Reply To: How do I prompt Midjourney to stick to a specific color palette?

Yes — weighting the swatch, using style raw, and keeping stylize low is the color-control trifecta. Great call. Let me add a couple of pro moves and a repeatable template so you can lock your palette faster with fewer do-overs.

Big idea: Treat your palette as “evidence” (the swatch) and your words as “rules” (short, literal instructions). Then stack the deck in favor of the swatch.

• What you’ll set once
  • In /settings: choose the latest MJ version, turn on Remix Mode, set Style: Raw.
  • Plan a tight palette: 3–5 hex codes to start. Add accents later.
  • Create a clean PNG swatch (800×800, equal squares, white background). No text. No gradients.

1. Step-by-step (fast routine)
   1. Attach the swatch first and weight it high: swatch ::3. Add –iw 1.5–2 to give image guidance extra pull.
   2. Keep the subject short (five to seven words). Example: “minimalist coffee poster, bold icon.”
   3. State the rule plainly: “limited palette — use only these colors: [hex list].”
   4. Constrain the look to stop new hues: “flat colors, no gradients, no textures, neutral lighting, no colored lights.”
   5. Name the background color from your palette to prevent stray greys: “background in #F7E8B5 only.”
   6. Control creativity: –style raw –s 50–100 –chaos 0–8 –seed [number] –ar [ratio].
   7. Generate 4, keep the closest, then use Vary (Strong/ Subtle) and Vary (Region) to fix off-color areas.
   8. If drift persists: drop to 3 core colors, raise swatch weight (::4), reduce adjectives, and redo.
2. Insider tricks that cut rework
   1. Posterize the thinking: add phrases like “4-color screenprint,” “Pantone-style inks,” or “vector flat art.” These bias the model toward hard, limited tones.
   2. Protect neutrals: if white/black are not part of the brand, say “no pure white, no pure black, no grey.” If they are, be explicit: “white only for background,” or “black only for linework.”
   3. Two-pass control with Remix: in the second iteration, keep your palette line intact and tweak only composition words. This holds color while you refine layout.
   4. Color-safe upscaling: after you pick a winner, use Light Upscale Redo if the main upscaler adds shading or tiny gradients.

Copy-paste templates (attach your swatch image first)

1) Flat graphic poster (tightest control)

[swatch attachment] ::3 minimalist coffee poster, bold icon, high contrast ::1 limited palette — use only these colors: #0B132B, #1C2541, #5BC0BE, #FDECEF, background in #FDECEF only, vector flat art, 4-color screenprint, flat colors, no gradients, no textures, neutral lighting, no colored lights —style raw —s 70 —chaos 5 —ar 3:4 —seed 123 —iw 1.7

2) Clean product scene (realistic but disciplined)

[swatch attachment] ::2 sleek skincare bottle on seamless backdrop ::1 limited palette — use only these colors: #0B132B, #1C2541, #5BC0BE, #FDECEF, neutral white balance, no colored gels, soft shadow, no reflections, no gradients, background in #FDECEF —style raw —s 60 —chaos 4 —ar 4:5 —seed 123 —iw 1.5

3) Social tile (type-first)

[swatch attachment] ::3 minimalist square quote card, bold typographic layout ::1 limited palette — use only these colors: #0B132B, #1C2541, #5BC0BE, #FDECEF, flat colors, no textures, strong hierarchy, generous margins, background in #0B132B —style raw —s 70 —chaos 5 —ar 1:1 —seed 123 —iw 1.8

• Quality check routine
  • Run 4 images → pick 1 → Vary (Region) to repaint any off-color area (restate “replace [area] with [hex], limited palette only”).
  • If subtle tints appear, add: “no off-white, no beige, no grey, map all tones to the nearest of the listed hex values.”
  • For exact brand matches, plan a 1–2 minute post nudge in your editor (tiny hue/contrast shift).

What to expect

• First grid: 50–75% palette fidelity for flat graphics; less for complex scenes.
• After 1–2 remix passes with a high-weight swatch: strong adherence suitable for brand work.
• A tiny color tweak at export is normal for exact hex matching.

Common mistakes and quick fixes

• Ghost neutrals creeping in → Add “no grey, no off-white, no black” (or specify where they’re allowed).
• Swatch ignored → Increase to ::4 and –iw 1.8–2; remove extra adjectives; reduce –chaos.
• Too many colors → Start with 3; add accents after the composition works.
• Upscaler adds detail → Use Light Upscale Redo and reassert “flat colors, no gradients.”
• Photo scenes look “off” → Add “accurate white balance, neutral light,” and keep backgrounds to one listed hex.

30-minute action plan

1. Build a 3–5 color PNG swatch and pick your background hex.
2. Set Style Raw, turn on Remix Mode.
3. Run the poster template as-is. Log which setting (swatch weight, stylize) gave best fidelity.
4. Remix once to refine layout only; keep the palette line unchanged.
5. Use Vary (Region) to fix any stray hues. Export. Light color nudge if needed.

Final thought: Lead with the swatch, speak in rules, and keep the model on a short leash. Nail 3 colors first, then let style breathe. If you paste your 3–6 hex codes and asset type, I’ll tailor three prompts you can run today—plus the exact swatch and settings I’d use.