How SREF Codes on Midlibrary Work in Midjourney

Updated

Midlibrary maps thousands of Midjourney artistic styles to unique SREF (style reference) codes, and each style entry on the site gives you a ready-to-copy SREF code plus a sample prompt. To use one, copy the code from a style entry and add it to your own Midjourney prompt with the --sref parameter, then adjust your subject text as needed. This works best when you treat the code as a style layer on top of your own prompt rather than as a complete prompt by itself.

What a SREF code is

A SREF code is a reference identifier that tells Midjourney to borrow the visual style of a particular image or style set. Midlibrary's role is to catalog styles — artists, artistic techniques, art movements, titles, and more — and attach a unique reference code to each one so you don't have to hunt for a source image yourself.

According to the site, the library currently represents 4,000 artistic styles with unique reference codes, alongside 5,505 categories covering artists, techniques, and movements. The catalog spans Midjourney versions from V6.1 through niji, so a code's behavior can differ depending on which model version you're generating with.

How to use a code from Midlibrary

  1. Find a style. Browse the Art styles or SREF codes sections, or open a category such as Illustrators, Fashion Designers, or General Modifiers. Each entry shows a sample image and the style name (for example, "Vermiculation texture" or "Hajime Sorayama").
  2. Copy the code. Each entry has a Copy SREF code action. There is also a Copy prompt action that gives you the prompt used to produce the sample image.
  3. Paste into your prompt. Add the code to your own prompt using the --sref parameter, keeping your subject description as the main text.
  4. Generate and compare. Run the prompt and compare the output against the sample image on the entry. If the style is too strong or too weak, adjust the style weight or rephrase your subject.

The expected result is an image that keeps your subject and composition intent while adopting the reference style's palette, rendering, and texture.

A concrete example

Suppose you want a portrait in the style of the "Vermiculation texture" entry under General Modifiers. You would copy that entry's SREF code, write a prompt describing your portrait subject, and append the code with --sref. The sample prompt from the entry is useful as a baseline: run it unchanged first to confirm the style reads the way the sample shows, then swap in your own subject.

What else the library gives you

Beyond individual codes, Midlibrary organizes styles into compilations and "In Focus" series, and it offers tools such as Personal Style Libraries, Color Roulette, Style Benchmark 3, and Style Roulette. These are useful when you want to explore variations rather than commit to a single code. The site also publishes guides — for example, on upscaling AI art for printing and on moving Midjourney generations into 3D models — which help when a style needs to survive into a final output format.

Practical caveats

  • Model version matters. A code tuned for one Midjourney version may render differently in another. Check which version an entry was built for before assuming a mismatch is your prompt's fault.
  • Codes are style references, not style guarantees. Midjourney interprets the reference; it does not reproduce the source image exactly. Expect variation across generations.
  • Sample images are AI-made. Midlibrary states that its images are created by its team using Midjourney and are not representative of real artists' works or real-world prototypes. Treat entries as style approximations, not authoritative reproductions.
  • Saving has limits. The collection feature shows a counter (15 / 25 in the site's interface) and prompts you to upgrade your tier to save more styles or add more collections. The site also asks for Patreon support to keep the library free. Pricing and account requirements beyond these signals aren't specified on the page, so check the site directly if saving capacity matters to you.

When this approach fits

Use Midlibrary's SREF codes when you already know the look you want and need a reliable starting reference — for consistent series work, for matching a client's visual direction, or for exploring a named artist or movement without sourcing images yourself. If you're still deciding on a direction, start with the compilations and In Focus pages to narrow the field before copying individual codes.