Crafting Varied Midjourney Images From Just One Photo

Have you ever wanted to keep a character or object consistent in your Midjourney images while changing everything else, like the style, mood, or setting? Midjourney's Omni Reference tool is designed to do just that. It lets you use a single source image as a foundation to create a whole series of unique visuals.

The Omni Reference feature, sometimes shortened to OmniF or Of, is a powerful way to explore creative ideas while locking down a key element: your subject's likeness. Let's walk through how it works and how you can use it.

What is Omni Reference in Midjourney?

At its heart, Omni Reference helps you maintain the look of a person, object, or idea from a reference image. You provide Midjourney with an image, and the tool uses that image's subject as a guide. Then, you can write prompts to change everything else around that subject.

It's like having a consistent actor for your creative projects. You can tell them what to wear, where to be, what expression to have, and what art style the image should be in, but they will always look like the person (or thing) from your reference photo.

Using the Omni Reference Tool Step-by-Step

Putting Omni Reference into practice is simple:

• Start by getting your reference image. You can upload a new photo or use one already in your Midjourney conversation.

• Instead of using the image URL in the main part of your prompt, you'll use it with the `--omni` parameter.

• This connects the unique identifier of your image to the Omni Reference function. For example, you might type `/imagine prompt old man pastel portrait --omni [Image URL]`.

Midjourney uses the subject's likeness from that image and applies your prompt and parameters to it.

Controlling the Influence

A key part of using Omni Reference is controlling how much the reference image influences the final result. You do this with the `--omni` weight parameter. You can add a number after the image URL, like `--omni [Image URL] 80`.

The weight can range from 0 to 1000. A higher number means the generated image will look more like the reference photo. A lower number gives Midjourney more freedom to be creative with the style, pose, and other details, while still keeping the core subject's appearance.

If you don't specify a weight like `--omni [Image URL] 100`, the default is 100. Setting it lower, like 80 as seen in some examples, lets the style and other prompt elements have more impact.

Exploring Different Styles and Scenes

With Omni Reference, you can take one reference image and apply many different looks. Imagine starting with a photo of an old man. Using the same `--omni` reference but different prompt instructions, you can generate images like:

• A pastel portrait with colored sidelighting.

• A black and white line drawing, sometimes called a "headcut," like those seen in newspapers.

• A classic oil painting, perhaps even capturing specific expressions from the reference subject if Midjourney recognizes them.

• A fun, cartoony Pixar-style character.

• The same character wearing a leather jacket and sunglasses for a cooler look.

• The character dressed as a superhero with their hands on their hips.

• The cheerful character wearing a tropical shirt and riding a horse on a beach, even changing the aspect ratio.

In every example, the person's face stays recognizably similar to the original photo, but the setting, clothing, pose, expression, and art style are completely transformed by your prompt.

If you're handling many such creative explorations, consider using the Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT. It can help streamline your workflow when generating large batches of images with consistent references but varied parameters.

Adding More Layers: Style Reference and Mood Boards

Beyond just changing the style with your main prompt words, you can add other elements to guide Midjourney's aesthetic choices.

Using Style Reference Codes (SREF)

Style Reference codes (`--sref`) are numbers that correspond to specific art aesthetics already defined within Midjourney. Adding an `--sref` code to your prompt will give your generated images a consistent artistic look, regardless of the word prompt.

You can use an `--sref` code alongside your `--omni` reference. This combination keeps your subject consistent while applying a distinct and reproducible art style across a series of images. This is great for creating cohesive visual projects or branding.

Controlling SREF Influence with Style Weight

Just like with Omni Reference, you can control how much the Style Reference code affects the final image. Use the `--sw` parameter (style weight) with a number, e.g., `--sw 80`. The default is 100. A lower style weight tells Midjourney to use less of the SREF aesthetic, allowing other prompt elements or the `--omni` reference to have more impact.

Incorporating Mood Boards

Mood boards in Midjourney are like curated collections of images you use to influence the overall look and feel. If you enable a mood board, your preferences embedded in that board will guide Midjourney's creative direction in addition to your prompt and other parameters like `--omni` and `--sref`.

Combining an `--omni` reference with an `--sref` code and a mood board allows you to have significant control over the subject, the overall artistic style, and your personal aesthetic preferences, all from a single text prompt and a reference image.

Managing different parameters, weights, sref codes, and reference images can become complex. A tool like the Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT can simplify this process, helping you keep track of parameters and generate variations efficiently.

Conclusion

The Omni Reference tool in Midjourney is a game-changer for anyone wanting to create consistent characters or objects across various images. By using a single reference photo and combining it with descriptive prompts, `--omni` weights, Style Reference codes, and mood boards, you unlock a huge range of creative possibilities.

You can take one simple image and transform it into countless different scenes and styles, controlling the style, pose, and setting while keeping your subject consistent. Start experimenting with Omni Reference today and see where your creativity takes you.

To make generating variations even smoother when using tools like Omni Reference, check out the Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT. It can help automate tasks and manage your image generation workflow.