Midjourney Prompts That Work: Basics, Parameters, Styles

Midjourney is fast, but your prompt is the steering wheel. A few words can shift lighting, mood, lens feel, and how clean the details land.

This guide is for Midjourney users who want repeatable results, not lucky rolls. You will build prompts you can reuse, tweak, and share with teammates.

What you will get from this

• A prompt structure you can reuse across styles
• Simple ways to fix common failures, like weird hands or mushy textures
• Controls for composition, lighting, and realism without bloating the prompt
• Quick checks to keep your look consistent across a set

The prompt mindset

Think in layers: subject, scene, camera, light, materials, and constraints. Start with the core image, then add only what improves clarity.

When you get a good result, save the recipe. Keep a short library of prompts for your favorite looks, then swap the subject and setting.

A clean starter template

    [subject], [action or pose], in [environment], [time of day], [lighting], [camera/lens], [style], [materials], [composition], [constraints]
  

Prompt basics

A Midjourney prompt is the text you give the model to describe the image you want to generate. It can be a single word, an emoji, or a short phrase with a few key details.

In practice, shorter prompts often perform better because they leave room for Midjourney’s default style to resolve the gaps. Add details only when they change the outcome you care about.

Build a strong prompt in 6 steps

1. Start with the subject, name the main thing you want to see
2. Add the medium, like photo, illustration, watercolor, 3D render
3. Place it in an environment, like studio, street, forest, underwater
4. Set the lighting, like soft window light, neon glow, overcast sky
5. Lock the mood and color, like calm, tense, pastel, monochrome
6. Define the framing, like close-up, wide shot, top-down, portrait

Short prompt, clearer result

Long shopping lists can dilute your intent. Start tight, then iterate with small changes so you can see what moved the output.

    Show a field of wildflowers, very bright orange, lots of petals, make it hand-drawn, colored pencils, add extra detail, vibrant and vivid, beautiful and stunning
  

    Colored pencil illustration of vivid orange poppies, simple background, soft shading, close-up
  

Choose words that narrow the image

Word choice matters. Specific nouns and strong adjectives steer the model more reliably than broad terms.

• Swap vague size words for a precise synonym, like enormous, tiny, towering
• Use a specific number instead of a plural, like three cats instead of cats
• Try a collective noun, like a flock, a crowd, a bouquet, a swarm

Short vs detailed prompts

Say what you want, not what you do not want

Negative phrasing can backfire. If you describe an object you do not want, the model may still include it because you mentioned it.

To exclude elements, use the --no parameter at the end of the prompt and list items separated by commas.

    gouache still life on linen cloth, soft studio lighting --no fruit, citrus, berries
  

• On web, append --no to the end of your prompt in the Imagine field
• In Discord, append --no to the end of your prompt the same way
• Prefer naming what you want when exclusion wording could be misread

Midjourney treats each word inside --no as an individual term. Avoid phrases that could accidentally imply restricted content; specify the clothing or style you do want instead.

Advanced prompts

Once basic prompting feels natural, you can push Midjourney further by combining text with image inputs and adding parameters. This is how you get more consistent style, tighter composition, and repeatable results across a series.

The three building blocks

Image prompts that guide, not copy

Image prompts let Midjourney use a reference image as inspiration. The goal is to steer the model toward your target look, not to reproduce the original image.

If you need precise edits on your own image, use Midjourney’s Editor instead of trying to force exact changes through prompting.

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        minimalist product photo of a matte black smart mug on a stone countertop, soft window light, shallow depth of field
      

        editorial portrait, clean background, soft rim light, confident expression
      

How to use image prompts

On web, you add images from the Imagine bar. You can upload new images, select past uploads, and pin them so they stay in place across multiple runs.

In Discord, you typically upload an image to a channel, then use its image link at the start of your prompt, followed by your text description.

Image prompt quality checks

• Use supported formats: .png, .gif, .webp, .jpg, .jpeg
• Crop the reference image to match your target aspect ratio
• Use at least one image plus a text prompt, or use multiple images without text
• Keep the text prompt about the final image, not a list of edits

Control influence with image weight

If you want more or less influence from your image prompt, use the image weight parameter --iw. Higher values make the reference image matter more.

    cozy reading nook, warm lamp light, knitted textures, soft shadows --iw 2
  

Parameters: the finishing controls

Parameters are tools that customize how the image is generated. They go at the end of the prompt and can change things like aspect ratio and how strongly the model stylizes your idea.

• Keep parameters at the end so you can scan them quickly
• Add one parameter at a time until you understand its effect
• If you are using only images and no text, avoid parameters that require text intent, like --stylize or --weird

    clean product photo of a stainless steel water bottle, studio lighting, subtle reflection --ar 4:5
  

Where to get more help

For community troubleshooting and prompt ideas, look for Prompt Craft spaces on Discord and on the web.

• Discord Prompt Craft channel
• Web Prompt Craft Room

Using parameters like a pro

Parameters are short controls you add to the end of a prompt to shape how Midjourney generates an image. They can change format, randomness, model behavior, privacy, and how strongly references influence the result.

Parameter syntax rules

1. Write your prompt text first, describe what you want to see
2. Add one space
3. Add parameters using two dashes, then the parameter name
4. Avoid punctuation inside parameters unless the parameter requires it, like ratios
5. Keep prompt text before parameters, do not add new text after parameters

Formatting examples

    vibrant California poppies --ar 16:9
  

    vibrant California poppies--ar 2:3
  

    vibrant California poppies - - ar 2:3
  

    vibrant California poppies --ar 2:3,
  

    vibrant California --ar 2:3 poppies
  

Quick checks before you reroll

• Are all parameters at the end, with a single space before the first one
• Did you avoid commas, periods, and stray symbols in parameter text
• Did you keep prompt text together, with no extra words after parameters
• Are you changing only one thing per test, so you can learn what mattered

Full parameter list

Use this list as a menu. Start with aspect ratio, then add one more control only when you can explain why it belongs in the prompt.

Personalization profiles

Personalization is a style assistant that adapts to your taste based on images you rank or like. When enabled, Midjourney can bias outputs toward your preferred aesthetics.

Personalization works with Midjourney versions 6 and 7. You can also create styles from curated collections using moodboards.

Unlock your global profile

1. Open the Personalize page and locate your Global profile for your default version
2. Start ranking pairs, pick the image you prefer each time
3. Keep going until the progress bar completes and the profile unlocks
4. Rank more pairs for better tuning, skipping less usually helps

Use personalization on web and Discord

        modern desk setup, clean product photo, soft daylight --p
      

        modern desk setup, clean product photo, soft daylight --p pID
      

        editorial portrait, soft rim light, neutral background --p code
      

Manage profiles and codes

You can create additional profiles for different looks. Each profile has an ID, and as the profile evolves it can produce new codes that label different versions of your taste model.

• Use the profile ID to always apply the latest version of that profile
• Use older codes to reproduce a past look you liked
• Rename profiles to match your use case, like clean product, gritty street, pastel UI
• Deleting a profile removes it from your list, but existing codes can still work

Stylize with personalization

When personalization is active, --stylize controls how strongly your profile influences the image. Lower values reduce the personalization effect, higher values push it harder.

    minimal logo mark on textured paper, studio light --p --stylize 50
  

    minimal logo mark on textured paper, studio light --p --stylize 300
  

Common mistakes to avoid

• Mixing too many parameters before you understand their effects
• Using image-only prompts with parameters that expect text intent, like stylize or weird
• Writing negative phrases instead of using --no cleanly at the end
• Putting parameters in the middle of a prompt and then continuing the description

Art of prompting

Midjourney can do a lot with a short prompt, but the best results come from choosing the right concept words. Mediums, time periods, emotions, colors, and environments all steer the image in different ways.

The goal is not to stack buzzwords. The goal is to pick a few strong signals that describe the final image clearly.

Turn one idea into 10 variations

1. Write a stable subject you can reuse, like “sleeping cat on a windowsill”
2. Choose one category to vary, like medium or time period
3. Make a small set of options, five to 10 words max
4. Run each option with the same subject text
5. Save the top two, then vary a second category

    [subject], simple background, clear focal point, soft light
  

Artistic mediums that change everything

Medium words often have a bigger impact than extra adjectives. They push line quality, texture, color behavior, and how “finished” the image feels.

Time periods as a design shortcut

Adding an era nudges clothing, materials, color treatment, and graphic language. Use it when you want a cohesive mood without writing long descriptions.

Emotion, color, environment: the feel knobs

These words do not just change mood. They change lighting, pose, contrast, and composition decisions inside the model.

Environment prompts to try

• Tundra
• Salt flat
• Jungle
• Desert
• Forest
• Cave
• City
• Ocean

    [emotion] [color direction] [medium] cat in a [environment], simple background, clear focal point
  

Image size and resolution

Image size is measured in pixels, width by height. When you upscale, Midjourney outputs a fixed pixel size for the selected model and upscaler.

For screens, the DPI number you see in software is not the quality. What matters is pixel dimensions and how large the image is displayed.

Printing: pixels to inches

For print, DPI matters because it controls how many dots land in each inch of paper. A common target for sharp prints is 300 DPI.

Example: a 2048 x 2048 px image can print at about 6.8 x 6.8 inches at 300 DPI.

Prepare an image for printing

1. Open the upscaled image in an editor, like Photoshop
2. Change the resolution to 300 DPI
3. Turn resample off so pixel dimensions stay the same
4. If you need larger prints, upscale to add pixels before increasing print size

Aspect ratio choices

Aspect ratio describes width compared to height, written as two numbers like 1:1 or 16:9. Midjourney starts square by default, and you can change it with --ar.

Aspect ratio is not the same as final pixel dimensions. Pixel size depends on the model and upscaler, while aspect ratio sets the shape.

Set aspect ratio with a parameter

    [your prompt] --ar 16:9
  

Final notes

Great Midjourney prompts are not long, they are intentional. Pick a clear subject, add only the details that change the outcome, then iterate like a designer.

Save your winners as reusable recipes. Over time you will build a small prompt library for your favorite styles, formats, and use cases.

Style and keyword reference

If you want a fast way to explore visual directions, use this community reference of Midjourney styles and keywords with examples.

• Use it to pick a medium, theme, palette, or design style keyword
• Compare examples to learn what a term actually does visually
• Turn the best keywords into a small prompt library for repeatable results

Resource: Midjourney styles and keywords reference