How-to guide
How to write a Midjourney prompt
Start with the subject, then add where it is, the shot, the light, the mood and the style, and put the parameters (like --ar 16:9 or --no people) at the very end. Midjourney does best with short descriptive phrases, so describe what the image looks like rather than giving it instructions. Here's the structure, the common mistakes, and a template.
How to build the prompt
- 1.
Lead with the subject
What's in the picture, specifically. “An old lighthouse on a rocky point” beats “a building by the sea”. Words near the start tend to carry the most weight.
- 2.
Add the setting and the shot
Where it is and how it's framed: wide shot, close-up, from above, at eye level. Framing is the difference between a landscape and a portrait.
- 3.
Describe the light and mood
Golden hour, overcast, neon at night, low-key, soft window light. Light does more for mood than words like “beautiful” or “epic”.
- 4.
Pick one style or medium
Photorealistic, 35mm film, watercolour, flat vector, 3D render. Pick one. Two styles that pull against each other tend to give you a muddle.
- 5.
Put parameters at the end
--ar sets the aspect ratio (16:9 for wide, 9:16 for a phone screen), --no leaves things out, --v picks the model version. They go after the description, each with two hyphens.
- 6.
Change one thing at a time
When a result is close, keep the prompt and change one phrase. Rewriting everything makes it hard to tell what helped.
Common mistakes
Writing instructions
“Please create an image of...” adds nothing. Describe the picture as if it already exists.
Writing “no people” in the description
Negatives in the text can put the very thing in the picture. Use --no people at the end instead.
Stacking adjectives
“Stunning, amazing, 8k, masterpiece” mostly adds noise. One specific detail about light or texture does more.
Forgetting the aspect ratio
The default is square. For a banner, a slide or a phone screen, set --ar or you'll be cropping later.
Parameters in the middle
Parameters go at the end of the prompt. Description after them won't be read as description.
A template you can copy
[subject, specific], [setting], [shot: wide / close-up / from above], [light], [mood], [style or medium] --ar [16:9 / 9:16 / 1:1] --no [what to leave out]
Commas between the parts are enough. Leave out any part you don't care about and Midjourney will choose.
A real before and after
From our test runs. A rough idea typed the way it came out, and what Polido turned it into. “Wide shot” became --ar 16:9 and “dont want any people” became --no people, both at the end.
You type
wide shot of a lighthouse in a storm, moody, dont want any people in it
Polido sends
Dramatic wide shot of a lighthouse in a violent storm, waves crashing against the rocks, heavy overcast sky, moody low-key lighting, photorealistic. --ar 16:9 --no people
Polido does this in place. Type the rough idea in the Midjourney prompt box, double-tap right ⌘ (right Ctrl on Windows), and it's rewritten into a full prompt with the parameters at the end.
Free: 100 rewrites in your first two weeks, then 20 a month. Pro is $10 a month for 500 ($8 billed annually).
Related: Midjourney and image prompts
Questions
- How long should a Midjourney prompt be?
- Usually one to three lines. Long enough to name the subject, setting, light and style. Past that, extra words tend to dilute each other.
- What does --no do?
- It tells Midjourney what to leave out, like --no text or --no people. It works better than writing “without” in the description.
- What aspect ratio should I use?
- 16:9 for wide and desktop images, 9:16 for phone screens and stories, 4:5 for an Instagram post, 1:1 for square. Set it with --ar.
- Can I use the same prompt in other image generators?
- The description, mostly yes. The parameters are Midjourney's own, so other tools ignore them or have their own settings. Strip them out.
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