Midjourney Prompt Guide: Create Stunning AI Art in Minutes

Midjourney is incredible. But most people get mediocre results because they don't understand prompt structure.

Here's what separates gallery-worthy results from mediocre ones: precision in prompt engineering.

I've spent hundreds of hours in Midjourney, testing prompt variations systematically. What I discovered is that 80% of image quality comes from how you structure your prompt, not which version of the model you're using.

In this guide, I'll show you the exact framework I use to generate professional-quality images consistently.

Why Most Midjourney Prompts Fail

Before we get to what works, let's understand what doesn't:

Prompt 1 (Bad): "A nice sunset" Midjourney's interpretation: Completely random. Could be anything. Will regenerate wildly different images.

Prompt 2 (Better): "A serene Japanese garden at golden hour with professional photography lighting" Midjourney's interpretation: Much more consistent. You'll get recognizable variations on the same theme.

The difference? Specificity and structure.

Most people treat Midjourney prompts like Google searches. You throw words at it and hope. Professional results require understanding how Midjourney actually interprets instructions.

The tool works best when you give it:

Concrete specifics (not vague impressions)
Clear visual vocabulary (professional art/photography terms)
Intentional constraints (aspect ratio, quality settings)
Style anchors (artist references, film references)

The Midjourney Prompt Formula

Professional Midjourney prompts follow this structure:

[SUBJECT - Detailed description]
[STYLE - Artistic approach]
[COMPOSITION - Visual arrangement]
[LIGHTING - How it's lit]
[CAMERA/PERSPECTIVE - Viewing angle and lens]
[ARTIST/REFERENCE - Style inspiration]
[QUALITY MODIFIERS - Technical parameters]

Let's break down each component in detail:

1. Subject (What are you creating?)

This is your foundation. Be obsessively specific.

Bad: "A dog" Good: "A golden retriever, 3 years old, sitting in tall grass, alert expression, sunlit fur showing individual hair strands"

The more specific your subject, the more consistent your results. Include:

Type of object/creature
Distinctive features
Pose or action
Context/surroundings
Mood or feeling

Example subjects:

"A Victorian-era study room with mahogany bookshelves, leather-bound books, oil lamps, and a fireplace with warm orange glow"
"A close-up of dewdrops on a spider web, each drop reflecting sunrise colors, macro photography style"
"An astronaut floating in space near Earth, tether visible, detailed spacesuit, stars in background"

2. Style (What's the aesthetic?)

This is where you control the artistic direction. Think of it as the "medium" you're working in.

Common Midjourney styles:

Photography styles: Film photography, documentary photography, landscape photography, portrait photography, street photography
Painting styles: Oil painting, watercolor, acrylic, gouache, tempera
Digital styles: 3D render, digital art, illustration, concept art, animation, anime
Art movements: Impressionism, Art Deco, Cubism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism
Visual effects: Hyperrealistic, photorealistic, stylized, cartoony, minimalist, maximalist

Pro tip: Name the specific medium, not just "pretty" or "artistic." Midjourney understands technical terms better.

Bad: "A beautiful painting of a forest" Good: "A hyperrealistic oil painting of an old-growth temperate rainforest"

3. Composition (How is it arranged?)

This controls the visual framing and arrangement. It's about how the elements are organized within the frame.

Key compositional terms:

Framing: Wide shot, long shot, medium shot, close-up, extreme close-up, bird's eye view, worm's eye view
Perspective: Rule of thirds, centered symmetry, leading lines, diagonal composition, Dutch angle, vanishing point
Depth: Foreground/middle ground/background layering, depth of field, shallow focus, deep focus
Balance: Balanced, asymmetrical, symmetrical

Example: Instead of just "a forest," try: "A dense temperate forest with strong leading lines created by tall trees converging toward the horizon, rule of thirds composition with light breaking through the canopy, deep depth of field"

4. Lighting (How's it lit?)

Lighting dramatically affects mood and realism. Be specific about light source, quality, and direction.

Light sources:

Golden hour (warm, directional light at sunset/sunrise)
Blue hour (twilight, cool tones)
Neon (artificial, saturated colors)
Candlelight (warm, intimate)
Moonlight (cool, ethereal)
Tungsten (warm, indoor)
Fluorescent (cool, clinical)

Light quality:

Cinematic (dramatic, contrast-heavy)
Dramatic shadows (strong directional light)
Soft diffused (even, flattering)
Hard light (sharp shadows, high contrast)
Backlighting (subject lit from behind)
Side lighting (lit from the side)
Rim lighting (edge-lit)

Example: "Golden hour side lighting with warm amber tones, dramatic shadows cast by the subject, cinematic color grading"

5. Camera/Perspective (What lens/technique?)

This controls viewpoint and perspective distortion.

Lens types:

Wide angle (16-35mm): Expansive, dramatic perspective distortion
Standard (35-50mm): Natural, human eye perspective
Telephoto (85mm+): Compressed perspective, flatters subjects

Camera techniques:

Macro photography (extreme close-up)
Shallow depth of field (blurred background)
Tilt-shift (selective focus)
Fish-eye (extreme wide angle with distortion)
Overhead shot (aerial perspective)
Low angle (looking up, dramatic)

Example: "Shot on an 85mm lens with shallow depth of field, background completely blurred with bokeh"

6. Artist/Reference (Style inspiration)

Midjourney excels when you reference existing visual styles. You can reference:

Famous artists: "In the style of Caravaggio" or "Inspired by Salvador Dalí"
Photographers: "Photography by Ansel Adams" or "In the style of Steve McCurry"
Films/Games: "Blade Runner 2049 aesthetic" or "Studio Ghibli style"
Visual movements: "Art Deco aesthetic" or "Bauhaus design principles"
Contemporary artists: "Greg Rutkowski style" or "Ross Draws illustration"

Why this works: Midjourney has learned patterns from these references. Using them is like giving the AI a visual target to match.

Best practice: Use ONE strong reference, not three. "Inspired by Ansel Adams photography" is better than "Ansel Adams meets Caravaggio meets Wes Anderson."

7. Quality Modifiers (Technical parameters)

These parameters control generation quality and consistency.

Essential parameters:

--ar 16:9 or --ar 1:1 - Aspect ratio (what shape is the image?)
--q 2 - Quality multiplier (doubles computation, costs 4x but looks much better)
--v 6 - Model version (newer versions usually better, but test)
--no [word] - Explicitly remove something from the image
--seed [number] - Use a seed for reproducible results
--niji - Anime/illustration optimized model
--chaos 50 - Higher chaos = more variation (1-100)

Pro tip: --q 2 is worth it for final images. --q 0.5 is good for quick iterations.

Complete Example Prompts (By Category)

Photography Style

A golden retriever running through a sunflower field in summer, wind blowing the flowers and dog's fur, warm golden hour lighting, shot on a 50mm lens with shallow depth of field, bokeh background with blurred sunflowers, professional landscape photography, fine art photography by David Muench, ultra detailed, realistic textures --ar 16:9 --q 2

Why this works:

Specific subject with action and context
Named style (golden hour, landscape photography)
Clear technical specifications (50mm, shallow DOF)
Artist reference (David Muench is known for landscape photography)
Quality modifiers ensure excellent output

3D Render / Digital Art

A sleek cyberpunk cityscape at night, towering buildings with glowing neon signs, flying cars with trails of light, rain-wet streets reflecting neon colors, volumetric fog illuminated by blue and purple light, cinematic composition with leading lines, 3D render, octane render quality, unreal engine aesthetic, ultra detailed, volumetric lighting, professional color grading --ar 16:9 --q 2 --v 6

Illustration / Concept Art

A whimsical forest creature, cross between a fox and a dragon, sitting on a moss-covered log, soft watercolor illustration style, warm color palette with sage greens and golds, magical atmosphere with floating particles of light, detailed fur texture, luminous eyes, fantasy creature design, concept art style, inspired by Studio Ghibli --ar 1:1 --q 2

Hyperrealistic Portrait

Close-up portrait of a woman with striking eyes, Renaissance-era clothing with intricate gold embroidery, soft window light on face, completely photorealistic, 85mm portrait lens, shallow depth of field, captured on Hasselblad, cinema lighting, fine art portrait photography, skin texture visible, masterpiece, professional portrait by Peter Lindbergh --ar 2:3 --q 2

Advanced Techniques for Better Results

Technique 1: Stacking Descriptors

Instead of single descriptors, use descriptive phrases:

Weak: "Beautiful lighting" Strong: "Cinematic side lighting with warm amber tones, dramatic shadows, contrast-heavy, professional color grading"

Technique 2: Negative Space Descriptions

Sometimes describing what's NOT there helps:

A minimalist white room, completely empty except for a single red chair,
--no people --no clutter --no distractions

Technique 3: Iterative Refinement

Use Midjourney's feedback feature:

Generate first image
Use /describe to see what Midjourney understood
Adjust prompt based on insights
Regenerate with tweaks

Technique 4: Style Layering

Combine styles deliberately:

Bad: "Photorealistic anime oil painting watercolor illustration" Good: "Digital painting in an anime illustration style with hyperrealistic lighting and textures"

Parameter Quick Reference

Parameter	Effect	Use When
`--ar 16:9`	Landscape orientation	Environments, vistas, panoramas
`--ar 1:1`	Square	Portraits, icons, balanced compositions
`--ar 9:16`	Portrait orientation	Tall subjects, character art
`--q 2`	4x computation, much better quality	Final versions, important images
`--q 0.5`	Quick iteration	Testing variations, brainstorming
`--v 6`	Latest model version	For best results (if working)
`--chaos 50`	Diverse interpretations	You're unsure of direction
`--seed [num]`	Reproducible results	Want to tweak one aspect of image
`--no [word]`	Remove element	Unwanted artifacts appearing repeatedly

Common Mistakes That Kill Image Quality

Mistake 1: Overstuffing Your Prompt

Bad: 300 words describing every pixel Good: 75-150 words with specific, intentional descriptions

Midjourney gets overwhelmed. Less is often more.

Mistake 2: Vague Style References

Bad: "Cool style" or "Awesome aesthetic" Good: Name actual artists, movements, or mediums

Mistake 3: Contradictory Directions

Bad: "Photorealistic and cartoonish, minimalist and maximalist" Good: Pick a clear direction

Mistake 4: Ignoring Model Versions

Different versions perform differently. Test and see which works best for YOUR use case.

Mistake 5: Not Using Aspect Ratio

Defaults work okay, but choosing the right aspect ratio dramatically improves composition.

Testing and Iteration Framework

Professional results come from systematic iteration:

Round 1: Direction Setting

Generate initial ideas from your prompt
Note which directional elements work
Screenshot the best attempts

Round 2: Refinement

Keep what worked, adjust what didn't
Refine lighting, composition, style
Use --seed [number] to tweak specific images

Round 3: Optimization

Lock in successful elements
Fine-tune details
Use --q 2 for final versions

Round 4: Production

Select best image
Optional: Use variation button for alternatives
Save seeds and prompts that work

Most professionals spend 5-15 minutes iterating to get final result. That's normal.

The Professional Midjourney Workflow

Concept: What exactly do you want to create? Get specific.
Research: Look at reference images, understand the aesthetic
Draft Prompt: Write initial prompt using the formula
Generate: Create 4 images (Midjourney's default)
Evaluate: Which direction works best?
Iterate: Refine top candidate with tweaks
Polish: Use --q 2 and optimal parameters
Export: Save final image and seed number

This process takes 10-20 minutes for high-quality results.

The Real Impact of Prompt Quality

I've tested this extensively. Here's what I found:

Same Midjourney model, three different prompts for "a mountain landscape":

Vague prompt: Gets random mountain images. Could regenerate 5 different aesthetics.

Structured prompt (my formula): Gets consistent, recognizable variations on the theme.

Expertly crafted prompt (with all elements): Gets professional-gallery-quality images.

Same model. Same computation. Different prompts = wildly different results.

Most people think they need a more powerful model. Reality? You need better prompts.

Your Next Steps

Choose a subject you want to create
Use the framework from this guide to structure your prompt
Generate images and evaluate results
Iterate using the Round 1-4 approach
Save winning prompts (with seeds) for future use

The first time takes longer. By your 5th prompt using this system, you'll be generating professional results in 10 minutes or less.

Deepen Your Visual AI Skills

Start with our beginner's guide to prompt engineering to understand the fundamentals that apply to all AI image generation.

Explore different prompting techniques in our comprehensive guide to types of prompts to understand how different structures work for different outputs.

Master structured thinking with chain-of-thought prompting when you're working on complex visual concepts that require reasoning.

Understand how to control creativity and randomness with our guide to temperature and creativity settings—directly applicable to Midjourney parameters.

Avoid wasting time on common mistakes with our prompting mistakes guide that specifically impacts visual AI quality.

And finally, organize and manage all your successful Midjourney prompts with our prompt management guide so you build a reusable library.