How to Get Consistent Image Styles with Midjourney's Sref

Do you want your Midjourney images to have a similar look and feel? Midjourney's style reference feature, or sref, helps you do just that. It lets you use an existing image's style to influence new image generations. This guide will show you how it works and how to use it effectively in Midjourney v6.

What is the Style Reference (--sref) Parameter?

The --sref parameter tells Midjourney to look at a reference image and try to apply its visual style to your new creations. This includes things like color palette, lighting, and overall aesthetic vibe.

How to Use --sref

Add --sref followed by the URL of your reference image at the end of your prompt.

Example prompt structure: your desired image description --sref https://your-image-url-here.com/image.jpg

Getting Your Image URL

You can use an image from your Midjourney gallery. Open the image, click the three dots (...), and select "Copy Image Address."

If the image is in Discord, right-click it and select "Copy Image Link." You can also upload an image to Discord first before copying its link.

Midjourney analyzes the image link you provide and applies its style. For instance, using an image with a strong purple, fluorescent look as your sref could make your new images of buildings, dogs, or trucks take on that purple tone and glowing elements.

--sref vs. Image Prompts (--iw)

It is helpful to know the difference between --sref and using an image prompt (--iw).

• An image prompt (--iw) uses an image URL at the *beginning* of your prompt. Its main purpose is to bring in the *content* from the image, like characters, objects, or settings.

• A style reference (--sref) uses an image URL at the *end* of your prompt after the parameter name. Its main purpose is to bring in the *style* or aesthetic of the image, not the content.

For example, using a picture of a boy with colorful shapes as an image prompt might result in your robot illustration looking partly like the boy. Using the same picture as a style reference will give your robot illustration the same colors and vibe, but the robot itself will look like a robot.

You can even use an image as both an image prompt and a style reference if you want to influence both the content and the style from the same source.

Controlling Style Strength with --sw (Style Weight)

The --sw parameter, short for style weight, controls how strongly the style reference influences your new images. It's similar to the --stylize parameter for Midjourney's default style.

• The default value for --sw is 100.

• You can set --sw from 0 to 1000.

• Higher --sw values mean the style reference has more impact.

• Note that the effect might increase a lot from --sw 1 to 50, then level off at higher values.

If your style reference image has a very strong look, it might overpower your text prompt, especially at the default --sw of 100. For instance, applying a photographic style reference (like the bubbles image mentioned earlier) to a prompt for a "children's book illustration" at --sw 100 might result in images that look photographic, not like illustrations.

Lowering the --sw value can help. Reducing it to something like --sw 15 could help Midjourney keep the illustration style from your prompt while still pulling in the color palette from your style reference.

Managing multiple prompts, especially when experimenting with different style weights, can become time-consuming. Consider using a tool specifically designed to automate your Midjourney workflow, which can help handle variations and batch processing efficiently.

Using Multiple Style References

You aren't limited to just one style reference. You can include multiple image URLs after --sref, separated by spaces.

Example: --sref image1.jpg image2.jpg

Midjourney will try to blend the styles from all the provided images. This is useful if you want to combine elements from different styles or if adding a second style reference (like an illustration style image) helps steer the generation closer to your desired outcome when a single sref is not enough.

Relative Weights for Multiple Styles

Want one style reference to have more influence than others? You can assign a relative weight using double colons (::) followed by a number after each image URL.

Example: --sref style-image-a.jpg::1 style-image-b.jpg::3

In this example, "style-image-b.jpg" would have three times the influence of "style-image-a.jpg" on the final style.

Saving Style References with Custom Options

Typing out long image URLs repeatedly can be tedious. Midjourney lets you save frequently used parameters, like style references, as custom options.

Setting a Custom Option

Use the /prefer option set command.

Type `/prefer option set`. The first field is for the "name" you want to give your custom option (e.g., `pastel-neon`). The second field is for the "value," where you paste your style reference URL (or multiple URLs and weights). Press Enter.

Now, you have a custom option saved with that name.

Using a Custom Option in a Prompt

In your prompt, instead of typing --sref followed by the long URL, type --sref followed by a dash and the name of your custom option (e.g., --sref --pastel-neon).

Midjourney will recognize the custom option name and use the saved style reference URL(s).

Imagine having saved styles for different looks – "cinematic-lighting," "watercolor-effect," "vibrant-colors." You can quickly apply them to prompts using their custom names. Integrating such efficient style management is simpler when using a tool built for Midjourney automation, such as the one available at https://www.titanxt.io/midjourneyautomator. This can handle applying your saved styles across many generations.

Managing Custom Options

To see all your saved custom options, type /prefer option list.

To delete a custom option, type /prefer option set, enter the name of the option you want to delete, and press Enter without putting anything in the value field.

Sref Works with Niji V6

Good news if you enjoy the anime style: --sref also works with Midjourney's Niji V6 model. Just include --sref along with --niji 6 in your prompt.

Conclusion

Midjourney's --sref parameter is a straightforward way to achieve consistent styles across your image creations. By understanding how to use single or multiple style references, adjusting their strength with --sw, and saving your favorites as custom options, you gain greater control over the final look of your images. Experiment with different reference images and see how they change your results!