RefRo
MacVisual research with its sources intact.
RefRo is a private workspace for visual research, from the first saved reference to a presentation of your direction. Keep sources, notes, and product information beside each image so you can return to the details that made it useful. Organize the research into collections, then prepare reference cards, mood boards, and presentations without losing that context.
Inside RefRo
From reference to presentation.
A reference is more useful when you know where it came from and why you saved it. These workspaces connect collecting, reviewing, and presenting, so an image can move through the research process with its source and notes intact.
01 / RefRo
Build a project’s visual research.
Collect visual references in project libraries and organize them into collections. Search, sort, and filter the material as your direction develops, keeping inspiration available for comparison instead of scattered across browser tabs.
02 / RefRo
Keep the source beside the image.
Keep source addresses, categories, tags, observations, and credit notes attached to each reference. Return to the original page, recover a useful detail, or explain why an image belongs in the research without retracing the search.
03 / RefRo
Turn the research into a presentation.
Compose presentations from the references you have already collected. Arrange images, edit text, choose layouts and backgrounds, and add speaker notes to give a collection of research a clear sequence for collaborators.
In practice
Keep the image. Keep the context.
Collect from the places you research
Bring images in from Finder, supported browsers, the system photo picker, or the open panel. Websites do not always include complete source information in a drag or share, so you can add missing details manually.
Keep the useful context
Record the reference’s source and your notes alongside the image. For product research, keep retailer, location, price, currency, product URL, and the date checked, so the detail you need is available when the project returns to it.
Prepare the next conversation
Turn collections into mood boards, reference cards, and image pages. Prepare PDFs, Keynote files, PNG pages, or flattened PSD exports according to what your collaborator needs to review or use.
Suggestions you can change
On-device Vision and supported Apple Intelligence features offer starting suggestions for organization. The suggestions stay editable, leaving the final interpretation and arrangement of the research in your hands.
A private research library
Research lives on your Mac and, when enabled, in your private iCloud account. RefRo uses the Apple Account already signed in on the Mac rather than a separate RefRo account or research-library server.
Frequently asked questions.
How do I add images and source information?
Add images from Finder, supported browsers, the system photo picker, or the open panel. Some websites limit the information included in a drag or share, so missing source details can always be added manually.
Do I need a separate RefRo account?
When iCloud sync is enabled, RefRo uses the Apple Account signed in on your Mac. RefRo does not operate a separate account system or research-library server.
What can I export?
RefRo can prepare mood boards, reference cards, image pages, PDFs, Keynote files, PNG pages, and flattened PSD exports. The best format depends on what the next collaborator needs.
RefRo / Mac