Midjourney Beginners #1: How to steal the look of a masterpiece
You will see the world differently once you have learned how to use Midjourney
“Midjourney Beginners” is a new series of articles written for readers who are just getting started with Midjourney.
Anyone can make beautiful images with a few simple steps.
No complicated things here.
A visit to the Art Museum
Let's say you visit an art museum and are blown away by the stunning exhibits.
Admiring them from a distance, you may wonder what if you have the ability to create similar masterpieces to impress visitors and charge them a fee just to see your work.
Or, perhaps you have a better idea than the artist for improving that masterpiece, like changing the subject or aesthetic style to suit your preferences better.
What if the painting depicted a cat rather than a boring, sad person? What about changing the artwork's flowers from roses to hydrangeas? How about making the color more bluish? What happens if the artwork is inspired by Japanese rather than European aesthetics?
You can only imagine those intriguing ideas in your head.
A masterpiece is the result of years of training. Life is too short to devote years of training to mastering an art technique, and even if you did, there is no guarantee that you will achieve the same level of artistic mastery as famous artists to replicate their aesthetic style.
After all, perhaps your real question about that masterpiece is: what if the main subject is a cat?
Remake the masterpiece — your way
In a few simple steps, I'll show you how to steal the look of the masterpiece and recreate it using your imagination.
You only need a Midjourney subscription.
This is a photo I took with my phone during my last vacation in Nice, France.
You can find this magnificent piece at Ephrussi de Rothschild.
I can't remember if it's actually a fresco that was cut from the wall for preservation.
Never mind; let's use it as our masterpiece for demonstration purposes.
Simple steps for remaking the artwork
Take a photo and upload it to the Midjourney website.
Click on the uploaded image to select it as a reference.
Type what you want to see in the image. Then, click the paper clip to choose Style References.
Adjust the image's aspect ratio and then press Enter.
(1) Take a photo and upload it to the Midjourney website.
Go to the Midjourney Website.
To upload a photo, click the small picture icon on the Imagine Bar.
(2) Click on the uploaded image to select it as a reference.
After uploading the image, click on it to make it appear under the picture icon.
If you need help using the website, read the official guides here on Midjourney.
(3) Type what you want to see in the image. Then, click the paper clip to choose Style References.
Write what you would like to see in the prompt. Describe it visually.
Avoid using conversational prompts like "create a picture, generate an image…".
Instead, write something visual, such as "a cat with wings" or "an angelic cat playing guitar".
The Style Reference (--sref) feature can be activated by clicking the paper clip icon.
(4) Adjust the image's aspect ratio and press Enter.
The portrait size of the masterpiece works well with the portrait image.
So, select the 3:4 portrait ratio from the Settings menu.
Then press Enter to generate the image.
That is it!
The results
We now have the angel cats (or cat-like angels) playing music for us!
Same aesthetic style as the masterpiece, but reimagined to bring the imagination to life.
Click on the image you want to enlarge and download.
Change your mind? No problem!
Simply change the prompt.
For example, here’s the new prompt:
an angelic cat singing
This image is hilarious.
I also made a fun video clip of it using Runway.
While it is beyond the scope of Midjourney, it shows what current AI technology is capable of.
If you're interested, click and watch the video below.
Kitty is preparing to fly and destroy the world!
Key Learnings
You can mimic the appearance of any masterpiece you see around you. It could be a painting, an advertisement, a poster, or anything.
Midjourney allows you to recreate a new image based on your imagination in a few simple steps.
The Style References (Sref) feature is a quick and easy way to mimic the style of any image you like.
Don't limit your imagination; instead, experiment with the interesting images around you. The world offers an endless source of inspiration. Awaken your inner child by seeing the world through Midjourney's magical lenses!