How to Get Consistent Styles in Midjourney with Style Reference (--sref)

Midjourney has a powerful new feature called Style Reference, or `--sref`. This tool helps you get consistent styles in your images. It works with both Midjourney V6 and Niji V6. Forget trying to describe a style perfectly with words. Now you can just show Midjourney what you mean.

What is Midjourney Style Reference?

The `--sref` parameter lets you use one or more images to guide the style of your new creations. Midjourney looks at the reference image and pulls out the aesthetics. Things like color palette, lighting, and overall artistic look are used to influence your result. It’s different from how Midjourney used to use images in prompts. This new method focuses purely on the visual style.

Many people find this easier to use than the older Style Tuner feature. Team Midjourney also mentioned this is a step towards improving character consistency, which is something users have wanted for a long time.

How to Use --sref

Using Style Reference is simple:

• Start by typing your prompt in Midjourney as you normally would.

• Add the parameter `--sref` after your prompt.

• Add a space.

• Paste the URL of the image you want to use as your style reference.

Midjourney will then generate images that try to match the style of your reference image.

Style References in Action

Let's look at a few examples:

• If you use a sketch drawing as a reference, your new images will likely have a sketchy, illustrated feel.

• A reference image with soft, pastel colors might give you dreamy, light results.

• Using an image with strong shadows and bright neon colors can lead to results with similar heavy contrast and highlights.

Just like you can increase the default Midjourney style strength with `--style`, there's a parameter called `--ssw` to control the strength of your style reference. This feature is still being improved, so results might change as Midjourney updates it.

Using Multiple Style Images

You aren't limited to just one style reference image. You can provide multiple URLs after `--sref`. Just make sure to separate each URL with a space.

For users who want more control, you can also set relative weights for different reference images. This is a bit like multi-prompting. You add `::` followed by a number after an image URL to give it more or less influence on the style. For example, adding `::3` after the first image URL makes it three times as important as others without a weight number.

Style Reference vs. Image Prompting

It's important to note that `--sref` is different from using an image URL at the start of your prompt (which is called Image Prompting).

• When you use an image URL at the *beginning* (Image Prompting), Midjourney uses the *content* and *composition* of that image as a guide. If you use a picture of a robot, your result will probably include a robot.

• When you use an image URL with `--sref`, Midjourney focuses *only on the style and aesthetics*. Using a sketchy robot image with `--sref` will give you images in a sketchy style, but they won't necessarily contain a robot unless your text prompt asks for one.

Understanding this difference helps you choose the right tool for the job.

As you explore techniques like Style Reference, you might find managing your image generation process takes time. Consider automating parts of your workflow. The Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT can help streamline generating and organizing your images, letting you focus more on creative ideas.

Feature Status and Future

The Style Reference feature is new and currently in an early stage (sometimes called alpha). This means it might change or improve in the coming weeks. Don't be surprised if you see updates or tweaks to how it works.

Get Started with Style Reference

The new Style Reference feature in Midjourney V6 is a significant boost for image consistency. It makes applying a specific look or feeling to your generated images much more intuitive. By simply providing a visual example, you can guide Midjourney towards the aesthetic you want.

Ready to try out the new Style Reference feature? Pick an image with a style you love and plug its URL into your next Midjourney prompt with `--sref`. Experiment with different images and weights to see the results.

Generating many images to test different styles can be time-consuming. To make your workflow faster and more efficient, check out the Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT. It can help you generate and manage your images on a larger scale.