Style Reference (SREF) Colour Grading in Midjourney

WeirdWonderful AI Art
2 Mar 202404:38

TLDRIn this informative video, the presenter teaches viewers how to achieve Hollywood-style color grading for their images using the AI tool Midjourney. The technique involves sourcing a reference image with the desired color scheme and incorporating it into the prompt with a specific argument ('sref'). By supplying the URL of the reference image alongside the scene description, Midjourney generates images that mimic the color grading of the reference. The video provides a clear demonstration of the process, contrasting images with and without style reference to highlight the significant impact on the final product. The presenter encourages viewers to experiment with the 'sref' tag and offers a step-by-step guide to enhance their creative output with Midjourney.

Takeaways

  • 🎨 Use the Style Reference (SREF) technique in Midjourney to color grade your images like a Hollywood movie without manual color grading.
  • 🌐 Find and source images that you want to use as a reference for color grading and get their URLs.
  • 📸 Create your prompt by including the style reference argument (sref) followed by the URL of your reference image.
  • 🖼️ The resulting images from Midjourney will have a color grade that matches the color scheme of the reference image.
  • 🔗 Show a comparison between images with and without the style reference to see the difference in color grading.
  • 🚫 Without the style reference, Midjourney generates images based on its own interpretation of the prompt.
  • ✨ Apply the style reference to replicate the color grading from a specific movie scene or any other desired look.
  • 💡 The process is simple: write your prompt, use the sref tag, and supply the URL of the reference image.
  • ⚙️ The aspect ratio is not always necessary when writing your prompt, but it can be included if desired.
  • 📈 Midjourney quickly generates results when using the style reference, showcasing the power of this technique.
  • 📝 For best results, ensure your prompt is clear and the reference image's URL is correctly included in the sref argument.

Q & A

  • What is the main topic of the video?

    -The main topic of the video is how to apply color grading to your images in Midjourney using a technique that involves a reference image to influence the color grading of generated images.

  • What is a 'Style Reference (SREF)' in the context of Midjourney?

    -A 'Style Reference (SREF)' in Midjourney is an argument used in the prompt to apply the color grading and style from a specific reference image to the images generated by the AI.

  • How does one find and source images for color grading in Midjourney?

    -To find and source images for color grading, one should select images that they want to use as a reference for the color grading and then obtain the URL of the image from the site it was sourced from.

  • What is the process of creating a prompt with a style reference in Midjourney?

    -To create a prompt with a style reference, you write your prompt, then use the argument 'sref' followed by '--sref', and then paste the URL of your reference image. The rest of the prompt is a description of what your scene should look like.

  • How does the color grading from a reference image affect the generated images in Midjourney?

    -The color grading from a reference image is used to influence the color scheme and overall look of the generated images, making them resemble the style and color grading of the reference image.

  • Can you use more than one reference image for color grading in Midjourney?

    -Yes, you can supply one or more URLs of reference images in the 'sref' argument to apply multiple styles to the generated images in Midjourney.

  • What happens if you don't use a style reference in your prompt?

    -If you don't use a style reference in your prompt, Midjourney will generate images based on its own interpretation of the prompt without applying any specific color grading or style from a reference image.

  • How does the video demonstrate the effectiveness of using a style reference?

    -The video demonstrates the effectiveness by showing a comparison between images generated with and without a style reference, highlighting the difference in color grading and style application.

  • What is the purpose of using a style reference argument in the prompt?

    -The purpose of using a style reference argument in the prompt is to guide the AI in Midjourney to generate images that have a similar color grading and style as the reference image provided.

  • How does the video ensure that the viewer understands the process of using a style reference?

    -The video ensures understanding by walking through the process step by step, showing examples of both correctly applied and non-applied style references, and explaining the differences in the resulting images.

  • Is there a limit to how many style reference URLs can be used in a single prompt in Midjourney?

    -While the video does not specify a limit, it demonstrates the use of a single URL for simplicity. However, the technique allows for one or more URLs to be supplied for the style reference.

  • What are some potential uses of style reference color grading in Midjourney?

    -Potential uses include creating images with a specific movie's color scheme, replicating the style of a particular artist, or achieving a consistent look across a series of images for branding or artistic purposes.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Color Grading with MidJourney: Hollywood-Style Images

The video introduces a technique to achieve Hollywood movie-like color grading for images using MidJourney, a creative AI tool. The host demonstrates how to use a reference image to guide the color grading process without manually adjusting colors. The process involves sourcing a desired reference image, obtaining its URL, and incorporating it into the prompt with a specific argument (`--v 5 --ar 16:9 --stylize 500 --sref`). The video provides before and after examples to illustrate the effectiveness of using a style reference, showing a clear difference in color grading when the reference is applied. The host concludes by encouraging viewers to try the technique, asking for likes and comments, and inviting new subscribers.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Color Grading

Color grading is the process of altering and enhancing the color of a motion picture, video, or still image. In the context of the video, color grading is used to give images a specific look and feel by mimicking the color scheme and tone of a reference image, such as a Hollywood movie scene. This is a crucial aspect of the video's theme, as it demonstrates how to achieve a desired aesthetic in the resulting images generated by mid-journey.

💡Mid-Journey

Mid-Journey refers to a hypothetical AI or software tool that can generate images based on prompts and reference images. In the video, it is the platform where the color grading technique is applied. It is central to the video's content as it is the tool that uses the style reference (SREF) to create images with a specific color grade.

💡Style Reference Argument (SREF)

The style reference argument, abbreviated as SREF, is a specific parameter or argument used within the mid-journey tool that allows users to input one or more URLs of reference images. This feature is essential to the video's demonstration, as it enables the AI to apply the color grading from the reference image to the generated images, thus achieving a consistent style.

💡Reference Image

A reference image is a visual example that serves as a guide for the desired outcome. In the video, the reference image is used to dictate the color grading of the generated images. It is a key concept because it is the source from which the color scheme and style are derived, ensuring that the final images resemble the look of the reference.

💡URL

A URL, or Uniform Resource Locator, is a reference to a web resource that specifies its location on a computer network and a mechanism for retrieving it. In the context of the video, URLs are used to source the reference images from the internet, which are then used to apply a specific color grade to the images generated by mid-journey.

💡Prompt

A prompt is a statement or question that elicits a response. In the video, the prompt is the description of what the scene should look like, which is used by mid-journey to generate images. It is a fundamental part of the process, as it guides the AI in creating images that match the user's vision.

💡Aspect Ratio

The aspect ratio is the proportional relationship between the width and the height of an image or screen. While it is mentioned in the video, it is not always necessary for every prompt. The aspect ratio is important for ensuring that the generated images have the desired dimensions and proportions.

💡Mad Max

Mad Max is a reference to a series of post-apocalyptic action movies known for their distinctive visual style and color grading. In the video, it is used as an example to illustrate the kind of look and feel that the user wants the resulting images to have, indicating the use of a Mad Max movie scene as a reference image for color grading.

💡AI

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. In the video, AI is the driving force behind the mid-journey tool, enabling it to interpret prompts and reference images to generate images with specific color grading.

💡Screenshot

A screenshot is a digital image captured by a computer of its display, which is used in the video to demonstrate the source of the reference image for color grading. The screenshot is important as it provides a visual example of the color scheme and style that the user wants to replicate in the generated images.

💡Resulting Image

The resulting image refers to the final output image generated by the mid-journey tool after applying the prompt and style reference. It is the end product of the color grading process and is showcased in the video to demonstrate the effectiveness of using the SREF technique to achieve a desired look.

Highlights

This video demonstrates how to color grade images like Hollywood movies in Midjourney without manual color grading.

A technique in Midjourney allows using a reference image's color grade to generate images.

The presenter shares samples created using the technique.

To use this feature, one must find and source images for color grading reference.

The reference image's URL is required to create the prompt.

The style reference argument (sref) is used in the prompt to apply color grading from the reference image.

The video shows a comparison between images with and without style reference applied.

Without style reference, Midjourney generates images based on its own interpretation of the prompt.

Applying style reference results in images with color grading resembling the reference image.

The process involves writing a prompt, using the sref argument, and supplying the URL of the reference image.

The video provides a step-by-step guide on how to achieve the desired color grading effect.

The presenter emphasizes the simplicity of the process by using just the sref tag and a URL.

Midjourney replicates the stylizing and color grading of the supplied reference image in the resulting image.

The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to like, comment, and subscribe.

The presenter showcases the speed at which Midjourney generates results with the style reference applied.

The resulting image is a direct reflection of the prompt and the style reference used.

The video demonstrates the practical application of style reference in Midjourney for achieving specific visual outcomes.

The technique is valuable for those looking to achieve a particular aesthetic in their generated images.

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