Complete Midjourney Guide

Master the world's most popular AI art generator with comprehensive tutorials and techniques

Beginner to Pro30 min readUpdated January 2025

What You'll Master

Discord setup and subscription management
Advanced prompting techniques and parameters
Style references and artistic control methods
Professional workflows and batch generation

1. Getting Started with Midjourney

Midjourney is a Discord-based AI art generator that creates stunning images from text prompts. Unlike other AI tools, it operates entirely through Discord commands, making it unique and social.

Why Choose Midjourney?

  • Exceptional quality - Industry-leading photorealistic and artistic results
  • Easy to use - Simple Discord commands, no technical setup required
  • Active community - Learn from millions of users and shared prompts
  • Consistent updates - Regular model improvements and new features

Setup Process

Step 1: Account Setup

  • • Create Discord account if needed
  • • Visit midjourney.com
  • • Join the Midjourney Discord server
  • • Verify your account via email

Step 2: Choose Plan

  • • Basic: $10/month (200 images)
  • • Standard: $30/month (unlimited relaxed)
  • • Pro: $60/month (unlimited fast)
  • • Mega: $120/month (unlimited stealth)

Step 3: First Image

  • • Navigate to #newbies channel
  • • Type /imagine command
  • • Enter your first prompt
  • • Wait for generation (1-2 minutes)

2. Basic Commands & Interface

Midjourney uses Discord slash commands to generate and modify images. Understanding these commands is essential for effective use of the platform.

Essential Commands

/imagine

Generate new images from text prompts

/imagine a majestic dragon --ar 16:9

/blend

Combine 2-5 uploaded images

/blend [image1] [image2]

/describe

Generate prompts from uploaded images

/describe [image]

Image Actions

U1, U2, U3, U4

Upscale selected image to higher resolution

V1, V2, V3, V4

Create variations of selected image

🔄 Re-roll

Generate new set with same prompt

❤️ Favorite

Save image to your favorites gallery

3. Advanced Prompting Techniques

Effective Midjourney prompts combine descriptive language with strategic structure. Learn how to craft prompts that consistently deliver stunning results.

Optimal Prompt Structure

[Subject] [Action/Pose] [Environment/Setting] [Style] [Lighting] [Camera/Technical] [Parameters]

Example:

Portrait of a wise old wizard, casting a spell, in ancient library filled with glowing books, fantasy art style, dramatic lighting with magical sparkles, 85mm lens, shallow depth of field --ar 3:4 --stylize 150

Multi-Prompts & Weights

Basic Multi-Prompt
red roses :: white lilies
Equal weight to both elements
Weighted Multi-Prompt
red roses::2 white lilies::1
Roses twice as important as lilies
Negative Weights
beautiful garden flowers --no weeds::2
Strongly avoid unwanted elements

Style & Quality Modifiers

Quality Enhancers
highly detailed, masterpiece, professional photography
Artistic Styles
oil painting, digital art, pencil sketch, watercolor
Photography Terms
portrait photography, 85mm lens, bokeh, golden hour

4. Essential Parameters Guide

Midjourney parameters give you precise control over generation settings. These powerful tools can dramatically change your results and workflow efficiency.

Aspect Ratio (--ar)

--ar 1:1 Square (Instagram)
--ar 3:4 Portrait (Mobile)
--ar 4:3 Landscape (Classic)
--ar 16:9 Widescreen (Cinema)
--ar 9:16 Vertical (Stories)
--ar 21:9 Ultra-wide

Stylize (--stylize)

--stylize 0 Literal interpretation
--stylize 100 Balanced (default)
--stylize 250 More artistic
--stylize 750 Very artistic
--stylize 1000 Maximum creativity
Higher = more artistic liberty

Chaos (--chaos)

--chaos 0 Very similar results
--chaos 25 Some variation
--chaos 50 Moderate diversity
--chaos 75 High variation
--chaos 100 Maximum diversity
Higher = more varied compositions

Quality (--quality)

--quality 0.25 Fastest, least detailed
--quality 0.5 Good balance
--quality 1 Default quality
--quality 2 Maximum detail
Higher = more render time/cost

Seeds (--seed)

--seed 12345 Reproducible results
Same seed + prompt = similar images
Use for consistent characters/styles
Seeds range from 0 to 4294967295

Stop (--stop)

--stop 10 Very early stopping
--stop 50 Halfway through
--stop 80 Nearly complete
10-100, creates unfinished looks

5. Styles & Artistic Control

Midjourney excels at interpreting artistic styles and movements. Learn how to achieve specific aesthetics and maintain consistency across your projects.

Style References (--sref)

How to Use Style References

1. Upload reference image to Discord
2. Copy image URL
3. Add to prompt: --sref [URL]
4. Adjust strength with --sw 0-1000
--sw 100 Subtle style influence
--sw 500 Moderate style transfer
--sw 1000 Strong style matching

Character References (--cref)

Consistent Characters

1. Generate initial character image
2. Use image URL with --cref
3. Control strength with --cw
4. Maintain consistency across scenes
--cw 0 Face only
--cw 50 Face + hair (default)
--cw 100 Face + hair + clothing

Popular Style Keywords

Photography:
portrait photography
street photography
fashion photography
macro photography
Digital Art:
concept art
digital painting
matte painting
cyberpunk art
Traditional:
oil painting
watercolor
pencil sketch
charcoal drawing
Cinematic:
movie still
cinematic lighting
film noir
epic composition

6. Professional Workflows

Advanced techniques and workflows for professional AI art creation, including batch generation, consistency techniques, and commercial applications.

Remix Mode Workflow

  1. 1. Enable Remix Mode with /settings
  2. 2. Generate initial image set
  3. 3. Click variation buttons (V1-V4)
  4. 4. Modify prompt when remix dialog appears
  5. 5. Iterate with targeted changes
  6. 6. Build consistent style variations

Consistent Character Workflow

  1. 1. Create detailed character prompt
  2. 2. Generate multiple angles/poses
  3. 3. Select best character image
  4. 4. Use --cref for consistency
  5. 5. Adjust --cw as needed
  6. 6. Create story sequences

Batch Generation Tips

Efficiency Strategies

  • • Use consistent seed values for variations
  • • Create prompt templates for similar projects
  • • Batch similar style requirements together
  • • Use relaxed mode for non-urgent generations

Quality Control

  • • Always generate 4-image grids first
  • • Upscale only the best results
  • • Use variations for fine-tuning
  • • Save successful prompts and parameters

Pro Tips for Better Results

  • • Start with simple prompts, then add complexity gradually
  • • Use specific camera and lighting terms for photorealistic results
  • • Combine multiple style references for unique aesthetics
  • • Keep successful prompts organized in a personal database
  • • Experiment with different stylize values for each project type

Ready to Master Midjourney?

Use our tools to generate and enhance prompts optimized for Midjourney's unique capabilities.

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