Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Prompting Fundamentals
  3. Advanced Techniques
  4. Style Control
  5. Character Consistency
  6. Prompt Formulas
  7. Troubleshooting

Introduction

MidJourney has evolved dramatically since its launch, with version 6 introducing unprecedented control over image generation. While basic prompts can produce impressive results, mastering advanced techniques unlocks truly professional-grade AI art creation.

This guide covers professional strategies used by digital artists, concept designers, and creative professionals to achieve precise, consistent, and stunning visual results with MidJourney.

5× more control with V6 parameters
89% of pro users use advanced syntax
2.7× better results with structured prompts

Prompting Fundamentals

Before diving into advanced techniques, let's review the core components of effective MidJourney prompts:

1. Subject

The primary focus of your image (person, object, scene). Be specific about details like age, clothing, or attributes.

Example:

"A wise elderly wizard with a long white beard wearing embroidered purple robes"

2. Medium & Style

Specify artistic medium (photo, painting, 3D render) and style (impressionist, cyberpunk, watercolor).

Example:

"Digital painting in the style of Artgerm with cel-shaded colors"

3. Composition

Control framing, perspective, and camera angles for dynamic results.

Example:

"Low-angle shot with dramatic perspective, rule of thirds composition"

4. Lighting

Direction, quality, and color of lighting dramatically affect mood.

Example:

"Volumetric golden hour lighting with soft shadows"

5. Details

Add texture, materials, and fine elements for realism.

Example:

"Highly detailed with visible brush strokes, 8K resolution"

6. Parameters

Technical controls like aspect ratio, stylization, and version.

Example:

"--ar 16:9 --v 6 --stylize 600"

Advanced Prompting Techniques

1. Weighted Terms

Use :: to assign importance to different elements of your prompt. Numbers after colons indicate relative weight.

Basic Prompt:

"A futuristic city with flying cars at sunset"

Weighted Version:

"futuristic city::1.2 flying cars::1.5 sunset::0.8 --v 6"

Pro Tip: When emphasizing a specific element, give it 1.3-1.5 weight while reducing competing elements to 0.7-0.9.

2. Negative Prompting

Use --no parameter to exclude unwanted elements from your generations.

Example:

"Beautiful portrait of a warrior queen --no sword, armor, blood, violence --v 6"

Pro Tip: For cleaner compositions, try --no text, watermark, signature, blurry

3. Multi-Prompting

Separate distinct concepts with :: to give MidJourney more creative freedom between ideas.

Example:

"cyberpunk cityscape:: neon lights:: futuristic technology:: rainy night --v 6"

Pro Tip: This works particularly well for abstract or surreal concepts where you want unexpected combinations.

4. Chaos Parameter

Add --chaos (0-100) to control variation between initial image grids.

Low Chaos (--chaos 10)

Similar, predictable variations

High Chaos (--chaos 80)

Wildly different interpretations

5. Seed Control

Use --seed to recreate similar images or maintain consistency across generations.

How to Use:

  1. Generate an image you like
  2. Copy its seed number from the info
  3. Add --seed 123456789 to new prompts

Precise Style Control

Go beyond basic style references with these professional techniques:

1. Artist Emulation

Combine multiple artists for unique hybrid styles.

Example:

"In the style of Hayao Miyazaki meets Jean Giraud Moebius, color palette by Studio Ghibli"

2. Era & Movement

Reference specific art periods for authentic results.

Example:

"Art Deco poster style with Bauhaus geometric elements"

3. Media References

Specify film, game, or animation styles.

Example:

"Cinematic lighting similar to Blade Runner 2049, Denis Villeneuve direction style"

4. Technical Specs

Control camera, lens, and rendering details.

Example:

"Shot on Canon EOS R5 with 85mm f/1.2 lens, shallow depth of field"

Style Intensity Scale

Use --stylize parameter (0-1000) to control how strongly MidJourney interprets your style prompts:

0-200 Minimal interpretation (more literal)
200-500 Balanced (default is 600 in V6)
500-800 Strong artistic interpretation
800-1000 Extremely stylized (abstract)

Character Consistency Techniques

Creating consistent characters across multiple images is one of the most sought-after skills in MidJourney. Here are professional approaches:

1. Seed + Describe Method

  1. Generate your ideal character image
  2. Use /describe on it to get prompt keywords
  3. Combine these with the original seed

2. Character Sheet Approach

  1. Create a reference grid with multiple angles/expressions
  2. Use image weights (--iw) for subsequent prompts
  3. Maintain consistent descriptors

3. Parameter Locking

Once you find successful parameters, reuse them:

--seed 12345 --v 6 --stylize 650 --chaos 20

Character Consistency Case Study

Challenge: Create a consistent anime protagonist across 12 different scenes.

Solution:

  1. Established base character with detailed prompt and saved seed
  2. Created reference sheet with 8 expressions/angles
  3. Used --cref parameter with reference URLs
  4. Maintained consistent style parameters across all prompts

Results: 90% character consistency across all generated scenes with minimal manual editing needed.

Professional Prompt Formulas

These proven prompt structures yield reliable, high-quality results across different genres:

1. Cinematic Portrait

[Subject description]::1.3, [specific facial features]::1.2, [lighting type]::1.1, [camera/lens details], [color palette], [style references] --ar 9:16 --v 6 --style raw

2. Concept Art

[Environment/scene], [key elements]::1.4, [art style]::1.3, [mood/atmosphere], [details level], [perspective] --ar 16:9 --v 6 --stylize 700

3. Product Visualization

Professional product photo of [product], [materials]::1.2, [background], [lighting setup], [camera angle], studio lighting, 8K, hyper-detailed --v 6

4. Book Illustration

[Scene description], [illustration style]::1.5, [artist influences], [color mood], [composition details], children's book illustration, whimsical --v 6

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Problem Solution Example Fix
Ignoring important elements Use weighting or reposition in prompt "dragon::1.5 castle::0.8" instead of "dragon near castle"
Unwanted fusion Add separation with double colons "cyborg:: warrior:: forest" instead of "cyborg warrior in forest"
Style too weak/strong Adjust --stylize value Change from --stylize 300 to --stylize 750
Low detail Add quality parameters "8K, hyper-detailed, intricate textures"
Wrong aspect ratio Use --ar parameter early "--ar 3:2 [prompt]"

Want More Prompting Power?

Download our free MidJourney Prompt Builder Toolkit with 150+ style keywords, parameter cheat sheets, and template generators.

Get the Toolkit

Last Updated: May 15, 2025 | Suggest an Update