Managing Inspiration Images/Documents

[Arimel]

My question is rather straightforward:
How does everyone manage images that they find inspirational?

I have, until now, been doing this via a word document with a link to pages where I find an image that I admire by another cartographer. I would write key words so I could search the document should I be looking for specific inspiration for deserts, or figures, or forests etc. However, I have recently had trouble trying to find specific inspiring maps that I remember but can't put a name or a cartographer to and individually opening every link in the document could take quite some time. So how does everyone else manage this? There must be more efficient methods!

[Cédric H.]

I use a software call PureRef, it allows you to make like a canvas of multiple images and quickly check them, I highly recommend it. To my surprise, it is remarkably fast, even with a huge amount of picture in it.
You can even save your ref file with all the pic in it, so you could have, for example a bunch of maps that you check for reference for a particular subject, lets say deserts. Whenever you want to check those, just open the software, pick the file you wish and voila, all the pictures/maps are there.
My explanation is pretty terrible so here is a link for you to check it out.
https://www.pureref.com/
Beside that it's just a well organized system of folders and sub-folders for me.

[J.Edward]

I agree, PureRef is a great app. I use it for putting together environment ref pics when I'm doing a more specific sort of map, like deserts.
It's really useful to see all of the images together to get a better feel for generalities about an environment that you might not notice on an image by image basis.

And also agree - just keeping well organized folders. Even then, i still have to search for stuff sometimes.

[Arimel]

Thank you both for the suggestions! PureRef is amazing and is precisely what I wanted.

[Tiana]

...Pinterest.

That is the only word I have to say on the subject.

[wminish]

...Pinterest.

That is the only word I have to say on the subject.

I agree 100%, pinterest is also what I use and it's great. There is also the added advantage that you can use pin boards that other people have put together rather than having to always make your own.

[Simkin]

I use pinterest too. As Whimish said, the possibility of using others pinboards is a great feature.

[Tiana]

And you can pin your own maps into collections of cartography. Watermark your map before doing this. Other people will now start to find it and pin it without your help when they view associated work.

[Kellerica]

Damn, look at y'all being so sensible and efficient! I'm just saving the images to a folder on my external harddrive I name the files with the artist's name in brackets first, "(JohnMapmaker) The Fantasy Map" so the folder sorts the all the maps by the same artist together, and have separate folders for city and regional maps (as well as tutorials and other references) but that is the extent to the amount of organisation that goes into my inspiration pile I think the folder has at this point +200 images or something to that effect.