Midjourney recently introduced a practical update: the "Character Reference" (-cref) feature, which solves a long-standing issue for creators—ensuring that faces, clothing, and body proportions remain consistent across multiple generated images. Now, with just a simple tag, you can keep a character completely identical in different scenes, greatly boosting efficiency for series illustrations, comics, or character design projects.
How the Character Reference (-cref) Feature Works
Simply add --cref [image URL] after your prompt to enable this feature. The system extracts character traits from the reference image—including facial features, hairstyle, body type, and clothing details—and applies them to all subsequent generation tasks. Whether you switch backgrounds, change seasons, or adjust expressions and poses, the core appearance of the character stays consistent. It's like giving the AI a "character ID card," ensuring every output locks onto the same person precisely.
Control Consistency with the -cw Parameter
Beyond basic character reference, Midjourney offers the --cw parameter to fine-tune how closely the character features are preserved. The cw value ranges from 0 to 100: a higher number strictly follows the reference image, even capturing subtle wrinkles, while a lower number keeps only key facial traits, allowing clothing or poses to vary freely. For example, set cw below 30 if you want your character in different outfits, or use 100 for a head-to-toe exact replica. This flexibility lets you balance consistency with creative variation.
