maximizing, setting window mode etc.
Canvas locked icon
Set the position and visibility of the canvas lock icon.
Main window border
Turn the 1 pixel border of the PureRef window on or off.
Take care to not lose PureRef if you turn off borders while using a transparent background :)
Slideshow interval
Adjust how long every image is shown in a slideshow.
Images
Bring selected images to front
Set whether selecting an image should re-arrange the layer order of the images.
Select and pack new images
Enable to auto-arrange newly added images.
Pack new by - Set the order of arrangement for newly added images. Set to pack by optimal arrangement, name or addition.
Alignment padding
Set the spacing between aligned items when organizing images.
Applies to aligned images.
Color tab
Adjust colors and appearance of PureRef.
Application colors
You can customize every color in the interface. Most support transparency.
1. Background color - The area surrounding the canvas.
2. Canvas color - The background for your images.
3. Border color - The main window border color.
4. Text color - Main text color.
6. Text hover color - Color for hovering over clickable text.
7. Menu background color - Want a different color in the menu than the canvas? Set it here.
8. Menu border color - Menu border and button color. Want a different color on the menu border than the main window? Set it here.
9. Selection color - Color of the selection rectangle and selected images border.
Presets
Choose between preset color themes, and create your own.
Dark - Classic dark mode, subtle.
Light - For brightly lit environments.
Glass - Light mode, but with a transparent canvas!
Create your own themes by setting the preferred colors and clicking "Save to preset".
Master opacity
Adjust the transparency of the whole PureRef application.
The shortcuts Ctrl+/⌘+ and Ctrl-/⌘- increase and decrease the opacity by steps of 10%.