The Midjourney Prompt Formula
- Subject: what you want (be specific)
- Medium/Style: photography, oil painting, digital art, etc.
- Lighting: golden hour, studio, dramatic, soft
- Mood: cinematic, ethereal, gritty, minimalist
- Technical: --ar 16:9 --v 6 --q 2
Understanding the Prompt Structure
Midjourney reads prompts from left to right, weighting earlier words more heavily. This means your subject should come first, followed by style, then technical parameters at the end.
Basic formula: [Subject] + [Style/Medium] + [Lighting] + [Mood] + [Technical parameters]
Example: "A weathered lighthouse at storm, dramatic oil painting style, lightning illumination, dark and turbulent atmosphere --ar 16:9 --v 6"
Photorealistic Image Prompts
Portrait photography:
"Portrait of a woman in her 40s, natural light from a window, shallow depth of field, film photography aesthetic, Fujifilm simulation, authentic and unposed --ar 4:5"
Product photography:
"Luxury perfume bottle on white marble surface, soft studio lighting, professional product photography, reflection, minimalist luxury aesthetic --ar 1:1"
Architecture:
"Modern Scandinavian house exterior at dusk, warm interior lights, surrounded by birch trees, architectural photography, blue hour --ar 16:9"
Illustration and Art Styles
Editorial illustration:
"A person overwhelmed by notifications and devices, editorial illustration style, flat design, bold colours, New Yorker magazine aesthetic --ar 1:1"
Children's book:
"A small fox wearing a red scarf exploring an autumn forest, children's book illustration, watercolour, warm and whimsical, Beatrix Potter style --ar 4:5"
Concept art:
"Abandoned space station interior, concept art, cinematic lighting, detailed sci-fi environment, fog, blue and orange colour palette, Syd Mead inspired --ar 16:9"
Key Parameters to Know
| Parameter | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| --ar | Aspect ratio | --ar 16:9, --ar 1:1, --ar 9:16 |
| --v 6 | Version (use latest) | --v 6 |
| --q | Quality (1=faster, 2=better) | --q 2 |
| --s | Stylise (0-1000, default 100) | --s 750 |
| --no | Negative prompt (exclude) | --no text, watermark |
| --chaos | Variation in results (0-100) | --chaos 25 |
Style Keywords That Transform Outputs
Adding the right style keyword can completely change the aesthetic of your output:
- Photography: "35mm film photography", "Leica M6", "documentary photography", "VSCO film"
- Painting: "oil painting", "watercolour wash", "gouache illustration", "acrylic texture"
- Digital art: "digital painting", "concept art", "matte painting", "pixel art"
- Print/graphic: "risograph print", "screenprint", "linocut", "woodblock print"
- Mood: "cinematic", "ethereal", "moody", "nostalgic", "hyperrealistic"
Common Mistakes and Fixes
- Too many concepts: Midjourney struggles with prompts that request multiple competing styles. Focus on one clear aesthetic per image.
- Vague subjects: "A nice landscape" → "Rolling Scottish Highlands in autumn, heather in bloom, morning mist in valleys"
- Forgetting aspect ratio: Always add --ar to control composition. Square default rarely suits most use cases.
- Not iterating: Use the V1-V4 variation buttons to explore variations of successful images before starting a new prompt.