Midjourney Prompts: From Basic to Professional
After 1000+ generations, I’ve learned what works. Here’s everything about Midjourney prompts.
The Basic Structure
Every prompt has these elements (in rough order of importance):
[Subject] [Style] [Mood/Atmosphere] [Technical details] [Parameters]
Example:
Portrait of a cyberpunk hacker, neon lighting, moody atmosphere,
cinematic photography, 85mm lens --ar 2:3 --stylize 100
Subject: What You Want
Be specific. Vague subjects = vague results.
Bad: “A person” Better: “A young woman with short red hair” Best: “A young woman in her 20s with short crimson hair, wearing a leather jacket, confident expression”
Subject Tips
Describe:
- Age/appearance
- Clothing/accessories
- Expression/pose
- Action (if any)
For objects:
- Materials
- Condition (old, new, weathered)
- Context/placement
Style: How It Looks
Style references transform results. Options:
Art Styles
- Watercolor
- Oil painting
- Digital art
- Pixel art
- Sketch
- Photorealistic
Artist References
in the style of [artist name]
Works well:
- Studio Ghibli
- Moebius
- Art Nouveau
- Baroque painting
- Wes Anderson
Photography Styles
portrait photography, 85mm lens, shallow depth of field
product photography, white background, studio lighting
street photography, candid, natural light
Era/Aesthetic
1980s aesthetic
Victorian era
Cyberpunk
Art Deco
Minimalist
Mood and Atmosphere
Mood words change everything:
Lighting:
- Golden hour lighting
- Dramatic lighting
- Soft diffused light
- Neon lighting
- Moody, low-key lighting
Atmosphere:
- Ethereal
- Gritty
- Dreamy
- Ominous
- Peaceful
- Chaotic
Color:
- Muted colors
- Vibrant colors
- Monochromatic
- Warm tones
- Cool tones
Technical Details
Camera/Lens
shot on Hasselblad
35mm photography
macro photography
drone shot
wide-angle lens
tilt-shift
Composition
rule of thirds
centered composition
bird's eye view
worm's eye view
close-up
full body shot
Quality Modifiers
highly detailed
photorealistic
8k resolution
sharp focus
intricate details
Essential Parameters
Aspect Ratio (–ar)
--ar 1:1 (square, default)
--ar 16:9 (landscape/widescreen)
--ar 9:16 (portrait/mobile)
--ar 2:3 (portrait photos)
--ar 3:2 (landscape photos)
Stylize (–stylize or –s)
Controls how much Midjourney interprets your prompt.
--stylize 0 (literal, follows prompt closely)
--stylize 100 (default, balanced)
--stylize 250 (more artistic interpretation)
--stylize 500 (highly stylized)
--stylize 1000 (maximum interpretation)
Start low if you need specific results.
Chaos (–chaos or –c)
How varied the four results are.
--chaos 0 (similar results)
--chaos 50 (moderate variation)
--chaos 100 (maximum variation)
High chaos for exploration. Low chaos when you know what you want.
No (–no)
Exclude elements.
--no text, watermark
--no people
--no blur
Quality (–quality or –q)
Rendering quality (affects credits used).
--quality .25 (draft, cheap)
--quality .5 (medium)
--quality 1 (default, full quality)
Version (–v)
Midjourney version.
--v 5.2 (current default)
--v 6 (latest)
--niji (anime style)
Prompt Formulas
Portrait Formula
[Type] portrait of [subject description], [expression],
[lighting], [background], [style] --ar 2:3
Example:
Cinematic portrait of an elderly fisherman with weathered skin,
contemplative expression, golden hour lighting, ocean background,
shot on medium format film --ar 2:3
Product Formula
[Product] [material/finish], [background], product photography,
studio lighting, [camera] --ar 4:3
Example:
Luxury watch with rose gold finish, dark marble background,
product photography, dramatic studio lighting, macro lens --ar 4:3
Landscape Formula
[Scene description], [time of day], [weather/atmosphere],
[style], [composition] --ar 16:9
Example:
Misty mountain range at dawn, fog rolling through valleys,
ethereal atmosphere, romantic landscape painting style,
panoramic view --ar 16:9
Concept Art Formula
[Subject/scene], [genre] concept art, [artist reference],
[mood], detailed, [color palette]
Example:
Ancient temple ruins overgrown with vines, fantasy concept art,
in the style of Feng Zhu, mysterious mood, detailed,
warm earth tones
Advanced Techniques
Multi-Prompt (::)
Weight different elements.
portrait of a woman :: flowers :: 0.5
The woman gets more emphasis than flowers.
Image Prompts
Use images as references by pasting URLs at the start.
[image URL] portrait in this style, [additional details]
Remix Mode
Enable in settings. Lets you modify prompts while keeping composition.
Permutations
Generate multiple variations.
a {red, blue, green} car
Creates three images with different colors.
Common Problems and Fixes
“Results Don’t Match My Vision”
Fix: Be more specific. Add style references. Lower –stylize.
“Hands Look Wrong”
Fix: Crop hands out with aspect ratio, or regenerate until you get good ones. AI hands are still problematic.
“Too Abstract/Artistic”
Fix: Lower –stylize. Add “photorealistic” or “photograph.”
“Too Literal/Boring”
Fix: Increase –stylize. Add mood words. Reference artists.
“Text in Images”
Fix: Use –no text. Midjourney struggles with text.
“Inconsistent Characters”
Fix: Use seed values. Or accept that consistency across images is limited.
My Workflow
- Start simple: Basic subject + style
- Generate four: See what direction Midjourney takes
- Upscale favorites: Get full resolution
- Variation: Use V buttons on promising results
- Refine prompt: Add/remove based on results
- Repeat: Until satisfied
Prompt Library
Quick Styles to Try
Cinematic:
cinematic scene, dramatic lighting, movie still, anamorphic
Editorial:
editorial photography, Vogue magazine, high fashion, studio
Vintage:
vintage photograph, film grain, muted colors, 1970s aesthetic
Fantasy:
fantasy art, magical atmosphere, ethereal lighting, painterly
Minimal:
minimalist, clean, simple composition, negative space, modern
Copy-Paste Suffixes
Add these to any prompt:
Quality boost:
, highly detailed, sharp focus, professional
Cinematic look:
, cinematic lighting, dramatic, movie still, 35mm
Painterly:
, oil painting style, brushstrokes visible, classical
Final Tips
- Iterate. First result is rarely final.
- Study results. Learn what words do.
- Save good prompts. Build your library.
- Try artist combos. “Style of X and Y” creates new looks.
- Use Discord community. Learn from others’ prompts.
Better prompts = better images. Practice the patterns, then break the rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Be specific about subject, style, and mood. Include artist or style references. Use parameters like --ar for aspect ratio and --stylize for creativity level. Iterate based on results.
Most useful: --ar (aspect ratio), --stylize (creativity), --chaos (variation), --no (exclude elements). Start with defaults, add parameters as needed.
Usually vague prompts. Add specific style references, lighting descriptions, and composition details. Also try lowering --stylize if results are too abstract.