Midjourney CREF Deep Dive | Consistent Character Ultimate Guide | Midjourney v6 Tips

Woollyfern
5 Apr 202410:15

TLDRMidjourney has introduced a groundbreaking update with the character reference feature (CRF), which allows for the creation of visual narratives with consistent characters across different scenes and styles. The CRF works by matching the character's appearance from a provided image, with best results when using Midjourney-created images. The character weight (CW) parameter can be adjusted to control how closely the generated image adheres to the reference character's clothing and hairstyle. The feature is not limited to human subjects and can be combined with style reference for a more cohesive visual style across images. Techniques such as pan, zoom, and very region can be used to handle scenes with multiple characters. For optimal results, use a clear Midjourney image with distinct facial features and consider multiple poses. Experimentation is key to mastering character reference and expanding creative possibilities.

Takeaways

  • ๐ŸŽจ **Character Reference Feature**: Midjourney's new update includes a character reference feature that helps match the character's appearance across different scenes or outfits.
  • ๐Ÿ“„ **Usage Basics**: To use character reference, include the `--CF` parameter followed by the URL of the character image in your prompt.
  • ๐Ÿค– **Character Match**: Midjourney will attempt to visually match the character but won't copy exact clothing details, focusing more on the overall visual characteristics.
  • ๐Ÿ‘• **Character Weight (CW)**: The `--D-CW` parameter allows control over how closely Midjourney adheres to the character's clothing and hairstyle, with a range from 0 to 100.
  • ๐Ÿงโ€โ™€๏ธ **Multiple Scenes**: The feature is particularly useful for storytelling, enabling the same character to be placed into various scenes and poses with ease.
  • ๐ŸŒŸ **Style Transfer**: Character reference can be used to transfer a character into different visual styles, such as oil paintings or comic book art.
  • ๐Ÿ”„ **Combining Features**: Character reference can be combined with Midjourney's style reference feature for a cohesive visual style across images.
  • ๐Ÿ‘พ **Non-Human Characters**: The character reference is not limited to humans and can include non-human characters or abstract patterns and shapes.
  • ๐Ÿ‘ฅ **Multiple Characters**: Creating scenes with multiple characters requires careful mapping and descriptive text in the prompt to ensure correct representation.
  • ๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ **Image References**: Using image references at the beginning of a prompt can guide character pose and composition, aiding in achieving the desired results.
  • ๐Ÿ“ˆ **Experimentation**: To get the best results, experimentation is key, and adjusting the character weight can help with achieving different poses or outfits.
  • ๐ŸŒŸ **Best Practices**: For optimal character reference, use a Midjourney-created image with a clearly defined subject and distinct facial features for the most coherent results.

Q & A

  • What is the character reference feature in Midjourney?

    -The character reference feature in Midjourney is a tool that allows users to match the character in their prompts with a visual aesthetic provided by a reference image, ensuring that the generated results visually match the appearance and likeness of that character.

  • How do you use the character reference feature in Midjourney?

    -To use the character reference feature, you type in your prompt, then add the --CF parameter followed by a space and paste in the URL of the image containing the character you want to use.

  • What is the character weight parameter (D-CW) used for?

    -The character weight parameter (D-CW) is used to control how closely Midjourney adheres to the clothing and sometimes hairstyle of the reference character. It ranges from 0 to 100, with 100 being the default that tries to fully match the character's likeness and clothing.

  • How can the character reference feature be beneficial for storytelling?

    -The character reference feature is beneficial for storytelling as it allows the same character to be placed into multiple scenes and poses, making it easier to create visual narratives with consistent characters.

  • What happens when you decrease the character weight?

    -When you decrease the character weight, Midjourney starts to ignore the outfit in the reference photo and pays more attention to the outfit described in the prompt. The character's face remains similar, but the outfit changes according to the prompt.

  • How can you transfer a character to different visual styles using Midjourney?

    -You can transfer a character to different visual styles by prompting for stylized renditions like oil paintings, vintage photographs, or comic book art. Midjourney will aim to put that character in your results once a CF is defined.

  • What is the style reference feature in Midjourney?

    -The style reference feature in Midjourney allows users to use a reference image to define the overall artistic style and color palette that should be applied to the generated results, combining it with character reference for increased visual cohesiveness.

  • Can non-human subjects or abstract patterns be used as character references?

    -Yes, character reference isn't limited to human subjects. Any image can be used as a character reference input, including non-human characters or even abstract patterns and shapes.

  • How can you handle scenes with multiple characters using character reference?

    -Handling scenes with multiple characters involves using descriptive text in the prompt to specify each character and their positioning, or using Midjourney's pan and zoom features to create separate character references for each character in the scene.

  • What makes a good character reference for Midjourney?

    -A good character reference for Midjourney should be an image made by Midjourney with a clearly defined subject and distinct facial features. Portraits and full-body images tend to work well, and having the character in multiple poses can help reinforce key details.

  • How can image references help with character pose and composition in Midjourney?

    -Image references can guide character pose and composition by providing additional context and visual cues. Placing image URLs at the beginning of a prompt can help Midjourney understand the desired pose and composition for the character.

  • What is the recommended approach if you are having difficulty getting a character into different poses?

    -If you're having difficulty getting a character into different poses, you can try lowering the character weight to around 50 or 60, which can help free up body movement. Alternatively, you can paste an image URL at the beginning of your prompt that shows the character in the desired pose.

Outlines

00:00

๐ŸŽจ Introduction to Character Reference Feature

Mid Journey has introduced a new feature called 'character reference' which is used to maintain visual consistency of a character across different scenes or outfits. The feature works by matching the character's appearance and likeness from a provided image URL within the prompt using the '--CF' parameter. It is most effective with images created by Mid Journey and captures the overall visual characteristics without copying exact details. The character reference is particularly useful for creating visual narratives with the same character in various settings. Additionally, the 'character weight' parameter ('--CW') allows for control over how closely Mid Journey adheres to the character's clothing and hairstyle, with a range from 0 to 100, where 100 is the default setting that tries to fully match the character's likeness and clothing.

05:01

๐Ÿ–Œ๏ธ Techniques and Applications of Character Reference

The character reference feature can be used to transfer a character to different visual styles, such as oil paintings, vintage photographs, or comic book art. It can also be combined with Mid Journey's style reference feature to maintain both character similarity and a consistent visual style across image generations. The feature isn't limited to human subjects and can include non-human characters or abstract patterns. For scenes with multiple characters, the process can be more complex, but it can be achieved by using descriptive text in the prompt to specify each character and their positioning, or by using Mid Journey's pan and zoom features, or the 'very region' method to swap in each character's face. The best character reference images are those made by Mid Journey with clearly defined subjects and distinct facial features, and including the character in multiple poses can help reinforce key details.

10:01

๐Ÿ“น Conclusion and Engagement Invitation

The video concludes by highlighting the creative possibilities opened up by Mid Journey's character reference feature, which, despite not being perfect, is considered quite good for a first version. The speaker encourages viewers to try out the techniques, ask questions, or share tips in the comments section. The video also includes a call to action for likes and subscriptions, and a promise to meet the viewers in the next video.

Mindmap

Keywords

๐Ÿ’กCharacter Reference

Character Reference is a feature in the Midjourney v6 update that allows users to input an image of a character and have the AI generate images that match the character's appearance. It is particularly useful for storytelling with visual narratives where the same character appears in different scenes or outfits. In the video, the presenter demonstrates how to use the Character Reference feature by typing in a prompt, adding the '--CF' parameter, and pasting the URL of the character image.

๐Ÿ’กCharacter Weight (CW)

Character Weight is a parameter in Midjourney that controls how closely the AI adheres to the clothing and sometimes hairstyle of the reference character. It ranges from 0 to 100, with 100 being the default setting that tries to fully match the character's likeness and clothing. When the character weight is reduced, Midjourney focuses more on the facial features and less on the outfit details. This is demonstrated in the video when the presenter includes 'blue shirt' in the prompt and shows how the character's shirt changes as the character weight decreases.

๐Ÿ’กVisual Narratives

Visual narratives are storytelling methods that use visual elements to convey a story. In the context of the video, visual narratives are created by placing the same character into multiple scenes and poses using the Character Reference feature. This allows for a consistent representation of characters across different images, which is essential for creating a cohesive story.

๐Ÿ’กStyle Reference

Style Reference is another feature of Midjourney that allows users to define the overall artistic style and color palette for the generated images using a reference image. When combined with Character Reference, it not only maintains the character's similarity across image generations but also a consistent visual style. This is showcased in the video where the presenter describes how to use style reference images to apply different styles, such as cinematic movie style or abstract geometric style.

๐Ÿ’กNon-Human Characters

The video explains that Character Reference is not limited to human subjects. It can also be used with non-human characters or even abstract patterns and shapes. For instance, the presenter uses a cute little monster as a character reference and Midjourney is able to pick up on the core shapes and features of the reference, creating unique character-like entities.

๐Ÿ’กMultiple Characters

When creating scenes with multiple characters, the video discusses different approaches to ensure that each character is represented accurately. One method is to use the entire image of the characters as the character reference and include descriptive text in the prompt to specify each character and their positioning. Another approach is to use Midjourney's pan feature or custom zoom to focus on individual characters and update the prompt accordingly.

๐Ÿ’กPan Feature

The Pan feature in Midjourney allows users to focus on different parts of an image. In the context of the video, the presenter uses the Pan feature to switch between character references for two different characters in a scene. By cropping the original image and adjusting the character weight, the presenter is able to generate images that focus on one character at a time.

๐Ÿ’กCustom Zoom

Custom Zoom is a tool within Midjourney that enables users to zoom in on specific parts of an image. In the video, it is used in conjunction with the character reference to create images that focus on individual characters. By adjusting the zoom amount and aspect ratio, the presenter is able to control the space that Midjourney has to work with, resulting in more accurate representations of the characters.

๐Ÿ’กVAR Region

VAR Region is a method mentioned in the video for generating a base image and then swapping in each character's face. The presenter demonstrates this by creating an image without using a CF in the prompt, and then using VAR region to replace one character's face with another. This technique allows for fine-tuning the final image by iterating and swapping faces as needed.

๐Ÿ’กImage References

Image References are URLs placed at the beginning of a prompt in Midjourney that guide the character pose and composition. They are particularly useful when trying to get a character into a specific pose. The video suggests that if a user is having difficulty with poses, they can paste an image URL at the beginning of their prompt to show the character in the desired pose.

๐Ÿ’กMidjourney v6

Midjourney v6 is the latest update of the Midjourney software discussed in the video. It introduces the Character Reference feature, which is the main focus of the video. The update is described as 'game-changing' and is significant for its impact on creating visual narratives and character consistency in generated images.

Highlights

Midjourney has introduced a new character reference feature to enhance visual storytelling.

Character reference helps maintain a character's visual consistency across different scenes and outfits.

The feature works best with images created by Midjourney and captures the overall visual characteristics of a character.

Character weight parameter (D-CW) allows control over how closely Midjourney adheres to the reference character's clothing and hairstyle.

Using a character reference enables the same character to be placed into multiple scenes and poses with ease.

Character reference can be combined with style reference for a cohesive visual style across image generations.

The feature is not limited to human subjects and can be used with non-human characters or abstract patterns.

Midjourney's anime-trained model 'nii' can be used in conjunction with character reference for stylized renditions.

Experimentation is key to finding the right workflow with character reference for different applications.

The pan and zoom features can be used to create images with multiple characters by updating the character reference and prompt text.

Character reference images should be made by Midjourney for the best results, with clear and distinct facial features.

Lowering the character weight can help with changing a character's outfit or achieving different poses.

Image references placed at the beginning of a prompt can guide character pose and composition.

The very region method allows swapping in each character's face in an iterative process for complex scenes.

Portraits and full-body images tend to work well as character references, with multiple poses being beneficial.

The character reference feature opens up more creative possibilities for visual narratives.

The video provides various techniques and applications for using character reference effectively.

The character reference feature is considered a first version and is expected to improve over time.

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