Midjourney v7: what happened to the character reference

Midjourney v7 changed a familiar workflow for anyone who puts their own likeness into generations. The --cref parameter (character reference) has been removed in v7: old prompts that use it simply fail. On NeuralBox the default version is now v8.2 — pick v7 in the version list to follow this guide.

Character reference itself hasn't gone anywhere — it just works differently. This post explains how, and why NeuralBox users don't have to relearn anything.

Before and after

In v6.1 and earlier, the character reference was set with the --cref parameter and an image URL at the end of the prompt. v7 doesn't support this parameter. Instead it uses an image prompt: the image link goes at the start of the prompt, and the model uses it as a reference for appearance.

If you run an old prompt with --cref in v7 directly, the generation fails with an error. That's why so many people found their character "stopped working" once v7 became the default.

NeuralBox handles this automatically

You don't need to remember which version uses which syntax: upload a photo to the character reference field, and NeuralBox inserts the right syntax for the selected version. For v7 that's an image prompt at the start of the prompt; for v6.1 and earlier, the classic --cref.

The reference file can be up to 10 MB. All other parameters work in v7 as before: --ar (aspect ratio), --sref (style reference), --no (exclusions), --stylize and --chaos.

Pricing

Every Midjourney generation is the standard grid of 4 images. No subscription: you pay with tokens from your balance. Prices are on the Basic plan ($5 = 150,000 tokens); on higher plans tokens are up to 40% cheaper.

How to try it

Go to the Images tab → Midjourney, select v7, upload a photo to the character reference field and describe the scene ("riding a motorcycle through neon city at night --ar 16:9"). In a minute or two you get 4 variations with your likeness.

A detailed overview of the model, all parameters and an FAQ are on the Midjourney on NeuralBox page.