Midjourney Prompts FAQ

What is a Midjourney prompt?

A Midjourney prompt is the text description you type into Discord or the Midjourney web interface to generate an image. Midjourney interprets your text as a creative brief and produces images that match the description. The quality and usefulness of the output depends heavily on how specifically you describe the subject, the style, the lighting, the mood, and the aspect ratio.

What is the basic structure of a good Midjourney prompt?

A reliable structure is: [subject description] [style or medium] [lighting] [mood or atmosphere] [color palette if relevant] [aspect ratio parameter] [style parameter]. Example: 'Portrait of a weathered lighthouse keeper, oil painting style, dramatic side lighting, contemplative mood, muted blue-grey tones --ar 2:3 --style raw'. Not every prompt needs all elements, but subject + style + lighting covers most use cases.

What does --style raw do in Midjourney?

--style raw reduces Midjourney's default aesthetic interpretation and produces output closer to what you described literally. Default Midjourney adds its own stylistic decisions — dramatic lighting, painterly touches, and visual flourishes — which can be appealing for art but makes commercial or technical outputs less predictable. Use --style raw when you need more literal, controlled output: product photography, brand visuals, architectural renders, and design reference images.

What aspect ratios does Midjourney support and which should I use?

Midjourney supports any aspect ratio via --ar [width]:[height]. Common useful ratios: --ar 1:1 for square (Instagram, profile images, icons), --ar 16:9 for widescreen (hero images, YouTube thumbnails, desktop wallpapers), --ar 2:3 or --ar 4:5 for portrait (mobile, product photography, editorial), --ar 3:2 for standard landscape (blog headers, photography). Always specify --ar — the default square output is rarely the right format for commercial use.

Why does my Midjourney output look nothing like what I described?

Midjourney weighs words by their position and frequency in the prompt. Words at the start of the prompt have more influence than words at the end. If your subject description is buried after style modifiers, the style may dominate. Try leading with the most important element: put the subject first, then style, then secondary details. Also, Midjourney interprets words by their visual associations — 'dark' could mean color, mood, or lighting; 'professional' is too abstract. Replace vague adjectives with specific visual descriptors.

How do I control the style of a Midjourney image?

Specify the style as a medium, era, or artist reference. 'Oil painting' produces different results from 'watercolor illustration' or 'photorealistic render.' You can reference artistic movements ('Bauhaus style,' 'Art Nouveau illustration'), visual media ('editorial magazine photography,' 'cinematic still'), or technical specifications ('flat vector illustration,' 'isometric 3D render'). Avoid vague style words like 'beautiful' or 'high quality' — they have no specific visual meaning in Midjourney.

What is the difference between Midjourney v6 and earlier versions?

Midjourney v6 produces significantly more photorealistic output and understands longer, more complex prompts than earlier versions. It is better at following detailed text descriptions, rendering faces consistently, and producing commercial-quality photography styles. Older versions (v4, v5) produce more stylized, illustrative output that some designers prefer for artistic work. Use --v 6 explicitly if you want the current capabilities; Midjourney defaults to the latest version unless you specify otherwise.

How do I make Midjourney generate consistent characters across multiple images?

Use the --cref (character reference) parameter with a URL to a previously generated image, or describe the character's specific visual features in precise detail and repeat those exact descriptors across prompts. Consistency is one of Midjourney's genuine limitations — it does not have a memory of previous generations by default. --cref helps maintain visual consistency for character design work. For brand mascots or characters requiring strict consistency, vector illustration (done by a designer) is still more reliable.

What does --no do in a Midjourney prompt?

--no tells Midjourney to avoid including something in the image. For example: '--no text, watermarks, distorted hands' or '--no modern buildings' for a historical scene. It is more reliable for removing broad visual elements (text, specific colors, object categories) than for removing subtle compositional elements. If --no is not working, try describing what you do want instead of what you do not — Midjourney responds better to positive descriptions than negative exclusions.

How do I use Midjourney for product photography?

Use --style raw and describe the shot as a photography brief: '[product type] product photography, [background — e.g. white studio background / marble surface / lifestyle setting], [lighting — e.g. soft diffused lighting / natural window light], [camera angle — e.g. front-facing / 3/4 angle / top-down], photorealistic, high resolution, commercial quality --ar 1:1 --style raw'. Remember that Midjourney generates a photographic concept, not an accurate representation of your actual product. Use it for style direction and mood, not as a final product image.

Can I use Midjourney images commercially?

Paid Midjourney subscribers (Basic, Standard, and Pro plans) generally receive commercial usage rights for images they generate. Free tier users do not. However, your specific plan's terms and any updates to Midjourney's terms of service govern what commercial use is permitted. Check Midjourney's current terms of service directly for the authoritative answer — usage rights have changed across versions and plan types, and the information here may not reflect the most current policy.

What are negative prompts in Midjourney and how are they different from --no?

Midjourney uses --no as its primary negative parameter, which reduces the weight of specified elements. Some users separate prompt concepts with :: and use negative weights (e.g., 'concept A :: unwanted element::-1') for more fine-grained control. The :: syntax lets you weight different parts of the prompt differently. For most use cases, --no is simpler and sufficient. Negative weighting with :: is worth learning if you frequently produce images where specific unwanted elements keep appearing despite --no instructions.

How do I write Midjourney prompts for text that actually appears in images?

Midjourney v6 is significantly better at rendering text than earlier versions, but it remains unreliable for accurate spelling and complex typography. For simple short text (1–3 words), use quotes in your prompt: 'a neon sign reading "OPEN"'. For anything requiring precise, correctly spelled text, add text in post-production using design tools like Canva, Photoshop, or Figma. Do not rely on Midjourney for logos, product labels, or any image where text accuracy matters.

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