How to Create Consistent Characters in Midjourney AI Art

Creating the same character across multiple images in AI art tools like Midjourney can be tricky. This post dives into practical tips and techniques used for a specific story project to help you keep your AI-generated characters looking consistent.

The Challenge of Character Consistency in AI Art

One of the hardest things when using generative AI for storytelling is making sure your characters appear the same in different scenes. Midjourney is great at creating amazing images, but keeping facial features, clothing, and overall appearance constant from one picture to the next is a real hurdle.

Starting with a Strong Foundation Image

For the project discussed, which featured characters named Ella day and Marcel, finding a base image was key. Initial prompts might produce interesting results, but they might not quite capture the character you imagine. You will need to do several re-rolls.

Once an image emerges that feels right for your character, save it. This image will become the foundation for your Midjourney Automation Suite going forward. You will use it as an "image prompt" combined with text prompts describing the scene or emotion.

Using Image Prompts Effectively

Combining your character's base image with descriptive text is a powerful way to guide Midjourney. The image prompt helps maintain the character's appearance, while the text prompt directs the action, setting, or expression in the new image.

For Ella day, using her base image along with phrases from the story narration helped create images showing different moments and expressions. This technique proved very effective in keeping her recognizable throughout the sequence.

Handling Unexpected Results

Despite using an image prompt, AI art often brings surprises. Sometimes the hair color might be off, or the background might not match the intended setting (like getting New York instead of Paris).

It's important to accept that you cannot control every detail. Generative AI has inherent unpredictability. Instead of trying to force specific poses or tiny details, work with the AI. Embrace the unexpected touches it adds; sometimes these can make the image even better.

For situations where a specific angle or pose is needed, like a character walking away, adding directional terms like "from behind" to your text prompt is helpful, but still difficult.

To handle background issues or combine elements, the "blend" command can be useful. Blending a character image with a background image can help integrate them into a scene more naturally.

Managing character consistency, especially if clothes or facial hair change (as appropriate for a story spanning multiple nights), requires flexibility. Focus on essential features while allowing for minor variations where it makes sense for the narrative.

Keeping your characters consistent across multiple scenes in Midjourney can require many iterations and careful prompting. Tools like the Midjourney Automation Suite can help streamline this process, making it easier to manage variations and keep track of your best results.

Character-Specific Adjustments

Different characters might present unique challenges. For the older male character, Marcel, the AI initially tended to generate younger men. Reinforcing words related to his age or masculinity back into the text prompt alongside the image prompt became necessary.

Using close-up images of a character's face as image prompts can help generate images showing different emotions or seated positions while maintaining their likeness.

Key Takeaways for Consistent Characters

Based on this project experience, here are some main points to remember:

• Work Character by Character: Focus on generating all images for one character before moving to the next. Don't necessarily work in story sequence order.

• Rerolls are Essential: Don't stop at the first few generations. Reroll until you get images that serve your purpose.

• Find Your Base Image & Use Image Prompts: Once you get an image that represents your character well, use it as the image prompt for future generations of that character.

• Use Blend for Scenes: The blend command is effective for combining a character image with a background or scene image.

• Embrace Limitations: Accept that you cannot control every pixel. Work skillfully within the capabilities and unpredictability of the AI tool.

Creating narrative art with Midjourney is a journey of discovery and skillful prompting. By using techniques like image prompts, blends, and strategic re-rolls, you can significantly improve the consistency of your characters.

For even greater control and efficiency in managing your Midjourney generations and character consistency, consider exploring automation tools like the Midjourney Automation Suite.

Conclusion

Creating consistent characters in Midjourney requires patience and technique. By selecting a strong base image, using it strategically as an image prompt, and understanding how to work with the AI's output, you can build a cohesive visual story. Embrace the surprises, adapt your prompts, and keep generating!