Best Character Consistency Midjourney Workflow!

Snowball AI
18 Mar 202407:41

TLDRIn this video, the creator at Snowball AI demonstrates how to use the new character reference feature in Midjourney, an AI model, to generate consistent character illustrations across multiple images. The video explains the process of using the feature with the 'D-C' command and adjusting the character weight to focus on specific aspects of the character. It also covers tips for using multiple images as references to capture different angles and poses. The creator then showcases how to combine the character reference with the style reference feature to maintain a consistent style in a series of images. The video concludes with practical examples of using the generated character sheets in Photoshop to create detailed illustrations, emphasizing the importance of lighting and editing for a polished final product.

Takeaways

  • 🎨 The new Midjourney feature allows for consistent character creation across multiple images, which is a significant improvement for generative AI art.
  • πŸ“„ Character consistency has been a challenge due to AI's tendency to produce random results, but the character reference feature aims to solve this.
  • πŸ–ΌοΈ The character reference feature works similarly to the style reference feature, using an image of a character to maintain consistency.
  • βœ… By using 'D-C' followed by an image URL, the character's face, hair, and clothes can be replicated, with an adjustable character weight from 100 to 0.
  • πŸ‘• Setting the character weight to zero focuses only on the face, which is useful for changing outfits and accessories.
  • 🚫 The feature is not designed for real people or photos and works best with characters created within Midjourney.
  • 🧩 It can be combined with the style reference feature for creating a series of images with the same style and character.
  • πŸ“ For the best results, crop and edit each character image to fix deformities before using them as references.
  • πŸ” Use specific images for specific scenes to maintain the right angle, pose, or expression of the character.
  • πŸ–ŒοΈ Photoshop can be used to edit backgrounds, add lighting, and make final adjustments for a polished illustration.
  • 🌟 Lighting is an underrated aspect that can significantly enhance the quality and realism of the final artwork.
  • πŸ”„ The zoom out feature in Midjourney can be used to adjust the framing of the character in the image, and Photoshop can be used to fix any missing elements.

Q & A

  • What is the main topic of the video?

    -The main topic of the video is about creating consistent characters using the latest Midjourney feature, specifically the new character reference feature.

  • What is the purpose of the character reference feature in Midjourney?

    -The character reference feature in Midjourney is designed to help users create illustrations that include the same character with similar appearances across multiple images.

  • How does the character reference feature work?

    -The character reference feature works by using 'D-C' followed by an image of the character. The reference strength can be modified by typing '--CW' for character weight and choosing a number between 100 and zero.

  • What is the default character weight in the character reference feature?

    -The default character weight in the character reference feature is 100.

  • What happens if you set the character weight to zero?

    -If you set the character weight to zero, the AI will focus only on the face, which is useful for changing outfits, hair, and adding accessories to characters.

  • What is the limitation of the character reference feature when it comes to real people or photos?

    -The character reference feature is not designed for real people or photos, and it may not be able to copy every detail, such as a specific logo on a t-shirt, in the new image created.

  • Can the character reference feature be combined with the style reference feature?

    -Yes, the character reference feature can be combined with the style reference feature, making it suitable for creating stories and a series of images with the same style and character.

  • What is an important step to consider when using character reference images?

    -An important step is to crop each image separately, fix deformities and artifacts on the character, and save the image to increase the chances of getting better results when using these images as reference.

  • How can you ensure that the character maintains a consistent style across different images?

    -To ensure consistent style, you can use the style reference feature along with the character reference feature by pasting the URL of the character sheet image for both references.

  • What role does Photoshop play in the process of creating consistent characters?

    -Photoshop is used to edit the background, add minor lighting, fix details, and combine the generated images with the desired style and character references to create a cohesive and consistent look.

  • How can the zoom out feature in Midjourney help with creating images that show more of the character's body?

    -The zoom out feature allows users to expand the view of the character beyond close-ups or medium close shots, which can then be used in Photoshop to remove the background, add missing elements, and adjust the image until it looks right.

  • What is the recommended approach for beginners to learn Photoshop quickly and effectively?

    -The video suggests a link in the description for a Photoshop tutorial made for total beginners, focusing on similar use cases as shown in the video.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Introduction to Character Consistency in AI Art

The video begins with the host expressing excitement about a new feature in M Journey, an AI art generation tool, aimed at creating consistent characters across multiple images. The host discusses the challenge of character consistency in generative AI and how previous workarounds have been used. They introduce the new character reference feature, which is similar to the style reference feature, and explain how it works by using a specific syntax ('-DC') and an image of the character. The feature is designed to replicate facial features, hair, and clothing, with adjustable 'character weight' to allow for variations. The host also notes that the feature is best used with characters created in M Journey and not real people or photos. They proceed to demonstrate the feature by generating a character design sheet with various poses and expressions, and suggest post-processing the images for better results.

05:02

πŸ–ΌοΈ Enhancing Character Consistency with Style Reference

The host continues by showing how to use the character reference feature to generate a new image of the previously created character, ensuring consistency by using the character sheet as a reference. They then highlight the need to combine this with the style reference feature to maintain the cartoonish and 2D style of the character across images. The host demonstrates creating an image of the character jumping over a fence and then modifies it in Photoshop for a better fit. They also address the issue of multiple characters in a reference image, which can lead to unintended results, and show how to edit the background and lighting in Photoshop for a more polished look. The video concludes with additional tips, such as using the zoom out feature in M Journey and editing in Photoshop to achieve full-body shots and correct any imperfections, emphasizing the power of combining AI-generated images with manual editing for creating detailed and consistent character illustrations.

Mindmap

Keywords

πŸ’‘Character Consistency

Refers to maintaining the same visual appearance of a character across different images or illustrations. In the video, this concept is essential for creating a recognizable character in various scenes, crucial when developing stories or children's books.

πŸ’‘Midjourney

An AI image generation tool praised for producing consistent characters in the video. The creator uses it for its advanced features, including style and character reference capabilities, enabling illustrators to generate characters in different angles and poses.

πŸ’‘Character Reference Feature

A Midjourney feature that allows creators to use an existing character image as a reference for generating new illustrations. It focuses on replicating face, hair, and clothes to ensure the same character appears consistently in different scenes.

πŸ’‘Style Reference Feature

Another Midjourney feature that ensures visual consistency in style across multiple images. The video describes using this feature alongside the character reference to keep a cohesive look in stories or series.

πŸ’‘Photoshop

An editing software used to enhance or modify generated images. In the video, it's used for cropping, fixing deformities, editing backgrounds, and adding lighting effects to perfect illustrations.

πŸ’‘Character Weight

An adjustable parameter in Midjourney's character reference feature that controls how much detail the generated character retains from the original reference. A higher weight closely replicates appearance, while a lower weight focuses on face and allows changes in outfit or accessories.

πŸ’‘Aspect Ratio

The proportional relationship between an image's width and height. The video mentions using a 16:9 ratio for horizontal character sheets, offering enough space to display various poses and expressions.

πŸ’‘Generative Fill

A Photoshop feature that uses AI to fill in missing areas or expand images. In the video, it is used to complete backgrounds and adjust illustrations to achieve the desired composition.

πŸ’‘Zoom Out Feature

A Midjourney tool that enables zooming out of an image to reveal more of the scene. It's particularly useful when the original reference image only shows a character's close-up, allowing creators to generate full-body poses.

πŸ’‘Children's Book Illustrations

A genre of visual art tailored for children's literature. The video uses this as a primary style for its character sheets, aiming for a cartoonish, 2D look that aligns with the story's theme.

Highlights

Introduction of a new character reference feature in Midjourney for creating consistent characters across multiple images.

The character reference feature is similar to the style reference feature, allowing for the replication of facial features, hair, and clothing.

Character weight (CW) can be adjusted from 100 to 0 to focus more on the face or change outfits and accessories.

The feature is not designed for real people or photos and works best with characters made from Midjourney.

It can be combined with the style reference feature for creating a series of images with the same style and character.

Using multiple images as reference can help draw inspiration and maintain character consistency, especially for different angles.

Cropping and fixing deformities in images before saving can improve results when using them as references.

Specific images of a character can be used for specific scenes to maintain consistency.

Combining character and style reference features can help generate images with both consistent character and style.

Photoshop can be used to edit backgrounds, adjust character details, and create final illustrations.

The zoom out feature in Midjourney can be used to show more of the character's body in generated images.

Lighting adjustments and blending modes can add depth and realism to the final illustrations.

The importance of using generative AI tools properly to create desired outcomes without needing extensive additional resources.

The process of generating a character design sheet for a young girl with black curly hair in the style of children's book illustrations.

Using an aspect ratio of 16:9 for character sheets to allow for more outputs and a horizontal image format.

The ability to generate new images with the character jumping over a fence by using the character sheet as a reference.

The challenge of handling multiple characters in an image when using character reference and the solution of using Photoshop for editing.

Creating an image of the character watching a movie and eating popcorn at the cinema using character and style references.

The recommendation of a Photoshop tutorial for beginners focused on use cases similar to those shown in the video.