Detailed Explanation of Midjourney’s New Features: How to Use Style Reference and Character Reference

This time we’ll focus on Midjourney’s newer, more “controllable” features: using reference images to lock in a style, using character references to keep a person consistent, and combining them with Style Codes to quickly reuse results. These turn Midjourney from “gacha-style image generation” into “plan-driven image generation.” Below, we’ll explain in practical steps how to apply each feature.

Style Reference: Fix Midjourney’s art style

Style Reference is ideal for tasks that need a unified aesthetic, such as brand posters and series illustrations. On the Midjourney web app, drag the reference image into the prompt input box; or in Discord, paste the image link, then add --sref in the prompt to point to the reference image.

If you find Midjourney only “picks up a hint of the vibe,” you can increase the style weight parameter --sw; conversely, if you want more freedom, lower --sw. It’s recommended to choose reference images with a strong style but a simple subject—e.g., works with consistent texture, brushwork, and color palette—so Midjourney more easily learns the style rather than specific content.

Character Reference: Stop Midjourney’s characters from changing faces every image

Character Reference addresses the problem where, across multiple generations, “the same character turns into a stranger.” The method is similar to Style Reference: prepare a clear reference image of the character, add --cref in the prompt, and let Midjourney use that image as the baseline for the character’s appearance.

To make it look more like the original character, increase --cw (character weight). To allow larger variations in pose and clothing, lower --cw. Try to use a single-person image with a clear, unobstructed face and normal lighting; group photos or heavily filtered images make it hard for Midjourney to capture stable features.

Style Codes: Reuse Midjourney styles like “presets”

Once you find a style combination you like in Midjourney, you can use Style Codes to save that set of styles and apply it directly to new projects later. The value is that you don’t have to search for reference images and retune parameters every time—especially useful for e-commerce image sets and social media series.

In practice, you can first use Midjourney to produce a “finalized style” image, then use it as the style reference for subsequent work. Combined with Style Codes, you can reliably transfer the style across different themes and reduce rework.

The most reliable Midjourney workflow (copy-paste ready)

Step 1: Generate four exploratory drafts in Midjourney, and choose the one closest to your target as the style baseline. Step 2: Set it as --sref and fine-tune with --sw until the style is stable.

Step 3: If it’s a character series, add --cref and --cw to lock the character; finally, organize this combination into your own style preset (Style Codes/reference-image bundle). With this method, Midjourney generation will feel more like a “production line” and less like “pure luck.”