Midjourney, Firefly and ChatGPT images, hands on

Member lesson

Style and character references in Midjourney

Lesson 4 of 8 in Midjourney, Firefly and ChatGPT images, hands on.

Checked against the makers' documentation on 9 October 2026.

Beginner's Guide to Style References (sref) · Midjourney
Lesson

Midjourney reads pictures as well as words, and where you drop a picture decides what it does. Click the image icon in the Imagine bar and the images panel opens with a drop zone for each job. Two of them matter here. Style Reference takes the look of a picture. Attach to prompt sends a picture to the Edit Model, which in V8.2 is how you put a particular object or person into a new scene. A lock icon keeps your references pinned to the bar from one prompt to the next.

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  1. Question 1, locked

    According to Midjourney's help, what does a Style Reference take from an image?

    • The objects and people in it
    • The overall style, such as colour, medium, texture and light
    • The exact composition and camera angle
    • The words and logos printed in it
  2. Question 2, locked

    You attach a tall phone photo to the Edit Model and get a tall result, though your default shape is 4:5. Why?

    • The Edit Model only makes tall images
    • Your plan does not allow 4:5
    • The result takes the aspect ratio of the first image, so you need --ar
    • Style weight overrode the aspect ratio
  3. Question 3, locked

    Why do some designers refuse Style Reference codes for brand work?

    • Anyone who pastes the same code gets the same look, so nothing about it belongs to the brand
    • Codes cost twice the GPU time of an ordinary job
    • Codes only work on Discord
    • Codes can only be made from uploaded images

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