Midjourney’s much-anticipated Character Reference feature seeks to address the challenge of creating consistent characters on its intuitive digital platform. Similar to the pre-existing Style Reference feature, the Character Reference feature focuses on retaining character likeness, and aligns the output closely to a given reference image.
Using the URL command ‘–cref,’ users can upload an image which guides Midjourney in generating characters that approximate their reference. The ‘–cw’ command modifies the strength of the reference, with values ranging from 0 to 100. The default strength of 100 preserves elements such as the character’s face, hair, and clothing from the reference image.
For pro users, it also allows one to perform complex blending operations by augmenting the ‘–cref’ command with multiple image URLs separated by spaces, enhancing the tool’s versatility and dynamism. Compared to other AI image generators, Midjourney now stands out as a more attractive alternative due to this new feature.
Step-by-step process to create consistent character images in Midjourney:
1. Create a base image in Midjourney using the ‘/Imageine’ prompt.
2. Using the ‘–cref’ command, insert the URL of your base image. Specify the degree to which the generator should match the reference image with a ‘–cw’ value between 0 and 100.
3. Modify the character weight parameter (–cw) to control the degree of similarity between the generated images and the reference image.
The character weight parameter values range between 0 to 100. A value of 100 preserves more elements from the reference image, while lower values allow greater variation in output.
You can also use multiple ‘–cref’ URLs for a single prompt, helping the AI to generate an image that better matches the desired characteristics. To add multiple URLs, simply add a space between each URL and use the ‘–cref’ tag only once.
The Character Reference feature can also be combined with the Style Reference feature for a more dramatic alteration of your character’s appearance while maintaining their facial features.
Despite its potential, it’s worth noting that the Character Reference feature is still in beta, and therefore, might not preserve minute details like dimples, freckles, and t-shirt logos accurately. However, users are encouraged to experiment with this versatile feature and create their own unique characters.
