<aside> <img src="/icons/magic-wand_gray.svg" alt="/icons/magic-wand_gray.svg" width="40px" />

Overview (TL;DR)

A Character Reference (--cref parameter) is a way to get roughly the same character across multiple images in Midjourney. The likeness won’t be 100% exact! Use the character weight (--cw) parameter to control how much of the reference is used from face only (0) to the whole body (100). Format like this: --cref <URL>

</aside>

<aside> ⚠️

In V6, use --cref for Character Reference

</aside>

<aside> ⚠️

In V7, cref has been replaced by the parameter --oref for Omnireference

</aside>

<aside> <img src="/icons/help-alternate_blue.svg" alt="/icons/help-alternate_blue.svg" width="40px" />

What are Character Reference and Omni Reference?

</aside>

Character reference (or --cref) in V6.x, or Omni reference (or --oref) in V7, will help you get roughly the same character again and again. Omni reference (or --oref) in V7 goes on to offer the same rough transfer to objects, buildings, animals, shapes of all kinds, etc.

<aside> <img src="/icons/globe_lightgray.svg" alt="/icons/globe_lightgray.svg" width="40px" />

Official Midjourney Documentation:

https://docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/32162917505293-Character-Reference

https://docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/36285124473997-Omni-Reference

</aside>

Both --cref (V6) and --oref (V7) parameters allows us to create a character roughly based on image(s) of an existing character that we provide via URLs. Omni goes further, offering the same basic effect for any distinct object. Here's an example of a prompt for a character: Jo is a young woman with blue curly hair, pink sunglasses, and a colorful scarf around her neck. Portrait in the style of Teen Magazine photography. --cref <https://my.image.host/my-character-jo.jpg> (or --oref, same usage)

By using the --cref or --oref parameters we can roughly stabilize the appearance of the character across all our images. In v6.1 especially, it helps if that character is a humanoid with obvious signature features.

<aside> ⚠️

Character details will still be subject to permutation and randomness. You can explore trying to anchor missing details with a prompt. See more below!

</aside>

Character attributes that WILL work well with --cref and --oref:

✅  Big signature features: teal curly hair, pink sunglasses, floor-length trenchcoat, green backpack

Character attributes that will NOT work well with --cref and --oref:

❌ Little details: a silver pendant necklace with eight small pyramid-shaped jewels, a leather jacket with the left sleeve missing that says "ZOOM" across the back, an undercut hairstyle with infinity symbols shaved onto temples

The Big Picture: Creating New Images Inspired by Existing Images

Midjourney offers reference images (called image prompts), sref (transfers style), and cref (transfers character attributes in V6) or oref (transfers character or object attributes in V7). They can be used all together at the same time, or one after another, for interesting effects.

Image Reference (URL in prompt): Inspired by composition, style, subject.

Style Reference (--sref): Inspired by visual style only.