Regardless of your alternative of AI picture generator, there’s one downside plaguing the group with seemingly no repair in sight: consistency.

AI fashions do not have an idea of visible reminiscence. What this implies is which you could’t generate the identical fashion or character twice. There’ll at all times be a distinction, irrespective of how exhausting you strive.

Nicely, seems to be like Midjourney discovered a manner.

With fashion reference, you’ll be able to copy one other picture’s artwork fashion with out ever understanding the immediate behind it. On this article, we’ll discuss what precisely is fashion reference, learn how to use it, and a few examples to indicate you the way it works.

What’s a Model Reference?

Have you ever ever preferred a picture however couldn’t replicate the fashion and vibe of it on Midjourney? That’s what the fashion reference function tries to repair. It extracts the fashion of the reference picture (therefore, fashion reference) so you should utilize it in your immediate with out truly understanding learn how to phrase it. The most effective factor is that you should utilize any picture, not simply different Midjourney pictures.

How To Use Midjourney’s Model Reference Function

To make use of this new function, it’s worthwhile to use Midjourney on Discord, even you probably have entry to their alpha web site. From there, sort your immediate as you normally do however, on the finish, add an –sref parameter. Following that, merely copy and paste a hyperlink to your fashion reference picture (you’ll be able to add as many as you need) and generate. Oh and don’t overlook so as to add –v6 too. Right here’s an instance:

It’s also possible to management the power of stylization utilizing the –-sw parameter adopted by a quantity. 0 is the bottom, 100 is default, and 1000 is the utmost worth.

Reference Picture

Immediate: a cat staring out a window –v 6.0 –ar 16:9 –sref [Reference Image Link] –sw 25

Immediate: a cat staring out a window –v 6.0 –ar 16:9 –sref [Reference Image Link] –sw 800

Discover how the primary cat picture did not even apply an anime artwork fashion to the picture, as an alternative simply centered on a number of the most inconsequential elements of the reference picture, just like the vegetation, wood windowsill, and topic place.

Then again, setting the fashion weight to 800 not solely adopted the reference picture’s artwork fashion, but in addition overcompensated in some methods. That is most evident within the cat’s “hair,” which seems to be too just like the lady’s hair within the reference.

Model Reference vs. Picture Prompts

Should you’ve been utilizing Midjourney for some time, you’d know that it has at all times been ready to make use of pictures as prompts.

So, what’s the distinction? Let’s break it down.

A Midjourney immediate has three main elements: the topic, the supporting particulars, and the parameters. Let’s disregard the final one for now. What picture prompts do is that it integrates the picture into your immediate. Which means that it’s going to embrace the topic and all. Take this reference picture for an instance:

Now, let’s strive utilizing it as a picture immediate.

Immediate: abraham lincoln [Image Link] –v 6.0 –ar 16:9

It does not look misplaced, proper? Like somebody took Trustworthy Abe’s image and pasted it straight into the picture.

Then again, fashion reference solely takes the supporting particulars (types) and never the topic. This makes it much more versatile. Right here’s what the final immediate seems to be like with fashion reference as an alternative of picture prompts:

Immediate: abraham lincoln –v 6.0 –ar 16:9 –sref [Reference Image Link]

Discover how nicely it blends? It is way more pure with fashion reference. That is particularly superb for mixing two pictures collectively in case you want the topic from one picture and the artwork fashion of the opposite.

Midjourney Model Reference Examples

So, sufficient dialogue, let’s see Midjourney’s new function in motion.

With Different Midjourney Photos

Utilizing fashion reference with different Midjourney pictures is a game-changer in sustaining consistency. This might show helpful while you discover a picture whose fashion you actually like within the 4 picture variations you get with every immediate, however you wish to change the topic. 

This additionally solves the problem of immediate gatekeeping in Midjourney communities. You don’t should ask for his or her immediate anymore, you simply want a duplicate of their picture and use it as a mode reference. 

Immediate: an ocean –v 6.0 –sref [Reference Image Link]

Immediate: emblem design of a sneaker –v 6.0 –sref [Reference Image Link]

Immediate: a person big apple skyline –v 6.0 –sref [Reference Image Link]

Immediate: seamless sample of autumn leaves –v 6.0 –sref [Reference Image Link]

Immediate: a whale –v 6.0 –sref [Reference Image Link]

Immediate: a tall lighthouse –v 6.0 –sref [Reference Image Link]

Immediate: poseidon –v 6.0 –sref [Reference Image Link]

Immediate: zendaya –v 6.0 –sref [Reference Image Link]

Utilizing Non-AI Paintings

To me, that is probably the most sensible use of favor reference. Should you discover a area of interest {photograph} or paintings that you just actually like, you couldn’t probably generate the fashion with base Midjourney completely. Now, you’ll be able to simply use it because the fashion of your immediate. 

Immediate: a canine –v 6.0 –sref [Reference Image Link]

Immediate: a woman tidying her mattress –v 6.0 –sref [Reference Image Link]

Immediate: a well-dressed man in an empty highway –v 6.0 –sref [Reference Image Link]

Wrapping Up

Midjourney has been on a roll since releasing V6 late final 12 months. Within the span of 1 month, they launched a brand new model, rolled out an alpha net model, unveiled a brand new Niji mannequin, cleaned up their net interface, and launched V5 options to V6. Model reference is a superb addition to their already sturdy performance.

The way in which issues are shaping out now, it is exhausting to see Midjourney getting toppled with no vital enchancment to different picture mills akin to DALL-E 3. It is also fascinating they’re bettering their mannequin by listening to what their person base wants. Textual content technology, higher nuance, an online interface, and now consistency.

Really, is there something that Midjourney cannot do?

Earlier than you allow, take a look at our full evaluation of Midjourney right here, in addition to our comparability articles with different picture technology fashions. In case you have entry to Midjourney, give fashion referencing a try to tell us the way it goes within the feedback.