Get Consistent Styles in Midjourney V6 with Style Random and Style Reference
Apr 30
5 min read
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Midjourney V6 offers amazing tools to create unique images. One powerful way to control the look and feel of your creations is by using Style Random and Style Reference. These features help you keep a consistent artistic style across different images, even with varied prompts. Let’s look at how they work and how you can use them on both Discord and the Midjourney website.
Understanding Style Random and Style Reference (--sr)
Style Random and Style Reference use a special code or an image link to guide Midjourney's artistic output. Instead of generating a completely new style each time, you can tell it to use the style from a previous image. This is great for projects where you need a uniform look, like character studies or themed series.
The main parameter here is `--sr`. You add it to your prompt. You can use `--sr random` to get a new, random style code Midjourney generates, or you can use `--sr` followed by a specific number (the style code) or an image link.
Using Style Random in Discord
Start in your Discord server where you have the Midjourney bot. Make sure your settings show you are using Midjourney Model Version 6 Alpha. You can check this by typing `/settings`.
To use Style Random, you simply include `--sr random` at the end of your prompt. For example:
/imagine prompt: Superman in a forest --sr random
Midjourney will generate an image and also give you a specific style code number that corresponds to the random style it created. If you use the exact same prompt but generate it again, you'll get a different style because `--sr random` picks a new random code each time.
Using Specific Style Reference Codes
Once you find a style you like from a previous generation (either one you generated with `--sr random` or a past image you want to copy), you can use the specific style code number. This number ensures the style stays the same across different prompts.
Getting Style Codes or IDs
From Discord: When you use `--sr random`, the style code shows in the prompt information.
From the Website: On the Midjourney website, you can often see the style code directly. If not, you can click the "copy" option (three lines next to a job) and select "Copy Job ID". You can then use the `/show` command in Discord with the Job ID to pull up the image and sometimes see the `--sr` code, or use the Job ID directly in a prompt (though this behaves differently than a `--sr` code number). The video suggests the website now makes the style code visible, which is helpful.
Now, you can use that number with different prompts. For instance, after using `/imagine prompt: Superman in a forest --sr random` and getting a code like `--sr 12345`, you can try:
/imagine prompt: Wonder Woman in a forest --sr 12345
/imagine prompt: The Flash in a forest --sr 12345
The characters will change, but the artistic style – the colors, lighting, rendering – will likely be very similar, creating a consistent look.
Style Reference with Niji Model
You can combine Style Reference with different Midjourney models, like Niji. Niji is great for anime and illustration styles. If you switch your settings to "Niji Model V6 Alpha" and use the same prompt with the same style reference code, you'll get an image in that style but rendered in Niji's aesthetic.
/settings (change to Niji V6 Alpha)
/imagine prompt: Wonder Woman in a forest --sr 12345
Comparing the same prompt and style code in Midjourney V6 and Niji V6 will show a distinct difference in the interpretation, even with the same style guidance. You might get a more traditional anime look from Niji compared to a more modern or realistic style from the standard V6 model.
Do You Need a Specific Style Code Number?
No, you don't always need a specific number generated by Style Random. You can put simple numbers after `--sr`, like `--sr 1`, `--sr 2`, `--sr 3`, and they will also act as style seeds, giving you different styles. Each number will likely produce a distinct style.
For example:
/imagine prompt: Wonder Woman in a forest --sr 1
/imagine prompt: Wonder Woman in a forest --sr 2
/imagine prompt: Wonder Woman in a forest --sr 3
Running these prompts will give you three different styles for the same scene, each tied to its number.
Combining Multiple Styles (Workaround)
Midjourney doesn't let you use multiple `--sr` style codes directly in the format `--sr code1 --sr code2`. That will cause an error. However, there is a way to blend styles if you have multiple style codes.
You can combine two style codes by listing them together after a single `--sr` parameter, separated by a space. For example, if your codes are 12345 and 67890:
/imagine prompt: Wonder Woman in a forest --sr 12345 67890
This tells Midjourney to consider both styles when creating the image, often resulting in a blend of their characteristics.
Working with multiple styles and variations can become complex. Tools designed to manage multiple prompts and style references can save you significant time and effort. Consider checking out the Midjourney Automation Suite by TitanXT at https://www.titanxt.io/midjourneyautomator. It helps streamline your workflow when you're trying many different style combinations.
Repeating Prompts for Variations
If you want to generate several images using the same prompt and style setting (either `--sr random` or a specific `--sr` code), you don't have to type it out each time. You can use the `/repeat` command.
/repeat prompt: Wonder Woman in a forest --sr random
After hitting enter, Discord will ask how many times you want to repeat the prompt (e.g., repeat 10). Confirm, and Midjourney will queue up that many jobs. This is a quick way to get many variations based on a single idea, especially useful with `--sr random` to explore many different styles quickly or with a specific `--sr` code to see minor variations within one style.
Referencing an Image Link for Style
Instead of a style code, you can tell Midjourney to use the style from an existing image by providing its image link. Upload the image to Discord, copy the image link, and add it to your prompt before the text prompt and the `--sr` parameter.
/imagine prompt: [insert image link here] Wonder Woman in a forest --sr 1
Crucially, make sure there is a space between the image link and your text prompt, and a space before `--sr`. When you use an image link this way with `--sr`, Midjourney focuses on copying the *style* of the image, not necessarily its content. This is different from just using the image link alone, which might influence content more.
Getting Variations of a Referenced Image Style
Once you have a base image or a prompt referencing an image link with `--sr`, you might want to see variations of that result. Midjourney provides variation options after an image is generated (V1, V2, V3, V4 buttons). Clicking these will give you slightly different versions while keeping the core style and prompt idea.
Another way to get variations based on prompting with an image link and `--sr` is to use the Variation option when imagining. If you run a prompt like `/imagine prompt: [image link] Wonder Woman in a forest --sr 1` and you want four variations upfront, you can specify this (often prompted by Midjourney after entering the basic command, or by using the `--sv` parameter though the video shows a different flow that leads to multiple generations).
Conclusion
Using Style Random and Style Reference in Midjourney V6 gives you fine control over the artistic style of your generated images. Whether you're exploring random styles, maintaining consistency with a specific code, blending styles, or referencing an existing image, these tools are essential for getting the exact look you want.
Generating image variations manually or managing many style codes can take a lot of time. To make your Midjourney workflow more efficient, explore automation options. The Midjourney Automation Suite by TitanXT at https://www.titanxt.io/midjourneyautomator can help you handle repetitive tasks and manage your style variations more effectively.
