diff --git a/Assets/Prefabs/Panels/ReferencePanel/ReferencePanelIconBackgroundImage.prefab b/Assets/Prefabs/Panels/ReferencePanel/ReferencePanelIconBackgroundImage.prefab
index 03cd6dfe2..8ebc10ae2 100644
--- a/Assets/Prefabs/Panels/ReferencePanel/ReferencePanelIconBackgroundImage.prefab
+++ b/Assets/Prefabs/Panels/ReferencePanel/ReferencePanelIconBackgroundImage.prefab
@@ -144,6 +144,15 @@ MonoBehaviour:
   m_HoverScale: 1.2
   m_HoverBoxColliderGrow: 0.2
   m_AddOverlay: 0
+  m_ErrorHelpText:
+    m_TableReference:
+      m_TableCollectionName: GUID:c84355079ab3f3e4f8f3812258805f86
+    m_TableEntryReference:
+      m_KeyId: 238935604850335744
+      m_Key: 
+    m_FallbackState: 0
+    m_WaitForCompletion: 0
+    m_LocalVariables: []
   references:
     version: 2
     RefIds: []
diff --git a/Assets/Scripts/GUI/LoadBackgroundImageButton.cs b/Assets/Scripts/GUI/LoadBackgroundImageButton.cs
index e4af884b2..2b246f4ca 100644
--- a/Assets/Scripts/GUI/LoadBackgroundImageButton.cs
+++ b/Assets/Scripts/GUI/LoadBackgroundImageButton.cs
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@
 // limitations under the License.
 
 using UnityEngine;
+using UnityEngine.Localization;
+
 namespace TiltBrush
 {
 
@@ -20,17 +22,30 @@ public class LoadBackgroundImageButton : BaseButton
     {
         public ReferenceImage ReferenceImage { get; set; }
 
+        [SerializeField] private LocalizedString m_ErrorHelpText;
+
+        // this is commented out and moved into ResetState() because
+        // for a new image (ie., one that isn't in the cache yet), !ReferenceImage.Valid, even if the size is valid (ie less than the max size)
+        // TODO: figure out if it's bad to move this into ResetState()
         public void RefreshDescription()
         {
-            if (ReferenceImage != null)
-            {
-                SetDescriptionText(ReferenceImage.FileName);
-            }
-        }
+            /* if (ReferenceImage != null)
+             {
+
+                 if (!ReferenceImage.Valid)
+                 {
+                     SetDescriptionText(App.ShortenForDescriptionText(ReferenceImage.FileName), ImageErrorExtraDescription());
+                 }
+                 else
+                 {
+                     SetDescriptionText(App.ShortenForDescriptionText(ReferenceImage.FileName));
+                 }
 
+             }*/
+        }
         override protected void OnButtonPressed()
         {
-            if (ReferenceImage == null)
+            if (ReferenceImage == null || !ReferenceImage.Valid)
             {
                 return;
             }
@@ -41,16 +56,18 @@ override public void ResetState()
         {
             base.ResetState();
 
-            // Make ourselves unavailable if our image has an error.
-            bool available = false;
-            if (ReferenceImage != null)
+            if (ReferenceImage == null)
             {
-                available = ReferenceImage.NotLoaded || ReferenceImage.Valid;
+                return;
             }
 
-            if (available != IsAvailable())
+            if (!ReferenceImage.Valid)
+            {
+                SetDescriptionText(App.ShortenForDescriptionText(ReferenceImage.FileName), ImageErrorExtraDescription());
+            }
+            else
             {
-                SetButtonAvailable(available);
+                SetDescriptionText(App.ShortenForDescriptionText(ReferenceImage.FileName));
             }
         }
 
@@ -62,5 +79,11 @@ public void Set360ButtonTexture(Texture2D rTexture, float aspect = -1)
             m_ButtonRenderer.material.SetFloat("_Stereoscopic", isStereo);
         }
 
+
+        public string ImageErrorExtraDescription()
+        {
+            return m_ErrorHelpText.GetLocalizedStringAsync().Result;
+        }
+
     }
 } // namespace TiltBrush
diff --git a/Assets/Scripts/GUI/LoadReferenceImageButton.cs b/Assets/Scripts/GUI/LoadReferenceImageButton.cs
index 71e8551b5..2892e31cf 100644
--- a/Assets/Scripts/GUI/LoadReferenceImageButton.cs
+++ b/Assets/Scripts/GUI/LoadReferenceImageButton.cs
@@ -24,14 +24,14 @@ public class LoadReferenceImageButton : BaseButton
 
         [SerializeField] private LocalizedString m_ErrorHelpText;
 
-
-
         public void RefreshDescription()
         {
             if (ReferenceImage != null)
             {
 
-                if (!ReferenceImage.Valid)
+                // Problem: image can have error for other reasons too, not just for being too large
+                // displays "Image too large to load" under the file name.
+                if (ReferenceImage.Icon == ReferenceImageCatalog.m_Instance.ErrorImage)
                 {
                     SetDescriptionText(App.ShortenForDescriptionText(ReferenceImage.FileName), ImageErrorExtraDescription());
                 }
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ public void RefreshDescription()
 
         override protected void OnButtonPressed()
         {
-            if (ReferenceImage == null || !ReferenceImage.Valid)
+            if (ReferenceImage == null)
             {
                 return;
             }
@@ -72,6 +72,20 @@ override protected void OnButtonPressed()
         override public void ResetState()
         {
             base.ResetState();
+
+            // Make ourselves unavailable if our image has an error.
+            bool available = false;
+            if (ReferenceImage != null)
+            {
+                available = ReferenceImage.NotLoaded || ReferenceImage.Valid;
+            }
+
+            if (available != IsAvailable())
+            {
+                SetButtonAvailable(available);
+            }
+
+            RefreshDescription();
         }
 
         public string ImageErrorExtraDescription()
diff --git a/Assets/Settings/Localization/Strings/Strings Shared Data.asset b/Assets/Settings/Localization/Strings/Strings Shared Data.asset
index c0578650b..c160912a3 100644
--- a/Assets/Settings/Localization/Strings/Strings Shared Data.asset	
+++ b/Assets/Settings/Localization/Strings/Strings Shared Data.asset	
@@ -3319,6 +3319,10 @@ MonoBehaviour:
     m_Key: PANEL_REFERENCE_ICONIMAGE_LOADERRORTEXT
     m_Metadata:
       m_Items: []
+  - m_Id: 238935604850335744
+    m_Key: PANEL_REFERENCE_ICONBACKGROUNDIMAGE_LOADERRORTEXT
+    m_Metadata:
+      m_Items: []
   m_Metadata:
     m_Items: []
   m_KeyGenerator:
diff --git a/Assets/Settings/Localization/Strings/Strings_en.asset b/Assets/Settings/Localization/Strings/Strings_en.asset
index 57c5e9874..a6880379f 100644
--- a/Assets/Settings/Localization/Strings/Strings_en.asset
+++ b/Assets/Settings/Localization/Strings/Strings_en.asset
@@ -3516,6 +3516,10 @@ MonoBehaviour:
     m_Localized: Image too large to load
     m_Metadata:
       m_Items: []
+  - m_Id: 238935604850335744
+    m_Localized: Image too large to load
+    m_Metadata:
+      m_Items: []
   references:
     version: 2
     RefIds: []