How to Write Better Midjourney Prompts

Lead with the subject

Midjourney responds well to concise, descriptive phrases. Put the most important thing first, then add style, setting, lighting, color and mood. Short, concrete phrases usually beat long sentences.

Parameters worth knowing

Parameters go at the end of the prompt. A few cover most needs:

• --ar sets the aspect ratio, e.g. --ar 16:9 for widescreen or --ar 2:3 for portrait. Matching your reference's ratio keeps the composition familiar.
• --style raw reduces Midjourney's default stylization — useful for photographic, product and realistic work.
• --no excludes things, e.g. --no text, watermark.
• --stylize (or --s) controls how strongly Midjourney's own aesthetic is applied.

Be specific about light and lens

“Nice lighting” says little. “Soft window light from the left” or “backlit at golden hour” gives the model something concrete. The same goes for camera feel: “close-up, shallow depth of field” or “aerial wide shot” changes the result far more than adjectives like “beautiful”.

Iterate one change at a time

When a result is close, change a single phrase and regenerate. Changing several things at once makes it hard to learn what actually helped.