How to Guide: Recreate Images and Styles in Midjourney
- kylixie
- Apr 29, 2025
- 5 min read
Want to make Midjourney create pictures that look like something you've seen? Maybe you want to recreate a specific photo. Or maybe you just love the style or mood of certain images and want Midjourney to capture that feeling. This post shows you different ways to do just that, from simple descriptions to using advanced tools.
Midjourney gives you lots of control over the final picture. You can guide the AI using words, by showing it images, or even by creating a collection of images to define a look. Let's explore these methods.
Starting with Words Alone
The first way to get a certain look is by using words. Midjourney has a feature called Image to Describe. You give it a picture, and it tries to describe it with words that you can then use as prompts.
Go to your Midjourney create page.
Find the 'Add Images' icon.
Upload your chosen picture (like Van Gogh's Starry Night or a Star Wars scene).
Click, hold, and drag the image up to the 'Drop Image to Describe' area.
Midjourney gives you a few text prompts describing the image.
You can click one to put it in the prompt box or run all of them.
When you generate images with these prompts, you'll see pictures that are *like* the original. They capture the main subject or the general style, but they aren't exact copies. This method uses language to get close to a feeling or a general look.
Using Images to Guide Midjourney
If you want Midjourney to follow a picture more closely, you can use it as part of your prompt.
Direct Image Prompting
Upload your picture using 'Add Images'. Again, drag it to the prompt area.
This time, drop it into the 'Image Prompt' area (above 'Describe').
Add your text prompt after a space.
Midjourney will consider both the image you provided and your text prompt. Images are very powerful prompts. Using a picture here makes the AI pay much more attention to the visual input compared to just describing it with words.
This is where you start getting much closer to recreating the original image. It's almost like copying, but you still have some room for variation depending on your text prompt.
Control Image Weight
You can tell Midjourney exactly how much to focus on your image prompt using the `--iw` parameter. This parameter takes a value usually between .5 and 3.
Add your image prompt as before.
Add a text prompt.
At the end of your prompt, add `--iw` followed by a number (e.g., `--iw 3`).
A lower number (.5) means the image prompt is less important than the text prompt. A higher number (up to 3) means Midjourney should focus much more on the look of the image you provided.
When you combine an image prompt (maybe even one generated by 'Describe') with a high image weight (like 3), the result can be very similar to the original picture. You can even use *any* text prompt with an image prompt and high image weight, and Midjourney will heavily favor the look of the image.
Using a Picture as a Style Reference
Another helpful tool is the Style Reference. You can give Midjourney a picture just to copy its look, color, and feeling, without necessarily trying to recreate the specific objects in it. This is different from an image prompt which influences both content and style.
Upload your picture using 'Add Images'.
Drag the image to the 'Style Reference' area on the right side.
Add your text prompt.
Hit enter.
Midjourney will generate pictures based on your text prompt but styled like the reference image. It might not be a perfect copy of the specific scene, but the colors, lighting, and overall artistic feel will be similar.
Managing all these options and parameters can get complicated when making many images. To try options quickly or run batches with different settings, consider using a tool that handles the details. The Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT helps streamline this process, letting you focus on the creative output instead of repetitive tasks.
Control Style Weight
Just like image weight, you can control how much Midjourney focuses on the style reference using the `--sw` parameter. It takes a value between 0 and 1000. The default is 100.
Add your style reference image.
Add your text prompt.
Add `--sw` followed by a number (e.g., `--sw 500` or `--sw 1000`).
Increasing the style weight makes Midjourney pay more attention to the style of your reference image. Testing different values can help you find the right amount of influence.
Combining the Describe function, an image prompt with high image weight, and a style reference with high style weight is a powerful way to get very close to a specific original picture.
Capturing a Broad Vibe with Mood Boards
Midjourney also lets you create mood boards. This is useful when you don't want to copy one picture but want to capture the overall feeling or style from a collection of images. Think of creating a mood board for the look of a movie, an artist's work, or a certain kind of photography.
Creating and Using a Mood Board
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To test the mood board's influence, you can use a "void prompt." This is a prompt with no specific subject, like just two quotation marks (""). Add your mood board code to this prompt. This tells Midjourney to generate images based purely on the style and vibe of the mood board images, without trying to draw anything specific.
Testing with Style and Stylized Values
When using mood boards, try generating with different Midjourney settings:
Style RAW: Add `--style raw` to your prompt with the mood board code. This generating mode can create different results and might better capture certain styles.
Stylized Value: Use the `--s` parameter with your mood board code. This controls how much Midjourney artistic flair is added. For mood boards, it also affects how much the board's influence is applied. Values are between 0 and 1000 (default is 100). Try values like 500 or 1000 to see how the mood board's style is amplified.
These tests show you the pure influence of your mood board. Then, you can add your own text prompts to generate specific subjects within that style. This lets you put any subject into the vibe you created with your mood board.
Combine Methods for Powerful Results
You can mix and match these techniques. For instance, you could:
Describe an image using 'Describe'.
Take that description and slightly change the subject (e.g., change "Starry Night" to "Batman").
Add the code for a mood board (like your 'Creator' movie vibe board) to the prompt.
This tells Midjourney to make an image of your new subject (Batman), using the visual ideas from the description (painting style, colors), but filtered through the overall look of your mood board (lighting, tone from 'The Creator'). This lets you create unique images that reference multiple visual inspirations.
Creating stunning images often requires combining different prompting methods and testing parameters. This can be time-consuming if done manually for every idea. Tools designed for Midjourney users can help you manage multiple prompts and settings more easily. Explore options like the Midjourney Automation Suite by TitanXT to speed up your workflow and experiment more freely.
Conclusion
Midjourney offers several strong ways to recreate or get inspiration from existing images. You can use the simple 'Describe' function, make images more important with image prompts and weight, use style references to copy a look, or build broad styles with mood boards.
Remember to experiment with parameters like `--iw` and `--sw` to control the influence of your image or style references. By combining these tools, you have a lot of power to guide Midjourney to create pictures that match your vision, whether you want to get close to an original or capture a specific style.
As a friendly reminder, use these powerful tools respectfully, especially when working with styles inspired by other artists.
