Advanced Ways to Keep Your Style in Midjourney Images

Creating amazing images in Midjourney often starts with a clear idea and a specific style. You might want a gritty, distorted look or a soft, painted feel. But what happens when you add more details to your prompt? Sometimes, the style you wanted disappears. This post shows you how to keep your style strong even when you add lots of specific elements to your prompts.

We will cover simple but powerful techniques using style references and mood boards. You'll also learn how to control how much influence the style has on your final image and how to generate many options to find the best results.

The Challenge: Losing Style with Detail

Let's say you have a simple Midjourney prompt like "a rapper on stage, VHS glitch distortion style." Midjourney does a good job creating images with that unique glitchy look.

• Initial prompt: "a rapper on stage, VHS glitch distortion style"

• Result: Images show the desired VHS glitch distortion.

Now, you want to add more specific details. You update your prompt to include features like what the rapper is wearing or the lighting.

• Detailed prompt: "a rapper on stage wearing a cap, VHS glitch distortion style, low angle photography showing stage lights overhead wearing a chunky gold chain, stage lighting"

• Result: The images now show the cap, chain, and lighting, but the VHS glitch distortion style is missing.

This is a common problem. Midjourney focuses on the new details and can reduce the effect of the style description in the prompt.

Bring Back Style with Style References

You can fix this by using the image that *did* have the style you wanted as a style reference. Think of it as showing Midjourney an example of the style you want to copy.

• Start with your detailed prompt (the one that lost the style).

• Find an image from a previous generation that has the exact style you want (like the early rapper image with the glitch).

• Drag that image URL or select the image in your Midjourney interface as a style reference (using the paperclip icon).

• Add the `--sw` parameter to your prompt. This stands for style weight. The default is 100. To make the style very strong, set it to 1000 (e.g., `--sw 1000`).

By providing the style reference image and setting a high style weight, you tell Midjourney to prioritize copying that specific style while still trying to include the details from your detailed prompt. This technique helps you get images that have both the elements you want and the look you are after.

Managing various styles and combining references can become complex quickly. A tool that helps track and apply these settings can simplify your workflow. Consider exploring a solution like the Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT to streamline your style application process.

Organize Styles with Mood Boards

What if you have many style examples or want to combine influences? Midjourney's personalize feature allows you to create "mood boards." These are collections of images that represent a style or look.

To create a mood board:

• Generate several images that show the style you like (e.g., dystopian vaporwave images). You can use `—repeat` to make many at once.

• Go to your Midjourney account settings or use the `/personalize` command.

• Create a new mood board and give it a name (like "Dystopian Vaporwave Style").

• Add the images you generated to this mood board. You can select them from your gallery.

Once a mood board is created, you can use it in your prompts. Midjourney gives it a code. When you add the mood board code to your prompt, Midjourney will use the images in the mood board to influence the style of your new image. This is a powerful way to manage and use multiple style examples easily.

Control Style Intensity with \'Stylize\'

After applying a style reference or a mood board, you might find the style is too strong or not strong enough. The `--s` parameter (stylize) controls how artsy or stylized the image becomes. The default is 100.

• `--s 0`: The image will be very literal to the prompt, with minimal artistic flair (style is basically turned off).

• `--s 1000`: Midjourney will apply a very strong artistic style, potentially moving away from the prompt details.

You can experiment with different `--s` values (from 0 to 1000) to find the right balance between the style influence and the prompt details. For example, with an "old film dust and scratch" mood board on a samurai portrait, a high `--s` might make the damage extreme and hard to see, while a lower value like `--s 40` or `--s 16` might give a more subtle, authentic look.

Using a combination of style references, mood boards, and the stylize parameter gives you fine control over the look of your images. Repeating generations and comparing the results is key to finding the perfect setting. Tools that help you manage generations and compare results side-by-side can be beneficial here. You can explore the Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT for features like batch processing and result organization, making this experimentation process much smoother.

Experiment and Generate Many Options

The best way to get the image you want is to experiment. Try different combinations of style references, mood boards, and `--s` values. Don't stop with just one generation.

Use the `--repeat` parameter in your prompt to generate multiple grids of images. For example, `--repeat 6` will create six sets of images based on your prompt and settings. This gives you many more options to review and find the perfect image that balances your desired details and style.

Think of it like a photographer taking many shots to get the best one. You generate dozens or even hundreds of images and then pick the few that truly stand out and meet your vision.

Putting It Together

Controlling style in Midjourney prompts, especially when adding detail, involves using style references (with `--sw` for strength), creating and using mood boards, and adjusting the stylize parameter (`--s`). Generating many variations with `--repeat` is essential for finding the best outcome. Combining these techniques allows for precise control and helps you create truly unique and high-quality AI art.

Getting the exact style you want can take several tries and adjustments. Streamlining this process could save you time and effort. Discover how the Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT can assist in managing your workflow, from generating variations to applying detailed styling, helping you achieve your desired results more efficiently.