If you’ve ever tried creating art with Midjourney, you know how exciting it can be to bring your ideas to life with just a few clicks.
But what if you want your art to have a specific style, like a cartoon or a classic painting?
That’s where the magic of Style Reference comes in!
What is Midjourney Style Reference (--sref)?
Midjourney Style Reference, or commonly known as “--sref”, is a command that allows you to pick a specific art style for your creation. Think of it like choosing a specific filter or effect for your photo, but with much more customization. This command lets you:
- Use photos as style references,
- Control the intensity of the style, and
- Use style codes to influence the final look.
How to Use Photos as Style References in Midjourney?
With “--sref,” you can use actual photos or images as references for your artwork’s style. Here’s how it works:
- Select Your Reference Photo Find a photo or image that embodies the style you want. This could be anything from a vibrant street art mural to a delicate watercolor painting.
- Apply the Reference in MidJourney Use the “--sref” command followed by the URL or identifier of your reference photo.
Example
Reference photo
To demonstrate how this works, we will use the drawing on your right as our reference photo.
The prompt I will use: a photo of 70 years old punk
Results
And here are the results. On your left is the output without the style reference; and on your right is the output with image above as our style reference.
How to Use Style Weight Parameter (--sw)?
Midjourney Style Weight is a parameter, ranges from 0 to 1,000, that controls the level of influences a style has on your final outputs.
Here's how it works:
Sometimes, you might want the style influence to be subtle, while other times you might want it to dominate your artwork. By adjusting the style weight parameter, you can control how strongly the reference photo’s style affects your final image.
A lower value means the reference style will be applied subtly, allowing the original elements of your art to shine through. A higher value means the reference style will be more dominant, heavily influencing the overall look of your art.
Examples
The following examples demonstrate the different outputs with --sw 999 and -sw 50.
Style Codes
"Style Codes" are where all the fun is for AI art enthusiasts. This powerful tool in MidJourney adds an extra layer of uniqueness to your art.
What is Midjourney Style Code?
Think of Midjourney Style Code as a randomizer that influences how the style is applied, ensuring that even with the same reference photo, you can get varied results.
There are 42,949,672,095 codes available, which is the largest 32-bit unsigned integer (2^32 - 1).
This vast number of seed codes allows for an incredible range of variations and combinations, making each piece of art unique.
How to set a Style Code in your Midjourney prompt?
You can specify a style code by adding a number to the --sref parameter to achieve consistent results across multiple artworks.
Using different codes will create very different images.
Alternatively, you can randomize your style references by adding --sref random, where a random number is added to your prompt. When your job is completed, the random value will be shown to you (as shown in image below).
Rerolling or making variations of your job with --sref random will generate different images with the same random code.
Prompt: Giant cactus in the city
Prompt: A children room filled with mushrooms
Putting It All Together: Using --SREF for Your Midjourney Art
Using “--sref” can make a huge difference in your art. By using the –sref command followed by a URL of an image you admire or a style code, you can:
- Customize Your Art: Give your artwork a distinct style that stands out.
- Experiment with Different Looks: Try out various styles to see which one best fits your vision.
- Enhance Your Creativity: By exploring different styles, you can push the boundaries of your creativity and come up with truly unique pieces.
An Index of Midjourney Style Reference
I am exploring a vast number of style reference codes and showcasing them here at /ArtReimagined.
These published style references can be used by readers as an index to choose from. This way, you can see the different effects each code has and select the one that best fits your artistic vision.
