Midjourney Seed Tutorial – How to Use Seed in Midjourney for Beginners

It can be a bit tricky to understand the seed parameter in Midjourney, even after going through the official documentation. You might sometimes feel like the seed number isn’t working.

But don’t worry! After generating hundreds of images and experimenting with this parameter, I’ve gathered some helpful insights. That’s why I’ve created this guide to share my tips and tricks with you. It’s designed to help you make the most out of the seed parameter and improve your Midjourney experience.

Let’s Start with the Basics: What is Seed in Midjourney Anyway?

In Midjourney, a seed is a specific numerical value, ranging from 0 to 4294967295, that influences the AI’s image generation process.

Think of a seed as a unique code that guides the AI on how to start the creative process.

It’s a number that can be assigned by you. When you don’t specify a seed, Midjourney randomly selects one for each image generation, leading to the vast diversity of outcomes we love on the platform.

However, by setting your own seed number, you can steer this randomness towards a more predictable path.

When I introduce a seed into the mix, it’s like telling the AI, “Hey, I liked where that splash of blue landed last time; let’s start there again.”

This doesn’t mean I’ll get the same painting every time, but the starting point—the initial splash, makes the overall vibe of the images more predictable.

My Experiment with Seeds

Seeds not only helped me achieve consistency but also opened up a playground for creative experiments.

Here are four prompts I used, all with the same seed value, 1234567. The only changes I made were to the characters—Giant Bird, Octopus, Godzilla, and Dragon—and the locations: red volcano, blue sea, green mountain, and snowy mountain. I kept the rest of the prompt the same. Now, the seed shows its magic; I can get four similar images that share similar vibes and structure.

a huge fearful giant bird, red volcano mountain, a warrior wearing red robe fighting the bird, artistic noble landscape, mysterious, magnificent, epic, film, cinematic lighting, ultra detail, illustration, extreme low angle view, full body --ar 9:16 --style raw --seed 1234567 --niji 6

a huge fearful giant octopus, blue sea, a warrior wearing red robe fighting the octopus, artistic noble landscape, mysterious, magnificent, epic, film, cinematic lighting, ultra detail, illustration, extreme low angle view, full body --ar 9:16 --style raw --seed 1234567 --niji 6

a huge fearful Godzilla, green mountain, a warrior wearing red robe fighting the Godzilla, artistic noble landscape, mysterious, magnificent, epic, film, cinematic lighting, ultra detail, illustration, extreme low angle view, full body --ar 9:16 --style raw --seed 1234567 --niji 6

a huge fearful dragon, snowy mountain, a warrior wearing red robe fighting the dragon, artistic noble landscape, mysterious, magnificent, epic, film, cinematic lighting, ultra detail, illustration, extreme low angle view, full body --ar 9:16 --style raw --seed 1234567 --niji 6

Let’s say you’re working on a series of images that need to maintain a cohesive look and feel. This is a great example.

By using the same seed across your prompts, you ensure that each image has a similar starting point, which can help unify the series despite variations in the details.

Additionally, if you’re experimenting with slight changes in your prompts to see how they affect the final image, keeping the seed constant allows for a clear comparison.

How to Get the Seed Number of an Existing Image

Have you ever created something so perfect on Midjourney that you wished you could replicate or slightly tweak it? That’s where the seed number comes into play. Here is the way to retrieve the seed number of an image.

React with an Envelope Emoji: Find the image you love in the Discord chat. When you hover to the image, you’ll see a smiling face in the top right corner.

That’s the reaction button. Click on it, from the emoji menu, select the standard envelope emoji. Midjourney bot will send you the details of this particular image.

Wait for the Bot’s DM: Within a few seconds, you should receive a Direct Message (DM) from the bot.

This message is packed with goodies, not just the seed number. You’ll find the full prompt that was used, the seed number itself, the job ID (useful for referencing back to the exact task), and sometimes links to media files or additional parameters used.

Settings Matter: Make sure your settings allow DMs from server members, or you’ll miss out on those seed numbers.

• Go to your User Settings in Discord (look for the gear icon near your username at the bottom).
• Navigate to the Privacy & Safety section.
• Look for the setting that allows direct messages from server members and ensure it’s enabled for the server you’re using Midjourney in.

How to Assign Your Own Seed Number

1. Choosing Your Seed: You can pick any positive integer between 1 and over 4 billion. I usually hit random numbers, but feel free to choose a memorable number if you like.
2. Applying Your Seed: Just add –seed followed by your chosen number to the end of your prompt. For example, /imagine a sunny beach –seed 1234.

When to Assign Your Own Seed Number

Assigning your own seed number is like setting the DNA for your digital artwork. It’s particularly useful when:

1. Recreating or Refining Art: Found an image that’s almost perfect but just needs a slight tweak? Using the same seed number allows you to adjust your prompt while keeping the foundational elements consistent.
2. Series Creation: When creating a series of images that share a common theme or style, using the same seed ensures each piece carries the same underlying characteristics, making your series cohesive.
3. Collaboration and Sharing: Sharing your art recipes (prompts plus seeds) with friends or collaborators? Assigning specific seeds means they can reproduce your results or explore variations based on your original creation.
4. Scientific Experimentation: Curious about how different prompts affect the outcome? Using a constant seed number allows for a controlled experiment, isolating variables effectively.

Limitations and Potential Pitfalls of Using Seed in MIdjourney

While seeds offer a way to introduce consistency, the heart of AI art lies in its unpredictability. Let’s explore some of these limitations of the seed parameter.

Seed Is Not Working? They Do Not Guarantee Consistency:

While seed values can significantly narrow down the range of outcomes, expecting identical images is like chasing a mirage. Even with the same seed and prompt, slight variations can and often do occur.

As you may find out, the initial image grids and an upscaled image from the grind share the same seed value. Four initial images vary in many ways.

Sometimes I created an image with a specific seed, then changed just one word in the prompt and used the same seed again. It was fascinating to see how a small tweak could steer the image in a new direction, yet keep the essence the same. I can keep replacing some adjectives, verbs or nouns to tune my output.

Seeds Are Version-Specific:

Seed values are only applicable to the version they were created in. Using the same prompt and seed in different Midjourney versions can yield vastly different outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If I use the same seed and prompt, will I get the exact same image every time?

While using the same seed and prompt significantly increases consistency in the generated images, it doesn’t guarantee an exact replica each time. Variations, although minor, can occur due to the complex nature of the AI’s image generation process.

Can I use any number as a seed?

Yes, you can use any whole number between 0 and 4,294,967,295 as a seed. Feel free to choose a number at random or one that holds personal significance.

Wrapping Up

I encourage you to experiment with seeds, exploring their impact on your creative output. Tweak, test, and transform your prompts to get your expected results.

If you have any questions or suggestions about seed in Midjourney, feel free to ask in the comment below. Happy creating!