It’s ALIVE! How to Use Midjourney Seed for Consistent Imagery

Imagine you’re embarking on a creative journey to bring the Bride of Frankenstein to life on screen. The AI-generated, very small screen for a very very short film using a few really cool AI tools like ChatGPT, Runway Gen-2, Kaiber, ElevenLabs, and Filmora 12. All my personal faves. Like The Bride herself is one of my personal faves. (I was weened on the Universal Monsters crew of the 1940s, and while my heart belongs to my dearest Dracula, I just really vibe with The Bride. #gothgoals.) Her character, iconic and enigmatic, deserves to be rendered consistently throughout this project. However, the creative process in Midjourney, while offering the promise of effortless AI artistry, often introduces an unpredictable twist: the default settings, designed for swift and diverse results, can sometimes hinder the quest for visual consistency. So, I have two words for you: Midjourney Seed.

What’s that?

Hang tight, I’ll explain.

The Consistency Conundrum and the Midjourney Seed

Picture this scenario: you issue a prompt, seeking to conjure the Bride of Frankenstein in all her gothic allure. Midjourney responds with an image that perfectly encapsulates your vision of her mystique. C’est magnifique! But now you have a problem. You’re telling a story. An illustrative story, and the Bride needs to look like the same bride the whole way through.

So you roll a few vary prompts, and get a few more similar options. Cool. But you still have a problem when it comes to the next scene in the narrative.

commercial photography of the Bride of Frankenstein --ar 16:9

So, how do you get lightening to strike twice? Thoughts and prayers, my friends. Because you know when you paste that ridiculously simplistic prompt above into your own Midjourney command, you’re going to get something completely different. Nature of the beast.

Still, you go into deep analysis mode, and try to keep as many of the same prompt parameters as you can, while changing only the subject of the image. You cross your fingers and toes, sacrifice to the algorithm gods, and roll the prompt again, hoping to continue your visual tale…

But you’re met with a completely different Bride… or in this case… brides.

commercial photography of the Bride of Frankenstein trapped in a spooky laboratory --ar 16:9

Okay, so you’re thinking I set myself up with such a broad, non-specific prompt. But it doesn’t matter. Why? Because at the heart of Midjourney’s creative process lies a notion of randomness. And while this randomness offers a spectrum of creative possibilities, it challenges those of us on the quest for continuity.

With every invocation, Midjourney selects a new seed value, leading to a fresh interpretation. This seed value, which is numerical, molds the intricate “noise” pattern that defines your visual creation and influences the consistency of your generated imagery.

Thus, unlocking the mysteries behind the Midjourney seed is your key to crafting more consistent images.

But HOW?!

I’m getting to that. Hold your horses.

Understanding the Midjourney Seed Command

At its core, a Midjourney seed is a numerical guide that helps navigate your creative journey within the AI system. The actual number assigned to the seed holds no intrinsic significance; its role is to infuse an element of randomness into your creative endeavors. However, this very randomness also signifies that with each prompt, Midjourney selects a fresh seed value, resulting in a novel interpretation of your artistic vision.

By wielding the seed command, --seed, you regain control over your creative narrative. Using the “seed” parameter and specifying the seed number of the job you want to use as the model for consistency, you set the stage for more consistent results. And here’s the magic – when you revisit your prompt, armed with the same seed, the image unfolds with more precision, aligning far better with your storytelling vision.

Like so:

Here lie 3 new prompts, all using the same seed.

Here’s the thing though, and you can probably see it a bit in the results; seed numbers aren’t etched in stone; they possess an ephemeral nature, subject to change between sessions. While seeds will give your creations similarity, they don’t promise identical results, especially when tinkering with other facets of your prompt. So expect to still roll through some trial and error to get what you want.

Despite that, the look and feel of the consistently seeded outputs will clearly produce a much more cohesive final product.

Because without it, The Bride might look like this:

Okay, But… HOW

It’s cute, actually. It’s all about an emoji. ✉️

Here are the steps:

• Head up to your original job.
• If you did some remixes, etc, it’s not going to work. At least not in my experience. See how the prompt in the last pic says “white streak?” That was a remix prompt, and the seed I got from that didn’t work right. I had to backtrack and grab the seed from the original upscale.
• In the right corner, you’ll see “add reaction.”
• You need to reply directly to the Midjourney Bot this way, and not in the normal thread reply where you /imagine, etc.
• Find the envelope emoji.
• To summon this mystical missive, venture to the upper right corner and select the envelope emoji (or simply type “envelope”).
• Click the envelope to send the emoji to the bot.
• The Midjourney Bot is the seed courier, delivering both the Seed and the Job ID when you give it this emoji.
• Copy the seed number, and tack it onto the end of your prompt using --seed
• FYI --sameseed is no longer compatible with Midjourney version 5.2
• Then generate your image.
• Voilà! (Sort of. You will still need to work with your prompts to achieve the overall look even with your seed. Midjourney is gonna Midjourney.)

Seed Issues? PRO-TIP

If you run into an issue where the seed seems to have run out of its magic power after your session has long since ended, or your partner came in and generated an Instagram’s worth of content for an AI Autumn challenge overnight, head back to your original job and reroll it a couple of times with the regenerate button.

Then repeat the seeding process with one of the grid results (the 4 images, not an upscale.) These two grid results both have the overall vibe I’m shooting for and the look of the Bride. With a new seed in hand, start prompting again. You should see an improvement in your results.

commercial photography of the bride of Frankenstein, scared of Frankenstein MONSTER --ar 16:9 --seed 1085198378

photography of the BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, spooky castle hallways, gauzy white dress with long train, hazy blue light, mist, cinematic --ar 16:9 --seed 1085198378

As you can see, the results depending on the prompt can vary, but overall, it still looks like we’re in the same world with the same style.

Once More Unto the Breach, Dear Friends

The Midjourney Seed finds its purpose in character consistency. When your narrative hinges on a steadfast portrayal, seeds become your saving grace. Your little numerical companions, that when invoked, yield more dependable results in your creative pursuits.

And speaking of, if you’re wondering where this whole Bride thing is going and how her story turns out when I let ChatGPT take a stab at writing it–that’s coming up in a future blog. Stay tuned.

Until then, go forth–and may the seed be ever in your favor.

Keep an eye on Pink Horn’s Spooky Season for more great tips and tricks about bringing monsters to life.