"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:
Minimum PS Version: 24.0.0
Internet Connection
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
Plugin News
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/Bugs
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
Updates
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