Refbox

About Refbox

For the creative mind, the journey from a blank canvas to a finished masterpiece is a delicate dance of focus and inspiration. Yet, too often, that flow is shattered by the constant, jarring act of alt-tabbing between a cluttered desktop folder, a dozen browser tabs, and your primary work app. This context-switching is the silent thief of creative momentum. Refbox is the antidote. It is a floating reference companion built for the modern creative professional—the illustrator, animator, 3D artist, UI/UX designer, and concept artist—who cannot afford distractions. Its core promise is simple yet transformative: keep your inspiration visible and instantly accessible, right on top of your workspace. Imagine pinning images, GIFs, videos, and notes in sleek, always-on-top frames that hover above Photoshop, Blender, or Figma. No more digging or switching. You add media from anywhere—the web, your computer, or your clipboard—into a central, organized sidebar. From there, you can view everything in a beautiful Masonry grid, drag individual references onto your desktop as independent windows, or use a full-screen gallery for a second monitor. With markdown notes for ideas and clickable bookmarks for tutorials, Refbox consolidates your entire creative reference ecosystem into one seamless, floating hub. It’s not just a tool; it’s a new way of working that honors the creative process by eliminating friction and keeping your inspiration—and your focus—exactly where it belongs.

Features of Refbox

Always-on-Top Floating Frames

The heart of the Refbox experience is the ability to pin any reference—an image, a video clip, a note—in a resizable, transparent window that stays faithfully above all your other applications. This means you can sketch, design, or animate while your key inspiration remains in your direct line of sight. You can minimize these frames to peek at apps behind them or lock them in place to work directly over them, ensuring your creative workflow remains uninterrupted and your context never gets lost in a sea of windows.

Multi-Source Media & Organization

Gathering inspiration should be effortless. Refbox lets you pull content directly from the web, your local files, or simply by pasting from your clipboard into a central, resizable sidebar. Organize these items into distinct Collections—like "Character Design," "Color Palette," or "Project X"—and swap between them instantly with a single click. This transforms a chaotic pile of assets into a structured, project-ready library that adapts to your current task, saving you from the dreaded hunt for that one specific reference image.

Dynamic Viewing Modes

Refbox adapts to how you want to see your references. Use Masonry Mode for a Pinterest-style, cascading grid that lets you browse many images at once. Prefer a focused, clean look? Drag individual items out of the sidebar to create independent, floating frames you can rearrange freely on your desktop. For those with a second monitor, the full-screen Gallery mode turns it into a dedicated, immersive inspiration board, perfect for client presentations or deep, comparative analysis.

Smart Creative Utilities

Beyond simple viewing, Refbox is packed with thoughtful tools that solve specific creative pains. Scrub through videos and GIFs with frame-by-frame playback for perfect animation reference. Use the built-in color picker to sample hues directly from any pinned media. Create markdown-enabled notes with checklists for project todos. Even capture website screenshots by pasting a URL. These "little touches" are designed to save you countless trips to other apps, keeping you firmly in your creative zone.

Use Cases of Refbox

3D Modeling and Texturing

For 3D artists working in Blender, Maya, or ZBrush, maintaining visual consistency is crucial. With Refbox, you can pin reference images for model topology, texture details, and lighting scenarios in floating windows around your viewport. Frame-by-frame GIF playback is perfect for studying motion or subtle material effects. This setup allows for constant, side-by-side comparison without ever leaving your 3D environment, dramatically speeding up the modeling and look-dev process.

Digital Illustration and Concept Art

Illustrators and concept artists often work with dozens of reference images for anatomy, composition, color, and mood. Refbox eliminates the clutter of browser tabs and folder windows. You can assemble a complete mood board in a Collection, then drag key images—like a facial expression or a landscape texture—out as floating frames directly next to your canvas in Photoshop or Procreate. The ability to add markdown notes for artistic direction or client feedback keeps everything contextual and immediate.

UI/UX and Web Design

Designers in Figma or Sketch need to reference design systems, competitor websites, and brand guidelines simultaneously. Refbox allows you to keep live website screenshots (captured simply by pasting a URL), style guides, and component libraries pinned and visible. You can quickly swap between Collections for different projects or clients, and use the color picker to instantly sample and apply brand colors directly from your references, ensuring pixel-perfect design fidelity.

Animation and Motion Graphics

Animators require precise visual timing and reference. Refbox’s robust video and GIF handling lets you pin animation tests, live-action reference clips, or storyboard panels. The frame-by-frame scrubbing capability is indispensable for breaking down complex motion. You can keep these critical moving references on-screen while you work in After Effects or Toon Boom, allowing for meticulous timing adjustments and ensuring your animation matches the intended motion perfectly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Refbox impact my computer's performance?

Refbox is engineered to be lightweight and efficient. It uses minimal system resources by employing optimized rendering for images and media. The app is designed to run smoothly in the background, and features like auto-hiding the sidebar ensure it only uses processing power when you actively need it. Users report no noticeable impact on the performance of other demanding creative applications like Photoshop or Blender.

Can I use Refbox with multiple monitors?

Absolutely. Refbox excels in a multi-monitor setup. You can keep the main sidebar on your primary display for organization while dragging individual reference frames onto a secondary monitor, effectively turning it into a dedicated reference screen. The full-screen Gallery mode is also perfect for utilizing an entire second monitor for an immersive, distraction-free view of your inspiration board or presentation materials.

What kinds of files and media does Refbox support?

Refbox supports a wide range of creative media formats. This includes common image files (JPG, PNG, WEBP, SVG), videos (MP4, MOV), and GIFs. You can also add text-based notes and checklists, and save clickable web links as bookmarks. A unique feature is the ability to paste a website URL directly into Refbox to automatically generate a screenshot of that page for your collection.

Is there a way to try Refbox before purchasing?

Yes, Refbox offers a free trial that allows you to experience the full functionality of the app. This lets you integrate it into your real-world workflow, test the floating frames with your preferred software, and see how the organizational features work for you. Details for starting the trial are available on the official Refbox website under the "Get Refbox" section.