Midjourney Prompt Guide: Tips, Parameters & Examples

Midjourney is known for producing stunning, artistic images. This guide covers everything you need to master Midjourney prompts.

Midjourney Basics

How to Access Midjourney

1. Join the Midjourney Discord server
2. Subscribe to a plan
3. Use /imagine command in bot channels
4. Write your prompt after the command

Basic Command Structure

/imagine prompt: [your description] --[parameters]

Essential Parameters

Aspect Ratio (--ar)

Control image dimensions:

• --ar 16:9 - Widescreen/cinematic
• --ar 9:16 - Portrait/mobile
• --ar 1:1 - Square (default)
• --ar 2:3 - Classic photo ratio
• --ar 3:2 - Landscape photo ratio

Stylize (--s)

Control artistic interpretation:

• --s 0 - Minimal stylization, follows prompt closely
• --s 100 - Default balance
• --s 250 - More artistic interpretation
• --s 500 - High artistic freedom
• --s 1000 - Maximum stylization

Chaos (--c)

Add variety to results:

• --c 0 - Very similar grid results (default)
• --c 50 - Moderate variation
• --c 100 - Maximum variation

Quality (--q)

Rendering quality/time:

• --q .25 - Rough draft, fastest
• --q .5 - Half quality
• --q 1 - Default quality
• --q 2 - Higher quality, slower

Weird (--weird or --w)

Add unusual elements:

• --w 0 - Normal (default)
• --w 250 - Slightly unusual
• --w 500 - Quite weird
• --w 1000 - Maximum weirdness

Version (--v)

Specify model version:

• --v 6 - Latest version
• --v 5.2 - Previous stable
• --niji 6 - Anime-focused model

Prompt Writing Techniques

Multi-Prompting with ::

Separate concepts with different weights:

/imagine prompt: mountain landscape:: city skyline:: --ar 16:9

Add weights:

/imagine prompt: mountain landscape::2 city skyline::1

Negative Prompts with --no

Remove unwanted elements:

/imagine prompt: forest landscape --no people, buildings, text

Image Prompts

Use an image as reference:

/imagine prompt: [image URL] a futuristic version of this

Adjust image influence with --iw:

/imagine prompt: [image URL] modern redesign --iw 2

Style Keywords That Work Well

Art Movements

• Impressionist, Post-impressionist
• Art Nouveau, Art Deco
• Surrealist, Abstract Expressionist
• Baroque, Renaissance
• Minimalist, Brutalist

Photography Styles

• Portrait photography
• Street photography
• Fashion editorial
• Product photography
• Macro photography
• Astrophotography

Digital Art Styles

• Concept art
• Matte painting
• Digital illustration
• 3D render
• Octane render
• Unreal Engine

Specific Aesthetics

• Cottagecore
• Cyberpunk
• Solarpunk
• Dark academia
• Vaporwave
• Y2K aesthetic

Lighting Keywords

Midjourney responds well to lighting descriptions:

• Golden hour - Warm, soft sunlight
• Blue hour - Cool, twilight tones
• Dramatic lighting - High contrast
• Soft diffused light - Even, gentle
• Rim lighting - Backlit edges
• Volumetric lighting - Light rays through atmosphere
• Chiaroscuro - Strong light/dark contrast
• Neon lighting - Colorful, artificial glow

Quality Boosters

Add these for enhanced results:

• "highly detailed"
• "intricate details"
• "masterpiece"
• "award-winning"
• "professional"
• "8k resolution"
• "photorealistic"
• "hyperrealistic"

Example Prompts

Portrait

/imagine prompt: Portrait of a woman with silver hair, wearing an elegant black dress, dramatic studio lighting, fashion photography, highly detailed, --ar 2:3 --s 200

Landscape

/imagine prompt: Vast alien desert with twin suns setting, crystalline rock formations, purple and orange sky, cinematic matte painting, epic scale --ar 21:9 --s 300

Product

/imagine prompt: Luxury perfume bottle on black marble, gold accents, dramatic lighting with caustics, professional product photography, 8k --ar 1:1 --s 100

Fantasy

/imagine prompt: Ancient dragon perched on a mountain peak, scales shimmering with iridescent colors, storm clouds gathering, epic fantasy art, Greg Rutkowski style --ar 16:9 --s 250

Anime (Niji Model)

/imagine prompt: Cyberpunk samurai girl, neon city background, detailed armor, cherry blossoms, dynamic pose --niji 6 --ar 2:3

Advanced Techniques

Permutation Prompts

Generate variations automatically:

/imagine prompt: a {red, blue, green} dragon

Creates three jobs with different colors.

Remix Mode

Enable in settings to modify images while keeping composition:

1. Generate an image
2. Select a variation
3. Modify the prompt
4. New image keeps structure, changes details

Describe Command

Reverse-engineer prompts from images:

/describe [upload image]

Get four prompt suggestions based on the image.

Blend Command

Combine multiple images:

/blend [image1] [image2]

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Over-parameterizing: Start simple, add parameters as needed
2. Conflicting styles: "realistic cartoon" confuses the model
3. Too many subjects: Focus on one main subject
4. Ignoring aspect ratio: Match ratio to your use case
5. Not using --no: Always exclude unwanted elements

Pro Tips

1. Save your seeds: Use --seed [number] to recreate similar results
2. Use /prefer suffix: Set default parameters for all prompts
3. Study the community: Browse Midjourney galleries for inspiration
4. Version hop: Some prompts work better on older versions
5. Embrace happy accidents: Unexpected results can be beautiful

Conclusion

Midjourney rewards experimentation and iteration. Start with clear prompts, learn the parameters, and don't be afraid to push creative boundaries.

Tip: Use our Image to Prompt tool to analyze Midjourney images you admire and learn what prompts might have created them!