How to Use Midjourney: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners (2025)

Midjourney creates stunning AI images from text descriptions. This guide covers everything from your first image to advanced techniques that produce professional-quality results.

Getting Started

Step 1: Join the Midjourney Discord

1. Go to midjourney.com
2. Click “Sign In” → “Sign in with Discord”
3. Join the Midjourney Discord server

Step 2: Choose a Plan

• Basic ($10/mo): 200 image generations/month
• Standard ($30/mo): Unlimited relaxed generations + 15hr fast GPU
• Pro ($60/mo): Unlimited relaxed + 30hr fast + stealth mode (private images)

Start with Basic to learn, upgrade once you know you’ll use it regularly.

Step 3: Generate Your First Image

1. Go to any #newbies channel or your DMs with the Midjourney bot
2. Type: /imagine prompt: [your description]
3. Wait 30-60 seconds for 4 image variations
4. Click U1-U4 to upscale, V1-V4 to create variations

The Anatomy of a Perfect Midjourney Prompt

[Subject] + [Environment] + [Style] + [Technical Parameters]

Example: /imagine prompt: a futuristic city skyline at sunset, neon lights reflecting in rain puddles, cyberpunk aesthetic, photorealistic, 8K resolution --ar 16:9 --v 6

Essential Style Keywords by Category

Photography Styles

• photorealistic, DSLR photo, cinematic, portrait photography
• golden hour lighting, studio lighting, bokeh background
• f/1.4 aperture, 85mm lens

Art Styles

• oil painting, watercolor, pencil sketch, digital art
• impressionist, art nouveau, minimalist, abstract
• “in the style of [famous artist]” (e.g., Van Gogh, Monet)

Lighting

• dramatic lighting, soft box lighting, rim lighting
• golden hour, blue hour, overcast, neon glow

10 Advanced Parameters

• –ar 16:9 — Aspect ratio (try 16:9 for YouTube thumbnails, 1:1 for Instagram)
• –v 6 — Use latest model version (v6 as of 2025)
• –q 2 — Quality (2 = best quality, slower)
• –stylize 750 — How artistic (0-1000, default 100)
• –chaos 25 — Variation between results (0-100)
• –no text — Exclude text from images
• –no blur — Prevent blurry results
• –seed 1234 — Reproduce same image with same seed number
• –tile — Create seamlessly tiling patterns
• –niji 6 — Anime/illustration mode

5 Practical Use Cases with Prompts

1. Blog/Article Hero Images

flat design illustration of a person using a laptop with AI elements floating around, minimalist, light blue background, professional --ar 16:9 --v 6

2. Social Media Content

motivational quote background, abstract gradient, subtle geometric patterns, warm colors, professional design --ar 1:1 --v 6

3. Product Mockups

smartphone mockup on a marble desk with coffee cup, lifestyle photography, natural lighting, white background, product photography --ar 4:3 --v 6

4. Presentation Backgrounds

abstract corporate background, deep blue gradient, subtle network lines, clean professional design, no text --ar 16:9 --v 6

5. YouTube Thumbnails

dramatic split comparison image, left side old traditional, right side futuristic AI, bright colors, high contrast, eye-catching --ar 16:9 --v 6

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Prompts too vague (“a nice picture”) — be specific about subject, style, mood
• Too many conflicting styles — pick one art style direction
• Not using version flags — always specify –v 6 for best results
• Ignoring aspect ratio — set –ar before generating for specific use cases

Try Midjourney →