Midjourney's NEW Secret Weapon - Style Reference

Making AI Magic
7 Mar 202413:16

TLDRMidjourney's new Style Reference (sref) tool, introduced in February 2024, allows users to replicate a preferred style by simply pointing at an image. This feature is particularly useful for those who struggle to describe the style they want or enjoy combining styles. The sref parameter works alongside existing style parameters like style raw and stylize, and can be used with both Midjourney version six and Niji version six. It differs from image prompts by focusing more on capturing the style rather than composition, making it ideal for creating consistent styles across a series, such as a graphic novel. Users can combine sref with other parameters like style weight (SW) for more control over the aesthetic output.

Takeaways

  • 🎨 Midjourney's Style Reference (sref) tool was released in February 2024 for version six and Niji version six.
  • 🖼️ Sref is ideal for users who want to replicate a specific style by pointing at an image and saying 'make it look like that'.
  • 📸 Image prompts and sref are different; image prompts focus on composition while sref captures the style and aesthetic of the reference image.
  • 🌟 Style Raw (style raw) and Stylize parameters are available for version six, with Stylize allowing control over Midjourney's artistic touch.
  • 🔄 Version five introduced the Style Tuner, which lets users choose favorite styles based on image choices and receive a unique style code.
  • 🎭 Niji 5 offered anime style options like scenic, cute, expressive, and original.
  • 🔄 Sref aims to maintain a consistent style across multiple prompts, which is useful for creating content like graphic novels with a unified look.
  • 🔗 To use sref, users need an image URL, which can be obtained by uploading an image or using an online image.
  • 🤖 Both Discord and the Midjourney website support the use of sref, with slight differences in how it's implemented.
  • 🔍 SW (Style Weight) parameter can be added to the prompt to adjust the influence of the style reference image, with a scale from 0 to 1000.
  • 🧩 Multiple style references can be blended by adding their URLs separated by spaces or using weights to indicate the prominence of each reference.

Q & A

  • What is Midjourney's new tool called?

    -Midjourney's new tool is called Style Reference, or sref.

  • When was the Style Reference tool released by Midjourney?

    -The Style Reference tool was released in February 2024.

  • Which versions of Midjourney support the Style Reference tool?

    -The Style Reference tool works on Midjourney version six and Niji version six.

  • What is the main benefit of using the Style Reference tool?

    -The main benefit of the Style Reference tool is that it allows users to replicate a desired style by simply pointing at an image, which is helpful for those who struggle to describe the style they want or enjoy combining styles.

  • How does the Style Reference tool differ from image prompts?

    -While image prompts focus mainly on composition and layout, the Style Reference tool captures the overall look and style of the image, helping to maintain a consistent aesthetic across generated images.

  • What are some of the style parameters available in Midjourney version six?

    -In Midjourney version six, style parameters include style raw, stylize, and the new SW (style weight) parameter.

  • How can you use the Style Reference tool in Discord?

    -In Discord, you upload the inspiration image, copy its URL, and then use the /imagine command followed by your text prompt, --sref, and the image URL.

  • How do you use the Style Reference tool on the Midjourney website?

    -On the Midjourney website, you upload the inspiration image by dragging it into the message bar, then add it as a style reference. You type your text prompt, and if needed, use the --sref parameter followed by the image URL.

  • What is the role of the SW (style weight) parameter?

    -The SW parameter adjusts the influence of the style reference image on the generated image, with higher values increasing the style's impact and lower values reducing it.

  • Can you combine Style Reference and image prompts in Midjourney?

    -Yes, you can use Style Reference and image prompts together, as they focus on different aspects of the inspiration image, allowing for a more nuanced and layered output.

  • How does Midjourney handle multiple style references?

    -You can blend multiple style references by adding each image URL separated by a space, and if needed, use weights to specify the influence of each reference.

  • What is the purpose of the character reference parameter (cref) mentioned in the script?

    -The character reference parameter (cref) is an upcoming tool that will focus primarily on recreating a character reference, helping to maintain consistency in character depictions across images.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Introducing Midjourney's Style Reference Tool

This paragraph introduces Midjourney's new Style Reference (sref) tool, which allows users to replicate a specific style they like by simply pointing at an image. The tool is particularly helpful for those who struggle to describe the style they want or enjoy combining styles. It is noted that sref is different from image prompts, focusing on capturing the style rather than composition. The sref parameter is only compatible with Midjourney version six and Niji version six as of February 2024. The paragraph also provides an overview of other style parameters available in version six, such as style raw and stylize, and mentions the style tuner from version five. The need for sref is explained in the context of creating consistent styles across a series of images, like in a graphic novel.

05:01

📸 How to Use the Style Reference Parameter

This section provides a step-by-step guide on how to use the sref parameter in both Discord and the Midjourney Alpha website. It explains the process of uploading an image, obtaining its URL, and incorporating it as a style reference into the prompt. The distinction between style reference and image prompt is clarified, along with the ability to use both simultaneously. The paragraph also introduces the style weight (SW) parameter, which allows users to adjust the influence of the style reference image on the final output. The guide includes tips on using sref with other parameters and blending multiple style references to achieve a desired look.

10:02

🖌️ Combining Image Prompts and Style References

The final paragraph emphasizes the necessity of adding text to the prompt when using both image prompts and style references. It clarifies the correct order of elements in the prompt and explains that sref is not a style transfer tool but rather a reference. The paragraph discusses the possibility of blending multiple style references by using weights to prioritize certain styles over others. It encourages users to share their experiences with the style reference parameter and concludes with a call to action to create something amazing together using Midjourney's tools.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Midjourney

Midjourney is an AI-based tool that generates images based on user prompts. It is the central subject of the video, which discusses the new features and parameters introduced in its version six and Niji version six. The tool is used to create images by interpreting text prompts and style references provided by the user.

💡Style Reference (sref)

Style reference, or sref, is a parameter introduced in Midjourney's latest version that allows users to replicate a specific style they like by pointing at an image. This feature is particularly useful for users who find it challenging to describe the style they want in words, or for those who enjoy combining different styles in their images.

💡Image Prompts

Image prompts are existing features in Midjourney that focus mainly on the composition of an image, such as the layout of elements and to a lesser extent, color and style. They differ from style references in that they help guide the overall look and feel of the generated image rather than specifically capturing the style of a provided reference image.

💡Style Weight (SW)

Style weight, denoted as SW, is a parameter that works alongside the style reference feature. It allows users to adjust the intensity of the style influence from the reference image on the generated image. The scale ranges from zero to 1000, with higher values increasing the prominence of the style from the reference.

💡Version Six

Version six refers to the latest iteration of Midjourney's main version, which includes new features and improvements over previous versions. The video specifically mentions that the style reference tool is available for this version, highlighting its relevance to the discussion.

💡Niji Version Six

Niji version six is the latest version of the Niji platform, which is part of Midjourney. It is mentioned alongside Midjourney version six as being compatible with the new style reference feature, suggesting that both platforms have been updated to include this functionality.

💡Style Raw

Style raw is a parameter in Midjourney that minimizes the AI's style preferences, resulting in images that are closer to the user's prompt without the AI's stylistic enhancements. This can lead to less aesthetically pleasing images but allows for more direct control over the image's content.

💡Stylize

Stylize is a measure of the degree of Midjourney's artistic enhancements applied to the generated images. The default value is 100, but it can be adjusted from zero to 1000, with lower values potentially improving prompt understanding and higher values enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the images.

💡Style Tuner

Style tuner is a feature from Midjourney's version five that allows users to select their preferred styles based on image choices. By choosing favorite versions of an image, users receive a unique style code that can be used to apply a similar style to new images.

💡Character Reference Parameter (cref)

Character reference parameter, or cref, is an upcoming feature mentioned in the video that will focus primarily on recreating a character reference. While sref is aimed at capturing the style of an image, cref is expected to help maintain character consistency across multiple images.

💡Anime Style Options

Anime style options refer to the various stylistic choices available for generating anime-inspired images in Niji version five. These options include scenic, cute, expressive, and original, allowing users to tailor the aesthetic of their generated anime images to specific preferences.

Highlights

Midjourney introduces a new tool called Style Reference (sref) for version six and Niji version six.

Style Reference is ideal for users who want to replicate a specific style by simply pointing at an image.

sref is particularly helpful for users who struggle to describe the style they want in words.

sref can be combined with other style parameters like stylize and style raw for varied outcomes.

As of February 2024, Midjourney's default version is version six.

Style raw reduces Midjourney's style preferences to stay closer to the prompt, but may lack the platform's signature beauty.

Stylize is a parameter that measures the degree of Midjourney's beauty in the images, with a range from zero to 1000.

Version five introduces the style tuner, allowing users to choose favorite styles based on image choices.

Niji 5 offers anime-style options like scenic, cute, expressive, and original.

The new style reference parameter aims to create consistent styles for projects like graphic novels.

sref captures the style and look of an image, focusing less on composition and more on aesthetic.

Using sref with image prompts can result in a more cohesive style across different scenes.

sref is not an update to image prompts but a distinct tool that can be used alongside them.

To use sref, users need to provide an image URL, which can be obtained by uploading or sourcing online images.

The website and Discord have different methods for applying sref, with Discord requiring a specific command structure.

An image can serve both as an image prompt and a style reference, with the website allowing for easy switching between the two.

The style weight (SW) parameter allows users to adjust the influence of the style reference image on the final output.

sref can be used with multiple images, each potentially having different weights to influence the final style.

Midjourney's style reference tool is designed to quickly achieve a desired look without the need for detailed verbal descriptions.

Users are encouraged to share their experiences using the style reference parameter in the comments section.

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