Keep Characters Consistent in Midjourney: A Character Reference Guide

Want your AI-generated characters to look the same across different images? Midjourney has a feature just for that! It’s called Character Reference, or Cref. This guide gives you a quick look at how the Cref feature works. It's great if you're new to it or need a fast reminder.

What is Midjourney Character Reference?

The Cref feature helps you get a consistent character in your Midjourney images. You start with one image of a character you like. Then, Midjourney uses that image as a guide to create new pictures with a similar character.

How to Use the Midjourney Cref Feature

Using Cref is straightforward. Here are the steps:

• Start with a base image of your character. This can be an image you made in Midjourney or one you upload.

• Get the URL of that image.

• Write your prompt describing what you want the character to do or where you want them to be.

• Add `--cref` followed by the image URL at the very end of your prompt.

• Midjourney will then create new images trying to keep the character looking consistent with your base image.

Handling image URLs and consistently applying variations can add steps to your creative flow. Tools designed to help with Midjourney automation can streamline this process. Consider exploring options like the Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT to manage your prompts and references efficiently.

Using Character Weight (--CW)

There's an extra setting you can add: `--cw`. This stands for character weight. It tells Midjourney how much attention to pay to your base image beyond just the face.

The `--cw` value goes from 0 to 100. You add it after the `--cref URL` part of your prompt.

--CW 0

When you use `--cw 0`, Midjourney focuses mainly on the character's face. This is useful if you want to put your character in completely different clothes, hairstyles, or settings but keep their face the same. You describe the new clothes and setting in your text prompt.

--CW 100

`--cw 100` is the default setting if you don't add `--cw`. With `--cw 100`, Midjourney tries to keep the face, hair, *and* clothes from your base image consistent in the new images. This setting tries to carry over more of the look from your original character picture.

Comparing --CW 0 and --CW 100

Let's look at an example. If you have a character in a yellow shirt and red cap:

• With `--cw 100`, Midjourney might keep the red cap and some color themes (like red and yellow), but the yellow shirt might not always appear exactly the same.

• With `--cw 0`, the cap might not show up at all. Midjourney focuses on the face, but color themes from the base image might still influence the result.

In both cases, the set of four images Midjourney creates will have characters that look consistent *with each other*, even if they aren't always a perfect match for the *original* base image when using higher CW values for clothing.

Current Limits of Cref

While Cref is a big step for consistency, there are a couple of things it doesn't do perfectly yet:

• Getting exact clothing and small details to be the same every time doesn't always work. If you need characters to look identical from one picture to the next (like for a story or comic), this can be tricky. You might find keeping clothing simple helps avoid problems.

• You can't easily create one scene with *two* or more *different* consistent characters using Cref. If you try, the characters often blend together into one.

Managing consistency, especially when dealing with many images or variations for a larger project, can become complex. Automating parts of your workflow can save significant time and effort. Discover how tools like the Midjourney Automation Suite can help manage these challenges and enhance your creative process.

Next Steps for Consistent Characters

Midjourney's Cref feature is a powerful way to keep characters looking similar. While it has current limits, it’s a great tool for single character images. Future updates may improve its ability to handle fine details and multiple characters in one scene. For now, understanding `--cref` and `--cw` helps you get the best possible results.

If you're serious about creating consistent characters or managing large volumes of Midjourney images, exploring automation could be your next step. The Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT is designed to streamline your workflow and potentially help you achieve better consistency across projects.