Live Reference Panel

"Live Reference Panel — a plugin built by an artist, for artists, to keep your references sharp and your colours always within reach."

Keep Your References and Colours Always Within Reach
Live Reference Panel is a professional Photoshop plugin designed for digital artists and illustrators who rely on reference images and colour palettes in their creative process. With a streamlined, dockable panel, it gives you instant access to the tools you need without interrupting your workflow.

Powerful Features for Creative Control
Load up to five reference images, lock them to prevent changes, and view them with advanced controls like zoom, pan, and 1:1 detail. Build and manage a twelve-slot colour palette, complete with a professional HSV picker, live hex input, and seamless Photoshop integration. Smart clipboard detection even lets you paste images, colours, and text directly into your workspace.

Organised and Reliable Workflow
Save and load entire workspaces, including images, colours, and settings, to keep projects consistent across sessions. Auto-save and auto-load options make sure your references are never lost, while customisable settings and multi-language support ensure the panel adapts to your way of working.

Designed for Professionals, Built for Speed
Whether you’re a concept artist, illustrator, or designer, Live Reference Panel keeps your reference material and colours centralised, responsive, and always at hand — so you can focus on creating.

  • Reference Management — five dedicated image slots with drag-and-drop, paste from clipboard, and lock protection
  • Advanced Viewer — zoom, pan, and 1:1 viewing for pixel-perfect detail
  • Colour Palette System — twelve colour slots with paint-splat icons, hex input, HSV picker, and Photoshop foreground sync
  • Smart Clipboard — auto-detects and pastes images, colours, or text directly into the panel
  • Workspace Control — save and load full workspaces with images, colours, and preferences intact
  • Customisable Settings — multi-language support (8 languages), tooltip control, and flexible zoom options
  • Auto-Save & Recovery — keep your work safe across sessions with auto-load on startup
  • Professional Integration — seamless Photoshop foreground/background colour syncing

Requirements:

  1. Minimum PS Version: 24.0.0
  2. Internet Connection
  3. Valid Licence Key from Gumroad/Adobe Cloud Account

*Please note this plugin has the following built in languages: English, English US, Français, Deutsch, Español, Italiano, Português, Ελληνικά and 日本語

October 8 2025
Working through some beta testing before pre-release finalisation, and looking at possible additions for v.2. These will include a possible colour sampling in the image preview window.

Changelog

Live Reference Panel - Version History

Version 1.0.1 Minor

2025-12-08
  • Added Zoom and Pan options to image viewer

Version 1.0.0 Major

2025-12-08
  • Original Build
Bugs

Live Reference Panel - Known Issues

  • EULA issue – Change EULA to correct format
  • License issue – Change License to Licence in Settings

Working on pre-release version.

Documentation and Tutorials​

Additional Learning Resources

A detailed PDF User Guide is available for download using the link provided below. This document explains all key features and functions of the plugin, helping you become familiar with its tools and workflow so you can make the most of your creative process.

For hands-on demonstrations and walkthroughs, visit our YouTube channel, where a full series of video tutorials cover everything you need to get started with the app. These videos provide visual guidance, practical examples, and helpful tips to ensure a smooth and productive learning experience.

To stay updated with new tutorials, feature overviews, and upcoming releases, subscribe to the channel here: RobArt Illustration

PDF User Manual Link(s) English, English US, Français, Deutsch, Español, Italiano, Português, Ελληνικά and 日本語

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