![]() Since it instantly stops counting if you switch to 'non-work' a program, I figure this extra time just about cancels out relevant 'non-work' program time by counting an extra minute or so when I walk away from the computer to grab some water or what-have-you. This means it will count to 360 seconds of cursor inactivity before it considers me idle and stops counting. I have it set to count my three art programs (Photoshop, Painter, and Manga Studio), so based on the settings I use, it doesn't count time that I spend doing relevant work in my browser (such as looking up an email to double check character descriptions or ref hunting), so to counter that, I set the 'Timeout' option in it's menu to 360. ![]() At the end of a work session, I take the hours counted and add them to the hours I've already spent on that image in a spreadsheet. I use this one to accurately track my hours, both to inform myself and for commissions or other client work. No starting, pausing, stopping, or forgetting to do any of those three things. This is such a simple little app that it doesn't have a very formal name, though I think of it as 'Work' or 'Work Work' (for some reason.) It's a timer that counts when your cursor is active in any (of up to 3) program you set it to count for, and stops counting when you change programs or idle. This will make your PureRef files bigger, but you'll never have to deal with a 'broken link' if you move around the source files you originally dragged in. There is one big tip I would suggest for using this program, if you have the harddrive space: As soon as you get it, turn on the 'Embed local images in save file' option. As you can see in the example above, I like to sort my images into little clusters or 'islands' of specific content, so that I can easily scroll out to see the entire reference map, then zoom in to the relevant cluster easily. I've used it religiously for about a year now, creating a new PureRef file for every illustration I do, as well as a few for specific characters, cultures, or settings in personal projects. But getting over that hump is well worth it, because it has some distinct advantages over trying to organize your refs in your actual art program. Indeed, the only real barrier to working with PureRef is that learning the keyboard shortcuts and the clicks to move around the program takes a little while. I actually put off downloading it initially because it seemed redundant- couldn't I just paste the refs into my PSD files? But thankfully I did give it a go. PureRef is a program specifically designed to make it easier to view, sort, and work with your references. #NEIL CICIEREGA WORK TIMER MAC#Sorry! Please do still check out PureRef though, Mac users.) 1. ![]() (And incidentally of compatibility, as the latter two are Windows-only. I'll keep this list limited to my big three, but it is organized in order of usefulness. ![]() Which is too bad, because they solve a lot of small workflow problems that I think a number of people would find useful! There are a few programs I use on an almost daily basis as an artist and illustrator which I find invaluable, but that seem to be unfortunately more secret than they deserve to be. ![]()
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