What it does
Allusion manages an artist's local reference collection with watched folders, hierarchical tags and combined searches. It works alongside project boards such as PureRef.
Add the folders that contain your reference images. Allusion reflects files added or removed there, while tags describe subjects and visual qualities across the collection. For a woodland scene, a tree hierarchy can sit alongside lighting or season tags; combining them with a folder query narrows the selection.
Drag chosen references into PureRef when a project needs its own board. The catalogue and board then serve different stages of finding and using material.
Move the catalogue's organisation too
Settings > Import/Export provides a database backup containing tags, locations and related records. Restore that backup on another computer to transfer the catalogue information. Keep the underlying image folders available as well. The documented watcher limit is another consideration for a library spread across many locations.
Allusion is free GPL software for Windows, Mac and Linux.
Strengths
- Hierarchical tags describe a collection beyond its folder structure
- Combined queries narrow a broad visual library
Watch out for
- Many watched locations can exceed the operating system's watcher limit
Best for
- Finding references across a large local image collection
Sources
- Allusion visual-library workflow (Oct 27, 2026)
- Allusion official repository, recovered capture (Oct 27, 2026)
- Allusion database transfer and file-watcher FAQ (Oct 27, 2026)