How to Write Midjourney Prompts: A Beginner-Friendly Guide

Midjourney rewards clear, descriptive prompts. You do not need secret keywords, but you do need structure. Here is how to write prompts that consistently produce usable images for your brand.

Start with plain description

Write what you want as if describing a photo to a photographer: subject, setting, lighting, mood and style. Short, concrete phrases work better than long lists of buzzwords.

Weak: “beautiful amazing coffee photo 8k ultra detailed”

Strong: “an iced latte in a clear glass on a marble cafe table, soft morning window light, shallow depth of field, editorial food photography –ar 4:5”

A simple structure

1. Subject and key details.
2. Environment or background.
3. Lighting and time of day.
4. Composition: close-up, wide, top-down, eye level.
5. Style: photography type, art style, color palette.
6. Parameters at the end, such as aspect ratio.

Words that make a real difference

• Lighting: golden hour, overcast, studio softbox, rim light, neon, candlelight.
• Camera framing: macro, close-up, medium shot, wide angle, top-down, low angle.
• Photography styles: editorial, commercial, documentary, film photo, catalog.
• Color: muted earth tones, pastel palette, high contrast black and white.
• Materials: linen, travertine, brushed steel, frosted glass.

Use references

Midjourney lets you add image prompts and style references. A style reference makes new images match the look of an image you provide, which is the best way to keep a consistent feed. Character and object reference features also help keep a subject consistent. Names and syntax change between versions, so check the current documentation.

Add parameters

Parameters go at the end of the prompt. The most useful for social media are aspect ratio (–ar 4:5), stylize (–s) to control how artistic results are, and –no to exclude things. Our parameters cheat sheet covers them all.

Iterate like a pro

1. Run your prompt and review the grid.
2. Pick the closest image and create subtle variations.
3. Change one thing at a time in the prompt: lighting, then background, then style.
4. Save prompts that work in a document as your brand’s “recipe book”.
5. Upscale the final choice.

Avoid these mistakes

• Conflicting styles in one prompt (“minimal” and “maximalist”).
• Too many subjects.
• Expecting accurate brand logos or product labels.
• Forgetting the aspect ratio.

See more in common AI image prompt mistakes. For ready-to-use prompts, try 40 product photography prompts, and for the big picture, the AI image prompts guide.