Note on free plan: Midjourney removed its free plan in mid-2023. You'll need a paid plan to generate images. The Basic plan ($10/month) is the best entry point for beginners. You get approximately 200 image generations per month.
Midjourney consistently produces the most artistically impressive AI images of any tool we've tested — but only if you know how to prompt it. The difference between a mediocre Midjourney output and a jaw-dropping one is almost entirely about prompt construction.
This guide covers everything you need to go from your first /imagine command to reliably generating images that look like they were made by a professional artist.
Getting Started: Joining Midjourney
- Go to midjourney.com and click "Sign In"
- Connect your Discord account (Midjourney currently runs through Discord)
- Choose a plan — Basic ($10/mo) is fine to start
- In any Midjourney Discord server, type
/imaginein a bot channel - Type your prompt after the command and press Enter
Midjourney generates 4 image variations from every prompt. You'll see options to upscale (U1–U4) or create variations (V1–V4) from any of the four results.
How to Write Good Prompts
The anatomy of a strong Midjourney prompt has 3–5 components:
[Subject] + [Style/Medium] + [Lighting] + [Camera/Perspective] + [Parameters]
Weak prompt vs strong prompt
The difference: the strong prompt tells Midjourney the medium (film photography), the lighting (natural window light), the aesthetic (film grain, warm tones), and the technical parameters (aspect ratio, version). Every detail guides the output.
The Most Useful Midjourney Parameters
| Parameter | What It Does | Example |
|---|---|---|
--ar | Sets aspect ratio | --ar 16:9 (landscape), --ar 4:5 (portrait) |
--v | Selects model version (use 6 or 6.1) | --v 6.1 |
--style raw | Less artistic interpretation, more literal | Good for product shots |
--chaos | 0–100. Higher = more variety between the 4 outputs | --chaos 30 |
--no | Removes elements from the image | --no text, watermark |
--seed | Reproduces a specific result (use the seed from a previous image) | --seed 3829471 |
--iw | Image weight (0–2) when using an image prompt | --iw 1.5 |
--q | Quality: 0.25, 0.5, or 1 (higher = slower, better) | --q 1 |
Style Words That Actually Work
These style descriptors reliably improve output quality in Midjourney v6:
- Photography styles: "35mm film photography", "Hasselblad medium format", "documentary photography", "golden hour", "blue hour", "studio lighting with softbox"
- Artistic styles: "impressionist oil painting", "watercolor illustration", "ink sketch", "concept art", "editorial illustration", "ukiyo-e woodblock print"
- Lighting: "Rembrandt lighting", "rim light", "volumetric fog", "neon glow", "dramatic chiaroscuro", "overcast diffused light"
- Quality boosters: "highly detailed", "sharp focus", "8K", "professional", "award-winning"
Prompting for Specific Use Cases
Social media content
Brand or business imagery
Illustrations for blog posts
Common Beginner Mistakes
- Too vague: "a beautiful landscape" gives you exactly what you'd expect — generic. Add specifics: location, time of day, weather, mood, medium.
- Ignoring aspect ratio: Default is square (1:1). For most web use you want 16:9 or 4:5. Add --ar immediately.
- Not using V6: Some guides still reference V4 or V5. Always add
--v 6.1for the best results. - Giving up after one try: Midjourney is iterative. Run the prompt, pick the best result, make variations (V1–V4), then refine. Budget 4–6 generations per final image.
Pro tip: When you get a result you love, right-click the image in Discord and select "Add Reaction" then find the envelope emoji to have Midjourney DM you the image URL and seed number. Save the seed — it lets you recreate that exact aesthetic.
Midjourney Plans: Which One to Get
- Basic ($10/mo): ~200 fast GPU generations/month. Good for testing and casual use.
- Standard ($30/mo): 900 fast GPU generations + unlimited relaxed. Best for regular creative work.
- Pro ($60/mo): 1,800 fast GPU + stealth mode (private images). For professionals or businesses.
Start with Basic. If you're generating more than 200 images monthly (you will be), upgrade to Standard.
Final Thoughts
Midjourney has a learning curve, but it's one of the most rewarding AI tools once it clicks. The key insight most beginners miss: the tool rewards specificity. The more detail you give it — medium, lighting, style, perspective — the closer you get to what you're actually imagining. Read our full Midjourney review →