Style Reference (SREF) Colour Grading in Midjourney

WeirdWonderful AI Art
2 Mar 202404:38

TLDRThis video tutorial demonstrates how to apply Hollywood-style color grading to images generated by Midjourney, an AI art creation tool, without manually performing color grading. The presenter explains that by using a reference image and the 'sref' argument in the prompt, Midjourney can replicate the color scheme and grading of the reference image in the generated artwork. The video showcases examples of images created with and without the style reference, highlighting the significant impact of the technique on the final appearance of the images. The presenter guides viewers on how to create a prompt with the 'sref' argument, followed by the URL of the reference image, to achieve desired color grading effects. The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to subscribe and engage with the content.

Takeaways

  • 🎨 Use a style reference (SREF) technique in Midjourney to apply color grading to your generated images without manual color grading.
  • 🌐 Find and source images that you want to use as a reference for the color grading.
  • 📎 Grab the URL of the reference image from the site where you found it.
  • 📝 Create a prompt that includes the style reference argument (sref) followed by the URL of your reference image.
  • 🖼️ The resulting images will have a color grade that resembles the reference image's color scheme.
  • 🚫 Compare the results with images generated without a style reference to see the difference in color grading.
  • 🔗 Showcasing how the style reference affects the image by using one URL at a time in the argument.
  • 🌟 The style reference argument (sref) allows you to supply one or more URLs to influence the color grading.
  • ⚙️ Midjourney uses the supplied style reference to stylize and apply the color grading of the reference image to your generated images.
  • 📉 The importance of the prompt is to guide Midjourney, but the style reference determines the color grading.
  • 📈 Write your prompt clearly with the sref tag and URL for Midjourney to replicate the desired color grading in the output.

Q & A

  • What is the main topic of the video?

    -The main topic of the video is how to apply color grading to your images using a technique in Midjourney that utilizes a reference image to influence the color grading of generated images.

  • What is a 'Style Reference' in the context of Midjourney?

    -A 'Style Reference' (SREF) in Midjourney is a technique where a reference image's color grading is used to style the generated images according to the color scheme and feel of the reference image.

  • How does one find and source images for color grading in Midjourney?

    -To find and source images for color grading, one needs to locate images they want to use as a reference for the color grading, grab the URL from the site where the image is hosted, and then use this URL in their prompt within Midjourney.

  • What is the purpose of the style reference argument in the prompt?

    -The style reference argument in the prompt allows you to supply one or more URLs of reference images. Midjourney then uses the color grading from these images to style the generated images accordingly.

  • How does the resulting image differ when a style reference is applied?

    -When a style reference is applied, the resulting image takes on the color grading, color scheme, and feel of the reference image provided in the prompt, making it resemble the style of the reference image.

  • What happens if no style reference is used in the image generation?

    -If no style reference is used, Midjourney generates the image based on the prompt alone, without any specific color grading or style influence from a reference image, resulting in an image that is styled according to Midjourney's own interpretation.

  • Can you use more than one URL for style reference in a single prompt?

    -Yes, you can supply one or more URLs for style reference in a single prompt, allowing Midjourney to blend or take elements from multiple reference images for the color grading of the generated image.

  • How does the process of using a style reference enhance the image generation experience?

    -Using a style reference enhances the image generation experience by allowing users to achieve a specific look or mood in their images that is inspired by a reference image, giving them more control over the final aesthetic of the generated content.

  • What is the command to include a style reference in the prompt?

    -The command to include a style reference in the prompt is 'sref', followed by a double hyphen '--', and then the URL of the reference image is pasted.

  • Is there a limit to how many style reference URLs one can include in a prompt?

    -The script does not specify a limit to the number of style reference URLs that can be included in a prompt. However, practical usage would depend on the capabilities of Midjourney and the desired complexity of the styling.

  • How does the color grading from the reference image impact the final image generated by Midjourney?

    -The color grading from the reference image significantly impacts the final image by replicating the color scheme, mood, and visual style of the reference image in the generated image, thus achieving a consistent look and feel as desired by the user.

  • What are some potential uses of the style reference technique in Midjourney?

    -The style reference technique can be used to create images with a cinematic look, match the aesthetic of a specific movie or artistic style, or to maintain a consistent visual theme across a series of images generated by Midjourney.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Color Grading with MidJourney's Style Reference

The video introduces a technique to achieve Hollywood-style color grading on images generated by MidJourney without manual color grading. The method involves using a reference image to dictate the color scheme and feel of the generated images. The host demonstrates how to source a reference image, extract its URL, and incorporate it into the MidJourney prompt using a specific argument (`--v 5 --s 750 --ar 16:9 --stylize 500 --sref`). The video provides before and after comparisons to illustrate the effectiveness of using a style reference, showing a significant difference in color grading between images generated with and without the reference. The process is simplified to just writing a prompt, using the `sref` argument, and supplying the URL of the reference image to have MidJourney replicate the color grading in the resulting image.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Color Grading

Color grading is the process of adjusting the color and tone of a visual work to achieve a specific look or mood. In the context of the video, it refers to applying a certain color scheme or style to images generated by an AI tool called Midjourney, to make them resemble a particular aesthetic, such as that of a Hollywood movie.

💡Midjourney

Midjourney is an AI tool that generates images based on textual prompts. The video discusses a technique where Midjourney uses a reference image to apply a specific color grading style to the generated images, thus creating a desired visual outcome.

💡Reference Image

A reference image is a visual example that serves as a guide or inspiration for a particular style or look. In the video, the reference image's color grading is used to influence the color scheme of the images created by Midjourney.

💡Style Reference Argument

The style reference argument, denoted as 'sref' in the video, is a command or parameter used within the prompt to tell Midjourney to apply the color grading style of a provided reference image to the generated output.

💡URL

URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator, which is a reference to a web resource that specifies its location on a computer network. In the context of the video, the URL of the reference image is used to source the image for Midjourney to apply its color grading style.

💡Prompt

A prompt is a textual input that guides the AI in generating an image. In the video, the prompt is used in conjunction with the style reference argument to describe the desired scene while ensuring the output image has the color grading of the reference image.

💡Aspect Ratio

Aspect ratio refers to the proportional relationship between the width and the height of an image or screen. While the video mentions aspect ratio, it notes that it's not always necessary to specify it when creating a prompt for Midjourney.

💡Mad Max

Mad Max is a reference to a movie franchise known for its distinctive visual style. In the video, it is used as an example of the type of aesthetic that the user might want to achieve with their generated images using Midjourney's color grading technique.

💡Screenshot

A screenshot is a digital image captured by a user from a computer or device's display. In the video, a screenshot from a movie is used as a reference image to demonstrate how the color grading of that specific scene can be replicated in the images generated by Midjourney.

💡Resulting Image

The resulting image is the final output generated by Midjourney after processing the prompt and applying the style reference. The video shows examples of resulting images to illustrate how effectively the color grading from a reference image can be transferred to the generated images.

💡Sraf Tag

The 'sraf' tag is a shorthand for the style reference argument in the context of the video. It is used in the prompt to signal to Midjourney that a reference image's URL should be used to apply a specific color grading style to the generated image.

Highlights

This video demonstrates how to color grade images in mid-journey to resemble Hollywood movie color grading.

A technique in mid-journey allows using a reference image's color grade to influence generated images.

The reference image's URL is used in the prompt to apply its color grading to the generated images.

The style reference argument (sref) is used in the prompt to include the URL of the reference image.

The video provides examples of images created with and without the style reference for comparison.

The resulting images with style reference closely match the color scheme and grading of the reference image.

The process is simple: write a prompt, include the sref argument, and paste the reference image URL.

The video shows how mid-journey generates images quickly using the style reference technique.

The prompt's effectiveness is demonstrated by comparing images generated with and without a style reference.

The color grading from a specific movie scene can be replicated in the resulting images using this method.

The video explains how to use the sref tag in the prompt to apply style reference.

Multiple reference images can be supplied using the sref argument for a more complex color grade.

The video provides a step-by-step guide on how to create prompts with style reference for mid-journey.

The technique can be used to achieve a desired look in images generated by mid-journey.

The video concludes with a demonstration of the style reference technique and its results.

The viewer is encouraged to like, comment, and subscribe for more informative content.

The video offers practical applications of color grading in mid-journey for creative projects.