Consistent Characters Are Here!!! Stress Testing The New Tool In Midjourney!

Filmenor
11 Mar 202416:05

TLDRMidjourney has launched a new character reference tool that's been highly anticipated by users. This tool, similar to the style reference feature, analyzes the character's image and generates consistent characters in various settings. The tester explores the tool's capabilities by creating a character and placing it in different scenarios, such as a schoolyard and a beach. The results show promising consistency in facial structure and clothing, despite some peculiarities like color desaturation and occasional unrealistic outputs. The tool is a game-changer for maintaining character consistency in animations and storytelling, and the tester is excited to continue experimenting with it.

Takeaways

  • 😀 The video discusses a new character reference tool released by Midjourney, which is designed to maintain character consistency across different images.
  • 🔍 The tool operates similarly to the style reference feature, analyzing the color palette, composition, and style of an input image to generate matching results.
  • 🛠️ Users can adjust the reference strength from 100 to 0, with 100 being the default and focusing on overall character attributes, while 0 focuses more on the face.
  • 🚫 The tool is best suited for characters created within Midjourney and is not intended for real people or photos, as it may distort them.
  • 🎨 The creator tests the tool with various characters, including a 3D model, a photorealistic model, and an animal, finding that it adapts key features effectively.
  • 👕 The tool pays attention to details like clothing, even when not explicitly prompted, indicating its ability to recognize and replicate elements from the reference image.
  • 🤔 There are some limitations, such as occasional unrealistic outputs like body parts being backwards, which may require more specific prompts to avoid.
  • 🎭 The tool sometimes desaturates colors, suggesting that users may need to be more explicit about the desired lighting and color tones in their prompts.
  • 👧 When testing with a young girl character, the tool successfully replicated her features, including hair and eyes, even in a completely different setting.
  • 🐿️ In testing with animal characters, like squirrels, the tool captured the outfit but not the exact appearance, indicating room for improvement in recognizing non-human subjects.
  • 🌐 The video concludes that the character reference tool is a significant advancement for creating consistent characters, despite some quirks and areas for refinement.

Q & A

  • What is the new character reference tool released by Midjourney?

    -The new character reference tool released by Midjourney is designed to match the style and features of a character in an image, similar to the style reference feature but specifically tailored for characters.

  • How does the character reference tool work?

    -The character reference tool works by analyzing the color palette, composition, and other elements of an existing image and then generates images with a similar style, color tone, and composition.

  • What is the purpose of the 'reference strength' in the character reference tool?

    -The 'reference strength' allows users to modify the intensity of the reference, ranging from 100 (default) which focuses on face, hair, and clothes, to 0 which focuses more on the face, useful for changing outfits and hair.

  • Why is the character reference tool not recommended for real people or photos?

    -The tool is not recommended for real people or photos because it may distort them, as it is designed to work best with characters made from Midjourney.

  • What was the creator's first impression of the character reference tool?

    -The creator was initially nervous but very excited to test the tool for the first time. They found the results to be not perfect but pretty good, noting that the tool picked up on certain features like clothing.

  • How did the tool perform when the creator tested it with different settings and prompts?

    -The tool showed varying results, with some images closely matching the original character's features and others having slight deviations, such as different lighting or minor distortions.

  • What issues did the creator encounter with the character reference tool?

    -The creator noticed some issues like color desaturation, and occasional unrealistic outputs, such as body parts being backwards on the head.

  • How did the tool handle the task of creating a character in a different setting, like a beach?

    -The tool managed to place the character on a beach in some instances, but there were variations in the results, with some images showing the character half in the water and others appearing more like a drawn version.

  • What was the creator's experience when testing the tool with a non-human character, like a squirrel?

    -The creator found that while the tool did not replicate the exact squirrel, it did pick up on the color and clothing, providing results that were close to the original character.

  • What is the creator's overall impression of the character reference tool?

    -The creator is impressed with the tool's ability to provide character consistency and adapt key features across different prompts, despite some limitations and quirks.

  • What additional steps did the creator consider to enhance the results from the character reference tool?

    -The creator considered using additional tools like Magnific AI to add more realism to the generated images and possibly refining prompts to address issues like color desaturation.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Testing Journey's New Character Reference Tool

The speaker is excited to test Journey's newly released character reference tool, which they've been eagerly anticipating since its mention during office hours. The tool is designed to analyze an existing image's color palette, composition, and style, then generate similar images. The user can adjust the reference strength to focus on different aspects of the character, like face, hair, or clothes. The speaker tests the tool with a character they created, experimenting with various prompts and settings, noting the tool's effectiveness in capturing the character's features and clothing, despite some minor inconsistencies in lighting and composition.

05:02

🌅 Exploring Character Consistency with Different Prompts

The speaker continues to test the character reference tool with different images, including a boy with unique skin tone and a girl, to see how the tool handles various lighting and composition scenarios. They observe that the tool sometimes struggles with realistic images, as it's primarily designed for characters from mid-journey and not real people or photos, which might get distorted. The speaker also notes the tool's tendency to desaturate colors and occasionally produce unrealistic outputs, such as body parts being backwards, but overall is pleased with the character consistency and the tool's ability to maintain key features across different prompts.

10:04

🐿️ Character Tool's Adaptability with Non-Human Characters

The speaker tests the character reference tool with non-human characters, specifically squirrels, to see how the tool adapts to unique subjects. They find that while the tool doesn't perfectly replicate the specific squirrel they created, it does capture the color and clothing details. The speaker also discusses the tool's limitations, such as occasional color desaturation and unrealistic outputs, but remains impressed with its ability to maintain character consistency and is excited to continue exploring its capabilities.

15:04

🛠️ Reflecting on the Tool's Performance and Future Use

In the final summary, the speaker reflects on the character reference tool's performance, noting its success in maintaining facial structure, hair, and clothing across various tests. They acknowledge some limitations, such as the need for more precise prompts to avoid unrealistic outputs and color desaturation issues. The speaker expresses excitement about the potential for further exploration and refinement of the tool, looking forward to enhancing their characters' consistency and bringing them to life more effectively.

Mindmap

Keywords

Character Reference Tool

The 'Character Reference Tool' is a feature released by Midjourney, which allows users to input an image of a character and receive images that match the style, color palette, and composition of the original. It's integral to the video's theme as it enables consistent character depiction across various settings, enhancing the storytelling experience. The script describes the tool's ability to analyze and replicate character features such as face, hair, and clothing.

Style Reference Feature

The 'Style Reference Feature' is a precursor to the Character Reference Tool, which focuses on matching the style and color tone of an image. It's mentioned in the script to provide context for the new tool's functionality. The tool is used to maintain a consistent aesthetic, which is vital for creating a cohesive visual narrative.

CF (Custom Function)

In the script, 'CF' refers to a custom function or code that users can input to utilize the Character Reference Tool. It's a technical term used within the video to explain how to interact with the tool. The script demonstrates how to apply CF in different scenarios to achieve desired character representations.

Reference Strength

'Reference Strength' is a parameter in the Character Reference Tool that allows users to adjust the intensity of the reference image's influence on the output. The script explains that it can be modified from 100 to zero, with 100 being the default, affecting how closely the output matches the original character's features.

Midjourney

Midjourney is the company that developed the Character Reference Tool. It's central to the video's narrative as the script discusses the features and capabilities of their tool. The term is used to refer to the source of the technology being tested and reviewed.

Discord

Discord is a communication platform where Midjourney announced updates about their Character Reference Tool. It's relevant to the video as it's the channel through which users, including the script's narrator, receive information about the tool's release and capabilities.

Desaturation

Desaturation refers to the reduction of color intensity in images, making them appear washed out or less vibrant. In the script, it's mentioned as a potential limitation of the tool, where the character's colors might appear muted, affecting the visual outcome.

3D Animation

The term '3D Animation' is used in the script when the narrator tests the tool with a prompt for a character in a more cinematic setting. It illustrates the video's exploration of how the tool can be applied to create animated characters with depth and realism.

Magnific AI

Magnific AI is another tool mentioned in the script as a solution to add realism to the outputs from the Character Reference Tool. It's used to enhance the visual quality of the characters, making them appear more lifelike, which is crucial for creating believable characters in animations or visual narratives.

Consistency

Consistency is a key theme in the video, referring to the ability of the Character Reference Tool to maintain uniform character appearances across various images. The script discusses the importance of consistency in character design for storytelling and how the tool helps achieve this.

Realistic Results

The term 'Realistic Results' is used to describe the outcomes where the tool successfully replicates the character's features in a lifelike manner. The script evaluates the tool's performance in producing realistic character images, which is essential for creating engaging and believable visual content.

Highlights

Journey has released a new character reference tool that matches character style in images.

The tool is similar to the style reference feature, analyzing color palette, composition, and style to generate similar images.

Users can adjust the reference strength from 100 to zero to focus on different aspects of the character.

The tool works best with characters made from Midjourney and is not designed for real people or photos, which may distort.

Testing the tool with a character created earlier shows it can adapt to different settings while maintaining character features.

The tool picked up on unintentional details like clothing color, demonstrating its attention to detail.

Experimenting with different prompts and settings shows the tool's versatility in generating character images.

The tool's ability to maintain character consistency across various prompts is a significant advantage.

Issues with color desaturation and unrealistic outputs, such as body parts being backwards, were noted.

Using the tool with a photo-realistic model and an animal character showed it can adapt key features effectively.

The tool struggled with specific animal features but maintained color and clothing consistency.

Suggestions to improve prompts for better results, such as specifying film stock or environment, are discussed.

The tool's performance with a squirrel character shows it can capture the outfit but may not perfectly match the original.

The potential for using the tool in combination with other AI programs like Magne Effect for added realism is highlighted.

The speaker expresses excitement and satisfaction with the tool's ability to bring characters to life consistently.

The tool's limitations are acknowledged, but the overall impression is positive, with a desire to continue exploring its capabilities.

The speaker concludes by emphasizing the excitement and potential of the new character reference tool from Midjourney.