Complete Midjourney Tutorial: From Beginner to Expert

Introduction to Midjourney
Getting Started
Basic Commands
Prompt Engineering
Parameters and Settings
Advanced Features
Style and Aesthetics
Technical Terms Glossary
Use Cases and Applications
Best Practices
Troubleshooting
Pricing and Plans

Introduction to Midjourney {#introduction}

Midjourney is an AI-powered image generation tool that creates stunning visual content from text descriptions (prompts). It uses advanced machine learning algorithms to interpret natural language and generate high-quality images in various styles and formats.

What Makes Midjourney Special

Artistic Quality: Produces highly aesthetic, often painterly images
Style Versatility: Can mimic various art styles, from photorealistic to abstract
Community-Driven: Operates through Discord, fostering a creative community
Rapid Development: Frequent updates and improvements to the AI model

Getting Started {#getting-started}

Step 1: Join Discord

Create a Discord account/or Now you can Directly Operate from Midjourney Website UI, if you don’t have one Discord.
Join the official Midjourney Discord server
Verify your account through email

Step 2: Choose a Subscription Plan

Basic Plan: $10/month – ~200 images
Standard Plan: $30/month – ~15 hours of Fast GPU time
Pro Plan: $60/month – ~30 hours of Fast GPU time
Mega Plan: $120/month – ~60 hours of Fast GPU time

Step 3: Navigate Discord Channels

Newbie Channels: #newbies-1 through #newbies-50 for beginners
General Channels: #general-1 through #general-50 for experienced users
Themed Channels: Specific topics like #photo, #anime, #architecture

Step 4: Create Your First Image

Type /imagine in any bot channel
Add your prompt after the command
Wait for the AI to generate 4 image variations
Choose to upscale (U) or create variations (V)

Basic Commands {#basic-commands}

Primary Commands

/imagine [prompt] – Generate images from text description
/info – Check your subscription status and usage
/settings – Access your personal settings panel
/subscribe – Link to subscription management
/fast – Switch to Fast mode (uses GPU hours)
/relax – Switch to Relax mode (unlimited but slower)
/help – Display help information

Image Interaction Buttons

After generating images, you’ll see buttons:

U1, U2, U3, U4: Upscale the corresponding image (higher resolution)
V1, V2, V3, V4: Create variations of the corresponding image
🔄: Re-roll the entire generation with the same prompt
❤️: Add image to your favorites

Settings Commands

/prefer remix – Toggle remix mode on/off
/prefer option set [name] [value] – Create custom parameter shortcuts
/prefer suffix [text] – Add text to the end of every prompt
/show [job_id] – Redisplay a previously generated image

Prompt Engineering {#prompt-engineering}

Basic Prompt Structure

[Subject] [Description] [Environment/Background] [Style] [Parameters]

Essential Prompt Elements

Subject Definition

What: The main focus of your image
Who: Characters or figures
Where: Setting or location
When: Time period or moment

Descriptive Keywords

Adjectives: Beautiful, ancient, futuristic, mysterious
Materials: Wood, metal, glass, fabric, stone
Lighting: Soft lighting, dramatic shadows, golden hour, neon
Colors: Vibrant, muted, monochromatic, pastel
Emotions: Joyful, melancholic, intense, serene

Advanced Prompt Techniques

Multi-Prompting with Double Colon (::)cat:: dog:: house --w 2

Separates concepts and assigns weights

Negative Promptingbeautiful landscape --no cars, buildings, people

Excludes unwanted elements

Emphasis with Brackets{highly detailed} ornate golden frame

Increases attention to specific elements

Permutation Prompts{red, blue, green} sports car in {urban, rural} setting

Creates multiple variations automatically

Parameters and Settings {#parameters-and-settings}

Aspect Ratio (–ar or –aspect)

--ar 16:9 – Widescreen format
--ar 1:1 – Square format
--ar 9:16 – Portrait/mobile format
--ar 2:3 – Traditional portrait
--ar 3:2 – Traditional landscape

Quality (–q or –quality)

--q 0.25 – Quarter quality, 4x faster, less detailed
--q 0.5 – Half quality, 2x faster
--q 1 – Default quality (can be omitted)
--q 2 – High quality, 2x slower, more detailed

Stylization (–s or –stylize)

--s 0 – Minimal stylization, more literal
--s 100 – Default stylization
--s 250 – Moderate artistic interpretation
--s 750 – High artistic interpretation
--s 1000 – Maximum stylization

Chaos (–c or –chaos)

--c 0 – Very consistent results
--c 25 – Moderate variety
--c 50 – High variety
--c 100 – Maximum unpredictability

Weird (–w or –weird)

--w 0 – Default weirdness
--w 250 – Slightly unconventional
--w 500 – Moderately weird
--w 1000 – Very weird and experimental

Stop (–stop)

--stop 50 – Stops generation at 50% completion
--stop 80 – Stops at 80% for sketch-like results
Useful for creating unfinished, artistic looks

Tile (–tile)

Creates seamless, repeating patterns
Perfect for wallpapers and textures

Model Versions (–v)

--v 5.2 – Latest stable version
--v 6 – Newest model (if available)
--v 4 – Previous version for comparison

Seeds (–seed)

--seed 12345 – Reproducible results
Same seed + same prompt = similar images
Useful for consistent character creation

Advanced Features {#advanced-features}

Image Prompting

Upload an image and use it as a reference:[uploaded_image_url] futuristic city --iw 1.5

--iw controls image weight (0.5 to 2.0)

Style References (–sref)

portrait of a woman --sref [style_image_url]

Applies the style of the reference image

Character References (–cref)

superhero --cref [character_image_url] --cw 100

Maintains character consistency across generations

Blend Command

/blend [image1] [image2] [image3]

Combines multiple images into one

Describe Command

/describe [uploaded_image]

Generates text prompts based on an uploaded image

Remix Mode

Allows editing prompts during variation generation

Enable with /prefer remix
Modify prompts when clicking V buttons

Pan and Zoom

Pan: Extend images in specific directions
Zoom: Zoom out to see more of the scene
Custom Zoom: Specify exact zoom levels

Vary Region

Select specific areas of an image to regenerate while keeping the rest unchanged

Style and Aesthetics {#style-and-aesthetics}

Art Movements and Styles

Impressionism: Soft brushstrokes, light emphasis
Surrealism: Dreamlike, impossible imagery
Art Nouveau: Ornate, nature-inspired designs
Bauhaus: Clean, geometric, functional
Pop Art: Bold colors, commercial imagery
Minimalism: Simple, clean, reduced elements

Photography Styles

Portrait Photography: Bokeh, shallow depth of field
Street Photography: Candid, documentary style
Macro Photography: Extreme close-ups
Landscape Photography: Wide vistas, natural lighting
Film Noir: High contrast, dramatic shadows

Digital Art Styles

Concept Art: Game/movie development style
Matte Painting: Cinematic backgrounds
Pixel Art: Retro gaming aesthetic
Vaporwave: Neon, retro-futuristic
Cyberpunk: Dark, neon-lit, high-tech

Lighting Techniques

Golden Hour: Warm, soft natural light
Blue Hour: Cool twilight atmosphere
Rim Lighting: Backlit subjects with glowing edges
Chiaroscuro: Dramatic light and shadow contrast
Ambient Lighting: Soft, even illumination

Technical Terms Glossary {#technical-terms}

AI and Machine Learning Terms

Diffusion Model: The AI technique Midjourney uses to generate images
Latent Space: The mathematical space where AI understands and manipulates image concepts
Token: Individual words or concepts the AI processes
Embedding: Mathematical representation of concepts
Inference: The process of generating images from prompts

Image Generation Terms

Prompt: Text description used to generate images
Seed: Starting point for random generation
Iteration: Individual generation attempts
Upscaling: Increasing image resolution
Variations: Similar images based on an original

Quality and Technical Terms

Artifacts: Unwanted visual elements or errors
Coherence: How well image elements fit together
Fidelity: Accuracy to the prompt description
Resolution: Image size and detail level
Aspect Ratio: Width-to-height proportions

Community Terms

Grid: The initial 2×2 layout of generated images
Job: A single generation request
Fast Hours: GPU time allocated for quick generation
Relax Mode: Unlimited but slower generation
Job ID: Unique identifier for each generation

Use Cases and Applications {#use-cases}

Creative Industries

Game Development: Concept art, environment design, character concepts
Film and TV: Storyboards, mood boards, set design concepts
Publishing: Book covers, illustrations, marketing materials
Advertising: Campaign visuals, product mockups, brand imagery

Business Applications

Marketing: Social media content, website graphics, presentations
E-commerce: Product visualization, lifestyle imagery
Real Estate: Virtual staging, architectural visualization
Fashion: Design concepts, pattern creation, trend forecasting

Personal Projects

Art Creation: Personal artwork, style exploration
Social Media: Profile pictures, story content, posts
Presentations: Professional slides, educational materials
Gifts: Custom artwork, personalized images

Educational Uses

Visual Learning: Historical recreations, scientific concepts
Storytelling: Character creation, scene illustration
Research: Visual hypothesis testing, concept exploration
Art Education: Style study, technique demonstration

Professional Services

Graphic Design: Logo concepts, branding exploration
Interior Design: Room layouts, color schemes, furniture arrangement
Product Design: Conceptual designs, form exploration
Architecture: Building concepts, landscape design

Best Practices {#best-practices}

Prompt Writing Tips

Be Specific: “Red sports car” vs “Ferrari 488 GTB in rosso corsa red”
Use Descriptive Adjectives: Add texture, lighting, mood descriptors
Specify Style: Mention art movements, artists, or photography styles
Consider Composition: Mention framing, angle, perspective
Add Context: Environment, time period, atmosphere

Technical Optimization

Start Simple: Begin with basic prompts, then add complexity
Use Parameters Wisely: Don’t overuse high stylization or chaos
Experiment with Ratios: Match aspect ratio to intended use
Save Successful Seeds: Keep track of seeds that work well
Iterate Gradually: Make small changes to refine results

Workflow Efficiency

Use Favorites: Save images you like for future reference
Create Style Libraries: Collect reference images for consistent looks
Batch Similar Requests: Group related generations together
Use Remix Mode: Efficiently explore variations
Document Successful Prompts: Keep a library of effective prompts

Community Etiquette

Use Appropriate Channels: Follow channel guidelines
Don’t Spam: Avoid excessive generations in public channels
Share Knowledge: Help other users learn
Respect Others: Don’t interrupt ongoing conversations
Use DMs for Support: Private message for technical issues

Troubleshooting {#troubleshooting}

Common Issues and Solutions

Images Don’t Match Prompt

Solution: Be more specific, use negative prompts, adjust stylization

Poor Image Quality

Solution: Increase quality parameter, use higher resolution, check prompt clarity

Unwanted Elements

Solution: Use negative prompts (–no), be more specific about desired elements

Inconsistent Results

Solution: Use seeds for reproducibility, reduce chaos parameter

Generation Failures

Solution: Check prompt for banned words, simplify complex prompts

Running Out of Fast Hours

Solution: Switch to Relax mode, upgrade plan, or wait for monthly reset

Error Messages

“Invalid Parameter”: Check parameter spelling and values
“Banned Prompt”: Remove prohibited content or words
“Queue Full”: Wait and try again during off-peak hours
“Job Failed”: Simplify prompt or try different parameters

Performance Tips

Use Relax mode for experimentation
Generate multiple variations before upscaling
Use lower quality settings for initial tests
Batch process similar requests

Pricing and Plans {#pricing}

Subscription Tiers (2024)

Basic: $10/month – ~200 generations
Standard: $30/month – 15 hours fast GPU
Pro: $60/month – 30 hours fast GPU
Mega: $120/month – 60 hours fast GPU

Usage Optimization

Use Relax mode for experimentation
Reserve Fast mode for final versions
Batch similar requests together
Use lower quality for initial tests

Commercial Rights

Paid subscribers get commercial usage rights
Free trial users have limited rights
Check terms of service for latest details

Quick Reference Card

Essential Commands

/imagine [prompt] – Generate images
/info – Check usage
/settings – Access settings
/blend – Combine images
/describe – Analyze images

Key Parameters

--ar 16:9 – Aspect ratio
--q 1 – Quality (0.25-2)
--s 100 – Stylization (0-1000)
--c 25 – Chaos (0-100)
--no text – Negative prompt

Pro Tips

Start simple, add complexity gradually
Use aspect ratios appropriate for your use case
Experiment with different stylization levels
Keep successful prompts and seeds for future use
Use the community for inspiration and learning

Remember: Midjourney is constantly evolving. Stay updated with the official Discord announcements and documentation for the latest features and changes.