Style Reference

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Style Reference

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You can use images as style references in your prompt to influence the style or aesthetic of images you want Midjourney to make.

To add style references to a prompt, use the --sref parameter with the web address (URL) where the image is stored online: --sref URL

Image of the Discord message send box showing an example /imagine command using --sref style references: `/imagine prompt description of what to imagine --sref https://imageURL1.jpg https://imageURL2.jpg`

Style references only apply to prompts that include text–they can’t be used with image-only prompts.
You can also use prompt text to reinforce your style reference, and may need to with tricky styles.
Any regular image prompts must go before --sref
You can use multiple style references: --sref URL1 URL2 URL3
You can also use --sref random to apply a random style to your images.
--sref can be used with Midjourney and Niji Version 6

Privacy Notes

Upload images in your direct messages with the Midjourney Bot to prevent other server users from seeing an image.
Image prompts and references are visible on the Midjourney website unless you're generating in Stealth Mode.

See the Image Prompts page for help using image URLs in your prompts on Discord, or the Using Image References on Web page for help using all kinds of image references on midjourney.com.

Examples

Reference Image: CatSketch.png

ballpoint pen sketch of a cat, purple ink, generated by Midjourney

Prompt: a cat

Prompt: a cat --sref https://url.com/CatSketch.png

a grid of four cat images generated by Midjourney with the text prompt 'a cat' and the --sref parameter, showing four images generated in an ink sketch style

Style Weight Parameter

Use the style weight parameter --sw to set the strength of stylization. --sw accepts values from 0 to 1000. --sw 100 is default.

prompt example: /imagine prompt a cat --sref https://url.com/CatSketch.png

`--sw 50`

a grid of four cat images generated by Midjourney with the text prompt 'a cat' and the --sref parameter with a low style weight

`--sw 100`

a grid of four cat images generated by Midjourney with the text prompt 'a cat' and the --sref parameter with the default style weight

`--sw 800`

a grid of four cat images generated by Midjourney with the text prompt 'a cat' and the --sref parameter with a high style weight

Individual style references can also be assigned different weights: --sref URL1::2 URL2::1 URL3::1

See the Multi Prompts page for more information about the relative importance between parts of a prompt.

Style Reference Versions

There are four versions of the style reference feature. Use the --sv parameter to choose between them. --sv 4 is default.

--sv 1 The original style reference algorithm, more “vibey”
--sv 2 The second iteration of style references
--sv 3 An updated version of the more “vibey” --sv 1
--sv 4 An updated version of --sv 2

`--sv 1`

a grid of four cat images generated by Midjourney with the text prompt a cat and the --sref parameter with --sv 1

`--sv 2`

a grid of four cat images generated by Midjourney with the text prompt 'a cat' and the --sref parameter with --sv 2

`--sv 3`

a grid of four cat images generated by Midjourney with the text prompt 'a cat' and the --sref parameter with --sv 3

`--sv 4`

a grid of four cat images generated by Midjourney with the text prompt 'a cat' and the --sref parameter with --sv 4

Random Style References

You can use --sref random to randomly select a style from an abstract range that Midjourney knows how to generate.

Rerolling 🔄 or making variations of a job with --sref random will generate different images with the same random style as the parent grid.
Each job from a permutation or --repeat prompt with --sref random will use a different random style.
After you submit your prompt, "random" will be replaced with a style reference seed you can use to replicate that style in future prompts.
--sw works with random style references to control how strongly the random style influences the results.
You can't combine random style references or style reference seeds with each other or with URL style references.

Examples:

`a cat --sref random`

a grid of four cat images generated by Midjourney with the text prompt 'a cat' and the --sref random parameter to apply a random style

`a cat --sref random`

Style Reference Seeds

In your completed job, the "random" value will be replaced with a style reference seed number: --sref random ➡️ --sref 762351716. You can use that style reference seed in future prompts to generate images in the same style.

`a cute cat --sref 762351716`

a grid of four images of a cartoonish cute beige cat with big green eyes sitting in the forest and staring up at the sky, generated by Midjouney using random style reference seeds with the prompt 'a cute cat --sref 762351716'

`a cute rubber duck --sref 762351716`

a grid of four images of a cartoonish cute yellow rubber duck in a forest pond with green-tinted water, generated by Midjouney using random style reference seeds with the prompt 'a cute rubber duck --sref 762351716'

`a cute owl --sref 762351716`

a grid of four images of a cartoonish cute beige-green owl with big eyes perched on a tree branch, generated by Midjouney using random style reference seeds with the prompt 'a owl cat --sref 762351716'

`a cute turtle --sref 762351716`

a grid of four images of a cartoonish cute turtle with a beige or green shell and big eyes resting in a forest, generated by Midjouney using random style reference seeds with the prompt 'a cute cat --sref 762351716'

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