BAB 03

03 - Midjourney untuk Character Design: Reference Sheets, Turnarounds, Expressions

Estimasi Waktu: 45 menit Level: Intermediate

Kenapa Midjourney?

Midjourney masih jadi gold standard untuk AI image generation di 2025-2026, terutama untuk character design. Alasannya:

  1. Kualitas estetik — render style paling “sinematik” dibanding tools lain
  2. —cref (Character Reference) — fitur khusus untuk konsistensi karakter
  3. —sref (Style Reference) — lock style visual antar generasi
  4. Seed control — reprodusibilitas untuk iterasi
  5. Community — Discord-based, bisa lihat dan belajar dari prompt orang lain

Setup Midjourney

Akun & Subscription

  1. Daftar di midjourney.com
  2. Pilih plan (Basic ~$10, Standard ~$30, Pro ~$60)
  3. Recommendation: Standard Plan ($30) — cukup untuk 15+ jam generasi cepat
  4. Join Discord server atau pakai web interface (alpha)

Parameter Penting

--ar <ratio>     Aspect ratio (--ar 16:9, --ar 3:2, --ar 2:3)
--seed <number>  Lock seed untuk konsistensi
--style <value>  Style strength (0-1000)
--stylize <val>  MJ stylization (0-1000)
--cref <url>     Character reference (LOCK character identity)
--sref <url>     Style reference (LOCK visual style)
--v 6.1          Gunakan versi terbaru
--q 1            Quality (0.25, 0.5, 1, 2)

Prompt Template: Character Sheet

Ini template produksi standar. Yang di dalam [BRACKETS] lo ganti:

Character reference sheet of a single consistent [MALE/FEMALE] character,
presented on a pure clean deep neutral grey (#3a3a3c) seamless studio
background, clean editorial layout arranged in three vertical sections,
horizontal landscape composition read left to right, identical character
identity, lighting and color grading across every panel for perfect
consistency:

— COLUMN 1 (largest, leftmost): chest-up portrait, front view, head and
  upper chest in frame, sharp focus on the eyes, soft catchlights in both
  eyes.

— COLUMN 2: full-body front view, standing relaxed neutral A-pose, arms
  slightly away from the body, weight evenly distributed, full figure
  head-to-toe inside the frame with even margins.

— COLUMN 3 (rightmost): full-body back view, same standing pose mirrored,
  showing hair fall, back posture, garment fit and shoe heels.

CHARACTER: [DETAILED CHARACTER DESCRIPTION — age, height, face shape,
eyes, hair, skin, build, clothing, expression]

LIGHTING: clean soft even studio lighting, large diffused key light with
gentle fill, soft natural shadows, no harsh highlights, true-to-life skin
tones, neutral white balance, 8k.

Contoh: Karakter “Maya”

Character reference sheet of a single consistent female character,
presented on a pure clean deep neutral grey (#3a3a3c) seamless studio
background, clean editorial layout arranged in three vertical sections,
horizontal landscape composition read left to right, identical character
identity, lighting and color grading across every panel for perfect
consistency:

— COLUMN 1 (largest, leftmost): chest-up portrait, front view, head and
  upper chest in frame, sharp focus on the eyes, soft catchlights in both
  eyes.

— COLUMN 2: full-body front view, standing relaxed neutral A-pose, arms
  slightly away from the body, weight evenly distributed, full figure
  head-to-toe inside the frame with even margins.

— COLUMN 3 (rightmost): full-body back view, same standing pose mirrored,
  showing hair fall, back posture, garment fit and shoe heels.

CHARACTER: woman, mid-20s, Indonesian, height ~165cm, oval face with soft
jawline, warm brown almond-shaped eyes, natural straight black hair past
shoulders, light warm brown skin, slim build, wearing a simple white linen
shirt and dark jeans, neutral calm expression with slight smile.

LIGHTING: clean soft even studio lighting, large diffused key light with
gentle fill, soft natural shadows, no harsh highlights, true-to-life skin
tones, neutral white balance, 8k.
--ar 16:9 --v 6.1 --style raw

Iterasi & Refinement

  1. Generate 4 versi — Midjourney kasih 4 opsi per prompt
  2. Pilih yang terbaik — cek mata, simetri, tekstur kulit
  3. Upscale (U1-U4) — perbesar yang dipilih
  4. Variasi (V1-V4) — kalau ada yang hampir bagus, bikin variasi
  5. Reroll — kalau 4 opsi gak ada yang bagus
  6. Remix — edit prompt, keep komposisi

Character Consistency dengan —cref

Fitur --cref (character reference) adalah game changer. Caranya:

  1. Generate character sheet
  2. Ambil URL gambar hasil generate
  3. Prompt berikutnya tambahin --cref <URL>
  4. Midjourney akan lock identitas karakter!
# Contoh: generate scene dengan karakter yang sama
/imagine prompt: Maya sitting in a coffee shop, afternoon light, cinematic
--cref https://cdn.midjourney.com/xxx/character-sheet.png --ar 16:9

Aturan Karakter Tahan Cacat (Seedance-Proof)

Ini aturan dari pipeline produksi profesional:

  1. Miringkan potret — 3/4 angle lebih baik dari frontal datar untuk baca volume kepala
  2. Mata jangan hitam polos — warna iris harus jelas, Seedance butuh info cahaya
  3. Catchlight wajib — pantulan cahaya di mata, tanpa ini mata terlihat mati
  4. Pecahkan simetri — wajah asli gak simetris sempurna
  5. Jangan pakai style 3D game — gerakan jadi kaku kayak rekaman game
  6. Potong kepala di full body panel — wajah di panel full body sering rusak. Potong kepalanya, biar Seedance ambil data wajah dari panel potret yang paling detail

Latihan

  1. Bikin 3 karakter beda (pria, wanita, karakter fantasi)
  2. Generate character sheet masing-masing
  3. Cek semua aturan di atas
  4. Generate 1 scene per karakter pakai —cref
  5. Bandingkan: mana yang paling konsisten? Kenapa?

Target: 3 character sheet yang siap jadi input video generation.