Midjourney Prompts for Beginners: A Practical Starting Guide
- Aug 25
- 2 min read
Midjourney produces some of the most stunning AI-generated images available today. It's the tool that's become shorthand for 'impressive AI art' — and for good reason. But if you're new to it, Midjourney can feel more complex than other tools. The Discord-based interface takes some getting used to, and the syntax has its own conventions.
How Midjourney prompts work
Midjourney uses a chat command structure. You type /imagine followed by your prompt, and Midjourney generates four images from it. The basic structure is the same as any AI image prompt: describe what you want. But Midjourney has additional syntax — parameters — that you append to the end of your prompt to control specific aspects of the output.
The most important Midjourney parameters
Aspect ratio (--ar) controls the shape of your image. Use --ar 16:9 for widescreen landscape, --ar 9:16 for portrait/vertical, --ar 4:3 for classic photography ratio. Example: '/imagine a dramatic mountain range at sunset --ar 16:9'
Stylization (--stylize or --s) controls how artistic and interpretive Midjourney is. Low values (0-100) follow your prompt literally. Default (100) is balanced. High values (500-1000) take creative liberties. Example: '/imagine a woman in a red coat standing in the rain --s 750'
The --no parameter is Midjourney's negative prompt. Example: '/imagine a serene lakeside cabin, misty morning --no people, boats, text'
Version (--v) specifies which model to use. At time of writing, --v 6 produces highly detailed, photorealistic results.
Midjourney responds well to visual language
More than most AI tools, Midjourney has a strong response to the language of photography, film, and fine art: 35mm film, shot on Leica, DSLR photography, long exposure, macro photography, depth of field, bokeh; cinematic, Kodachrome, anamorphic lens, film grain; Rembrandt lighting, chiaroscuro, impressionistic; 8K, ultra-detailed, highly detailed, award-winning photography.
Common beginner mistakes in Midjourney
Ignoring aspect ratio — the default square format doesn't suit most images. Being too literal — Midjourney rewards visual and atmospheric language over clinical descriptions. Not iterating — use the U (upscale) and V (variation) buttons to work from what you like. Forgetting --no — if something keeps appearing that you didn't ask for, add it to the --no parameter.
Using the prompt library for Midjourney
The AiJoe prompt library includes prompts tagged specifically for Midjourney, many with the parameters already included. These are an excellent starting point — copy a prompt, generate the image, and then experiment by adjusting individual elements. This is one of the fastest ways to build your Midjourney vocabulary.
Part of our Prompt Engineering series:
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