How to Get Consistent Characters in Midjourney: Scenes and Expressions

Making characters look the same across different images in Midjourney can be tricky. You might want your character in a new place or showing a different feeling. This guide shows you a simple way to do it. You will learn how to use reference images, change expressions, and put your character into new environments.

Start with Reference Images

First, you need good pictures of your character. These will be your guide photos. To get started, try a prompt like:

portrait photo of a woman dark hair and green eyes pale skin white shirt Outdoors natural lighting Kodak portrait 160 split into two images

Use a 2:1 aspect ratio like --ar 2:1. The key part is "split into two images". This gives you two pictures side-by-side to work with. Make sure your description is very detailed. Mention hair color, eye color, skin tone, and clothes. More details help Midjourney understand exactly who your character is.

Get More Photos and Pick the Best

You will need several photos that look very similar to your character. You can use the variation buttons under your generated images to make more options. Do this multiple times to get a range of photos. Look through them and pick the ones where your character looks the most consistent. Aim for about five clear pictures.

Crop and Store Your References

Once you have your five best reference photos, crop each one into its own square image. Use any simple cropping tool. Then, upload these five cropped photos to Midjourney by dragging and dropping them into your chat.

[P]Copying each photo link every time you want to use them takes a lot of effort. Midjourney has a command to save these links together. Type `/prefer option set` in your direct messages with the Midjourney bot.

• In the 'option' box, type a short name for your character (like 'Ann').

• Click '+1 more' and select 'value'.

• In the 'value' box, paste all five image links, making sure there's a space between each one.

Now, you can just use `--name` (for example, `--ann`) in your prompts instead of listing all the links. This saves a lot of time.

Managing multiple characters and their references can become complex quickly. A tool designed for this could make things much easier. Consider looking into the Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT. It helps streamline these kinds of tasks, letting you focus more on creating.

Put Your Character in a New Scene

To place your character in a different place, first generate a picture of the new environment that *includes* a person, but without your specific character. Use a description similar to your character's original prompt, but change the background details. For example:

wide angle lens photo of a woman dark red hair and green eyes pale skin in New York City natural lighting Kodak portra 160

The person in this new image won't look exactly like your character, but the similar description helps later.

[P]Now you’ll use the Vary Region tool.

• Click the "Vary (Region)" button under the image you just made.

• Use the selection tool (like the lasso) to draw carefully around the person in the image.

• In the prompt box that appears, erase the old description and just type your character's name followed by the description tag (e.g., `--ann`).

• Submit the change.

Midjourney will use your stored reference photos to put *your* character into the selected area in the new background. You might need to try this a couple of times (using the regenerate button) to get the best result.

Change Facial Expressions

Once your character is in the new scene, you can change their expression. Use the Vary Region tool again on the image with your character. Select the character's face or upper body. In the prompt box, make sure your character's name tag is there (`--ann`) and add the expression you want near the start of the prompt, like:

smiling --ann

sad --ann

shocked --ann

Midjourney is good at creating different expressions based on your references and the new instruction.

Add Photo Effects Too

You can also use the Vary Region tool to add photo styles. Select the character and prompt with your name tag (`--ann`) plus style terms:

Polaroid style --ann

desaturated colors --ann

Super saturated colors --ann

This lets you keep the character consistent while changing the visual style of the image.

Adjust Framing with Pan and Zoom

After you have your character and scene, you might want to change how much of the scene or character is shown. Use the Pan or Zoom buttons under the image. This lets you move the camera side to side or pull back to see more of the background or your character's full body.

Getting your characters right is a big part of using Midjourney. If you find yourself doing these steps often for many characters or projects, look into tools that can help automate parts of the process. Handling image references, prompt variations, and consistent styles across many images can be simplified with dedicated automation tools like the Midjourney Automation Suite offered by TitanXT.

Conclusion

Using reference images and the Vary Region tool helps you keep your characters looking the same while you change where they are or how they feel. The `/prefer option set` command makes managing your reference photos simple. Try these steps to create your own consistent character stories and scenes in Midjourney!