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July 1, 2026

Midjourney Info 21 — Week of June 29th, 2026

What’s Happening with Midjourney, Art Styles, Artists, SREF IDs and Moodboards

By David Bates

19 min read

Here is my "What's Happening at Midjourney" article for this week. Let me know if I missed anything.

Contents

  1. Midjourney News and Recap
  2. 10 New Art Styles and Artists with Gemini and Midjourney
  3. 24 SREF IDs Shared by A Midjourney User on X
  4. View 23 Moodboards and Blended Moodboards

Midjourney News (since MJ Info 20)

  1. Update (06/25/26) — Adding SREF Random to Draft Mode

Quick explanation you can add the sref random parameter ("dash-dash-sref (space) random") to your draft prompts and it will return draft images created with random style references (SREFs).

Here is the announcement on the Midjourney website.

I wrote a quick read article about this feature which includes a walk-through and 24 new SREF codes for you.

  1. Office Hours Recap for Meeting on July 1st, 2026

Here are my notes from the meeting:

Here are the priority items that the Midjourney team is working on. They are very similar to things David spoke about last week with maybe a few more small details.

The first priority is to officially release v8.2. David indicated that he thought it would be this week or early next week. He also said they were planning to push a updated version after the meeting today that could be tested with the "preview" option. He said that it would become the default version but that v8.1 would still be available.

He mentioned that he believed more users were trying the preview option, and that he hoped more people would use the "draft" option.

The final thing that he said about v8.2 was that they were considering release a new version of the "weird" command as part of v8.2.

The next priority is the new edit model. This will most likely be released in increments. The editing using an image reference would be the first step, followed by a sort-of omni-reference editing. These would lead to inpainting and outpainting options, and finally the full edit workflow would be released.

Some new-editing interfaces will be introduced as the feature develops. He said that currently 12 team members were working on this. No firm release date was mentioned.

The team is also working on starting some early training runs for V9.

A redesign of website is also being worked on. He said that most of this work would appear in new sidebar interfaces and prompt bar interfaces. Also he said that they were experimenting with some "pill" buttons. I imagine these would be used to toggle between some options/features.

David hoped that the move to v8.2 would be soon and smooth so that he could turn his focus from v8.2 and Midjourney medical hardware to a new real-time image creation interface that would significantly change the generation workflow. He said that he was interested in forming a new team to accomplish this — work on this new capability is expected to continue over the next few months.

As far as the new Midjourney medical department is concerned, he said that there would be new blog posts about the hardware coming soon. And that a "behind the scenes" video about the process of developing the hardware was in the works being lead by a MJ team member named Marcin.

Note: People in the #vc-text channel responded that Marcin was known for creating videos for his Youtube channel. Someone posted that his name was Marcin Plaza and that his channel was at https://www.youtube.com/@MarcinPlaza.

Two other things mentioned by David were that they are exploring new ways that users can earn fast hours, and that they are considering adding some places where quick low resolution previews could be generated on the fly.

Finally, he mentioned that development continues on the next hardware product. Release is targeted for the coming months.

In the question and answer session, there were lots of questions speculating about what the other hardware project could be — David didn't give any specifics other than the other projects were not medical in nature.

It was unusual but he also said that he expected the new "oref" editing feature would be released in the next two weeks.

I'll wrap things up there.

So the take away — the v8.2 release and the new editor are the clear priorities for the next few weeks at Midjourney.

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Discovering New Art Styles and Artists with Gemini and Midjourney

Each week I view and scrape text from a lot of prompts. My goal is finding Style Reference IDs, moodboard codes, and profile codes that I can use for creating new images and add to my learning. One other thing that I look for is new art styles and the names of unfamiliar artist that I can explore.

I paste the items I scrape each day into a plain text document where I keep my notes for each day. I often find prompts that have text in the form "in the style of …". This could be "in the style of" (the name of some art style) or "in the style of" (the name of an artist), or "in the style of" (the name of an artistic technique).

Here are a few examples.

// art styles or techniques
    in the style of Folk Art
    in the style of Baroque Art
    in the style of Dutch Realism
    in the style of Pointillism
    in the style of Brutalistic Architecture
    in the style of Paper Quilling

// artists
    in the style of Alphonse Mucha
    in the style of Salvador Dalí
    in the style of Yayoi Kusama

Note: Some of these examples are styles and artists that I already know, but here is my process when I find new ones.

Usually when I find a style that I am not familiar with I do a google search or ask a chatbot for some information about the style or artist.

Here is an example of asking Gemini about artists known for creating folk art.

Here is the prompt I used: "Can you create a short list of artists that are known for creating folk art?"

Gemini gave me two choices of answers — here is a screen capture of Choice A.

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Gemini gave me a list of 5 artists (Grandma Moses, Maud Lewis, Clementine Hunter, Bill Traylor, and Niko Pirosmani) and provided a short description of each one. From here I could explore each artist, or I could ask for more suggestions or I could just continue searching for more information.

I did ask Gemini to "supply a one sentence definition or explanation of the style, and a typical subject found in the art" for each of the seven styles/techniques listed above. I planned to use that information to create a prompt for Midjourney to illustrate each style. (I have included Gemini's response under each image below.) The prompts are also included for each image.

Style Image #1 for: Folk Art

None 
a painting of a Vermont village, in the style of Folk Art
--v 8.1 --ar 7:3 --stylize 420

Gemini-Definition: Art created by indigenous, self-taught, or working-class artists that is deeply rooted in community traditions, decorative utility, and a vibrant, non-traditional perspective rather than formal academic training. Gemini-Typical Subject: Rural landscapes, local community celebrations, family portraits, and stylized animals or floral patterns.

Style Image #2 for: Renaissance Oil Painting

None 
a biblical mural of Adam and Eve fleeing the Garden of Eden,
in the style of Renaissance Oil Painting --v 8.1 --ar 7:3 --stylize 420

Gemini-Definition: A classical European style characterized by the mastery of oil blending, linear perspective, and human anatomy to achieve a harmonious, realistic, and highly structured composition. Gemini-Typical Subject: Religious narratives, mythological scenes, and high-status portraits of nobility.

Style Image #3 for: Baroque Art

None 
a painting of a group of musicians playing music by Johann Sebastian Bach
in the style of Baroque Art --v 8.1 --ar 7:3 --stylize 420

Gemini-Definition: A highly dramatic style designed to evoke intense emotion through exaggerated movement, tension, grandeur, and stark, high-contrast lighting known as "chiaroscuro". Gemini-Typical Subject: Dynamic Biblical battles, intense martyrdoms, and dramatic mythological transformations.

Style Image #4 for: Dutch Realism

None 
a lavish still life of an elegant table painted
in the style of Dutch Realism --v 8.1 --ar 7:3 --stylize 420

Gemini-Definition: A 17th-century style focused on an incredibly precise, unidealized recording of the physical world and the interplay of soft, natural light on everyday objects and spaces. Gemini-Typical Subject: Lavish still lifes (often with food, silver, and peeled lemons), domestic interior scenes, and coastal landscapes.

Style Image #5 for: Pointillism

None 
a painting of Paris with the Eiffel tower in the distance painted
in the style of Pointillism --v 8.1 --ar 7:3 --stylize 420

Gemini-Definition: A post-impressionist technique where tiny, distinct dots of pure color are applied in patterns to a canvas, relying on the viewer's eye to optically blend the colors together from a distance. Gemini-Typical Subject: Leisurely Parisian parks, riverbanks, landscapes, and tranquil seaside harbors.

Style Image #6 for: Brutalistic Architecture

None 
a row of government buildings in the style
of Brutalistic Architecture --v 8.1 --ar 7:3 --stylize 420

Gemini-Definition: An architectural movement characterized by massive, monolithic structures featuring block-like geometric forms and raw, unadorned poured concrete. Gemini-Typical Subject: Large-scale civic buildings, university libraries, public housing complexes, and government headquarters.

Style Image #7 for: Paper Quilling

None 
a simple floral pattern in the style of Paper Quilling
--v 8.1 --ar 7:3 --stylize 420

Gemini-Definition: A delicate craft and art form that involves rolling, shaping, and gluing narrow strips of colored paper together to create intricate, three-dimensional decorative designs. Gemini-Typical Subject: Ornate floral arrangements, birds, typographic monograms, and swirling abstract patterns.

For this section I did similar research using Gemini. I asked for a one sentence definition of the artist, and a list of subjects for their art. From this information I put together a prompt and created the images. The prompt and the Gemini information are included below the images.

Artist Image #8: Alphonse Mucha (1860 — 1939)

None 
an illustration in the style of Alphonse Mucha, featuring a glamorous
woman with cascading, swirling auburn hair, she wears an intricate
crown of lilies and poppies and is encircled by an elegant curved
halo embedded with the signs of the zodiac, her robes are decorated
with complex botanical patterns and winding vines, the color palette
is composed of pastel creams, golds, and soft greens
--v 8.1 --ar 7:3 --s 420

Gemini-Style Definition: A defining figure of the Art Nouveau movement, Mucha's style features elegant, flowing curvilinear lines, organic decorative motifs, and a distinct pastel color palette that harmonizes fine art with commercial design.

Gemini-Typical Subjects:

  • Glamorous, idealized women with cascading, swirling hair ("macaroni hair")
  • Botanical elements like winding vines, lilies, and intricate floral crowns
  • Allegorical representations of the seasons, times of day, or the arts
  • Stylized halos, zodiac symbols, and decorative borders

Link: The Mucha Foundation Art Museum website

Artist Image #9: Salvador Dalí (1904 — 1989)

None 
a hyper-realistic oil painting in the style of Salvador Dalí,
capturing a vast, arid Catalan desert landscape, a solitary melting
clock droops limply over the gnarled limb of a dead tree, while
long-legged elephants and a giraffe move across the plain under
a hallucinatory, high-contrast sky, a hollowed-out human figure,
supported by crutches and featuring open drawers in its chest,
stands nearby, while a swarm of ants gathers at its base
--v 8.1 --ar 7:3 --s 420

Gemini-Style Definition: A master of Surrealism, Dalí used a meticulous, hyper-realistic painting technique to render bizarre, dreamlike imagery and illogical, subconscious landscapes with hallucinatory precision.

Gemini-Typical Subjects:

  • Melting pocket watches and distorted, fluid clocks
  • Spindly, long-legged elephants and giraffes on fire
  • Barren, expansive desert landscapes mirroring his native Catalonia
  • Crutches supporting deformed figures, swarms of ants, and hollowed-out human bodies with open drawers

Link: Dalí Theatre-Museum website

Artist Image #10: Yayoi Kusama (1929 — )

None 
a vibrant, immersive art installation in the style of Yayoi Kusama,
transforming a massive room into an infinite psychological space,
the entire environment is completely covered in a dense, obsessive
pattern of red and black polka dots, mirrors cover all surfaces,
creating a dizzying, endless reflection of the dots, sculptures,
and glowing LED lights, evoking a sense of self-obliteration
and infinity
--v 8.1 --ar 7:3 --s 420

Gemini-Style Definition: Rooted in Pop Art, Minimalism, and Psychedelia, Kusama's avant-garde style centers on the obsessive repetition of patterns — particularly dots — to explore themes of infinity, self-obliteration, and psychological spaces.

Gemini-Typical Subjects:

  • Bulbous, brightly colored pumpkins covered in black polka dots
  • "Infinity Nets" consisting of dense, endless meshes of painted loops
  • Soft-sculpture fabric protrusions covering furniture and rooms
  • Immersive "Infinity Mirror Rooms" filled with glowing LED lights, mirrors, or giant polka-dot balloons

Link: Yayoi Kusama Museum website

Let's move on to more Midjourney information. Next, some SREF IDs from a Midjourney user on X.

24 SREF Image Grids Shared By Morph on X

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I discover lots of new SREF IDs from following users on X. Today's offering of 24 SREF IDs was shared by Morph Morph_VGArt (https://x.com/Morph_VGart between 4/15/26 and 4/21/26. They are very unique.

Set 1

Image Grid #1: from Morph using SREF ID: 56141458

None

Image Grid #2: from Morph using SREF ID: 141232651

None

Image Grid #3: from Morph using SREF ID: 229044201

None

Image Grid #4: from Morph using SREF ID: 549391642

None

Image Grid #5: from Morph using SREF ID: 948739541

None 
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 56141458  --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 141232651 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 229044201 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 549391642 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 948739541 --preview

Set 2

Image Grid #6: from Morph using SREF ID: 1104397207

None

Image Grid #7: from Morph using SREF ID: 1331514681

None

Image Grid #8: from Morph using SREF ID: 1400136435

None

Image Grid #9: from Morph using SREF ID: 1532199919

None

Image Grid #10: from Morph using SREF ID: 1641905864

None 
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 1104397207 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 1331514681 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 1400136435 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 1532199919 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 1641905864 --preview

Set 3

Image Grid #11: from Morph using SREF ID: 1769649831

None

Image Grid #12: from Morph using SREF ID: 1861077304

None

Image Grid #13: from Morph using SREF ID: 1883816117

None

Image Grid #14: from Morph using SREF ID: 2158338020

None

Image Grid #15: from Morph using SREF ID: 2307097892

None 
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 1769649831 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 1861077304 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 1883816117 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 2158338020 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 2307097892 --preview

Set 4

Image Grid #16: from Morph using SREF ID: 2801418750

None

Image Grid #17: from Morph using SREF ID: 3076540856

None

Image Grid #18: from Morph using SREF ID: 3159818705

None

Image Grid #19: from Morph using SREF ID: 3558339922

None

Image Grid #20: from Morph using SREF ID: 3683026025

None 
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 2801418750 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 3076540856 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 3159818705 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 3558339922 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 3683026025 --preview

Set 5

Image Grid #21: from Morph using SREF ID: 3707808371

None

Image Grid #22: from Morph using SREF ID: 3761057541

None

Image Grid #23: from Morph using SREF ID: 4091546144

None

Image Grid #24: from Morph using SREF ID: 4174157927

None 
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 3707808371 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 3761057541 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 4091546144 --preview
. --v 8.1 --ar 3:2 --420 --sref 4174157927 --preview

All of the SREF IDs from this section in an easy to copy list:

--sref 56141458
--sref 141232651
--sref 229044201
--sref 549391642
--sref 948739541
--sref 1104397207
--sref 1331514681
--sref 1400136435
--sref 1532199919
--sref 1641905864
--sref 1769649831
--sref 1861077304
--sref 1883816117
--sref 2158338020
--sref 2307097892
--sref 2801418750
--sref 3076540856
--sref 3159818705
--sref 3558339922
--sref 3683026025
--sref 3707808371
--sref 3761057541
--sref 4091546144
--sref 4174157927

Thank you Morph! And now the final part of this article with a group of Moodboards and Blended Moodboards.

A Collection of 23 Individual Moodboard Codes and Moodboard Blends Using 2 and 3 Codes

I have said it many times but I will risk saying it again, "Moodboards are one of my favorite features of Midjourney. This banner image sums it up for me.

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If you are not familiar with them, or using them to facilitate creating your images you owe to yourself to learn a little about them. Here is a link to the Moodboard page in the Midjourney documentation. And here is an article about Creating Your Own Moodboards.

The 3 galleries below made with moodboards use text prompts for portraits, still lifes, and houses.

Each image grid in this section shows four sample images created using each moodboard.

Set 1

Portrait Image #1: using moodboard code: bmplx35

None

Portrait Image #2: using moodboard code: bnux2of

None

Portrait Image #3: using moodboard code: bybed8v

None

Portrait Image #4: using moodboard code: c7pocvd

None

Portrait Image #5: using moodboard code: dcrxyvq

None 
a portrait --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile bmplx35 --preview
a portrait --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile bnux2of --preview
a portrait --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile bybed8v --preview
a portrait --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile c7pocvd --preview
a portrait --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile dcrxyvq --preview

Set 2

Portrait Image #6: using moodboard code: eq5mjq7

None

Portrait Image #7: using moodboard code: f4ozm4y

None

Portrait Image #8: using moodboard code: gc9t2rn

None

Portrait Image #9: using moodboard code: gtv87c6

None

Portrait Image #10: using moodboard code: h1amheb

None 
a portrait --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile eq5mjq7 --preview
a portrait --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile f4ozm4y --preview
a portrait --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile gc9t2rn --preview
a portrait --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile gtv87c6 --preview
a portrait --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile h1amheb --preview

In this section, the first image in each set is blended with 2 moodboards. The next two images in the set were made with the individual codes.

Set 3

Still Image #11: using 2 blended moodboard codes: i3ob61k 6qlzn9s

None

Still Image #12: using moodboard code: i3ob61k

None

Still Image #13: using moodboard code: 6qlzn9s

None 
a still life --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500
--profile i3ob61k 6qlzn9s --preview

a still life --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile i3ob61k --preview
a still life --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile 6qlzn9s --preview

Set 4

Still Image #14: using 2 blended moodboard codes: wqlzknb qhujzpw

None

Still Image #15: using moodboard code: wqlzknb

None

Still Image #16: using moodboard code: qhujzpw

None 
a still life --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500
--profile wqlzknb qhujzpw --preview

a still life --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile wqlzknb --preview
a still life --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile qhujzpw --preview

Set 5

Still Image #17: using 2 blended moodboard codes: zhv8auz pq8gqpk

None

Still Image #18: using moodboard code: zhv8auz

None

Still Image #19: using moodboard code: pq8gqpk

None 
a still life --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500
--profile zhv8auz pq8gqpk --preview

a still life --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile zhv8auz --preview
a still life --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile pq8gqpk --preview

In this section, the first image in each set is blended with 3 moodboards. The next three images in the set were made with the individual codes.

Set 6

House Image #20: using 3 blended moodboard codes: 26o3osp tfniopk zj6dp62

None

House Image #21: using moodboard code: 26o3osp

None

House Image #22: using moodboard code: tfniopk

None

House Image #23: using moodboard code: zj6dp62

None 
a house --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500
--profile 26o3osp tfniopk zj6dp62 --preview

a house --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile 26o3osp --preview
a house --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile tfniopk --preview
a house --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile zj6dp62 --preview

Set 7

House Image #24: using 3 blended moodboard codes: i1hqbj3 fnycgg2 qhujzpw

None

House Image #25: using moodboard code: i1hqbj3

None

House Image #26: using moodboard code: fnycgg2

None

House Image #27: using moodboard code: qhujzpw

None 
a house --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500
--profile i1hqbj3 fnycgg2 qhujzpw --preview

a house --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile i1hqbj3 --preview
a house --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile fnycgg2 --preview
a house --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile qhujzpw --preview

Set 8

House Image #28: using 3 blended moodboard codes: rl8novg irb5uix zj6dp62

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House Image #29: using moodboard code: rl8novg

None

House Image #30: using moodboard code: irb5uix

None

House Image #31: using moodboard code: zj6dp62

None 
a house --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500
--profile rl8novg irb5uix zj6dp62 --preview

a house --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile rl8novg --preview
a house --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile irb5uix --preview
a house --v 8.1 --ar 1:1 --stylize 500 --profile zj6dp62 --preview

As I said earlier in this section learning about moodboards and using them in your creative workflow will give you a good return on your investment.

Here are all of the moodboard codes used in this part of the article:

// 23 individual moodboard codes including the ones
// used in the blended codes
    --profile 26o3osp
    --profile 6qlzn9s
    --profile bmplx35
    --profile bnux2of
    --profile bybed8v
    --profile c7pocvd
    --profile dcrxyvq
    --profile eq5mjq7
    --profile f4ozm4y
    --profile fnycgg2
    --profile gc9t2rn
    --profile gtv87c6
    --profile h1amheb
    --profile i1hqbj3
    --profile i3ob61k
    --profile irb5uix
    --profile pq8gqpk
    --profile qhujzpw
    --profile rl8novg
    --profile tfniopk
    --profile wqlzknb
    --profile zhv8auz
    --profile zj6dp62

// 3 blended moodboards with 2 codes and the six individual codes
// from this part
    --profile i3ob61k 6qlzn9s
    --profile i3ob61k
    --profile 6qlzn9s

    --profile wqlzknb qhujzpw
    --profile wqlzknb
    --profile qhujzpw

    --profile zhv8auz pq8gqpk
    --profile zhv8auz
    --profile pq8gqpk

// 3 blended moodboards with 3codes and the nine individual codes
// from this part
    --profile 26o3osp tfniopk zj6dp62
    --profile 26o3osp
    --profile tfniopk
    --profile zj6dp62

    --profile i1hqbj3 fnycgg2 qhujzpw
    --profile i1hqbj3
    --profile fnycgg2
    --profile qhujzpw

    --profile rl8novg irb5uix zj6dp62
    --profile rl8novg
    --profile irb5uix
    --profile zj6dp62

Thank you for reading this article.

Please feel free to send me a response.

I enjoy hearing from my readers. They give me such great feedback which helps me to improve as a writer.

Please let me know what you think about my articles. You can find all of them on my Medium profile. You can also follow me. (I am trying to reach more followers this month.)

Thanks again for reading. Best of luck on your Midjourney, and have a great week! David

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