Midjourney Prompt Structure Explained With Examples

Updated: 2026-11-03 · 7 min read

Midjourney reads your prompt a little like a mood board. Order, length and the bits after the double dash all change what you get back. Once you know the structure, you stop guessing and start steering.

The three parts of a Midjourney prompt

According to Midjourney's own documentation, a prompt can contain three kinds of input, always in this order:

1. Image prompts – one or more image links placed at the start. They influence content, colour and composition.
2. Text prompt – your description of the image.
3. Parameters – settings that begin with two hyphens, such as --ar (aspect ratio) or --stylize, placed at the end.

A simple text-only prompt is completely valid. Image links and parameters are optional extras.

[image URL] a lighthouse on a cliff during a storm, oil painting, dramatic clouds, crashing waves --ar 3:2 --stylize 200

If a parameter appears in the middle of the text, it can be misread or ignored, so always keep parameters last.

How to write the text part

Midjourney works best with clear, concrete phrases. You don't need perfect grammar, but you do need to say what matters. A reliable order for the text part is:

• Subject: "an old red tram"
• Details: "with rust patches and a brass bell"
• Setting: "on a cobblestone street in Lisbon"
• Style or medium: "35mm film photograph" or "gouache illustration"
• Lighting and time: "late afternoon sun, long shadows"
• Composition: "low angle, wide shot"
• Mood and colour: "nostalgic, warm yellows and faded blues"

Put the subject early. Words near the start tend to carry more weight, and a prompt that opens with three style words before the subject can drift. We test this in detail in prompt weights and word order.

Short prompts versus long prompts

Short prompts such as "cozy cabin in snow" give Midjourney a lot of freedom. You'll get attractive, varied images, but you won't control the details. Long prompts give control but can dilute each idea if they ramble.

A practical rule: aim for one subject, one style, one lighting idea and one composition idea. If you list ten adjectives for the subject, the model will pick a few and ignore the rest.

Too vague: a dragon

Too crowded: a huge beautiful amazing majestic epic dragon, fantasy, cinematic, detailed, realistic, anime, watercolour, 8k, best quality

Balanced: a jade-green dragon coiled around a mountain temple, misty morning, Chinese ink painting style, wide composition

The crowded version also mixes "realistic", "anime" and "watercolour", which pull in different directions.

Common parameters you'll actually use

Parameters change quickly between versions, so always confirm details in the official docs for your current model. These are the long-standing ones most people use:

• --ar sets aspect ratio, for example --ar 16:9 for widescreen or --ar 9:16 for phone wallpapers and stories.
• --no tells Midjourney what to leave out, for example --no text, people. It works like a negative prompt.
• --stylize (or --s) controls how strongly Midjourney applies its own aesthetic. Lower values follow your text more literally; higher values are more artistic.
• --chaos controls how varied the initial grid is. Raise it when you want unexpected options.
• --seed makes results more repeatable when you test small text changes.
• --style raw reduces the default beautifying style for a more literal, photographic look on models that support it.
• --v selects the model version.

For choosing a ratio, see our aspect ratio guide.

Worked examples

Product shot

a matte black ceramic coffee mug on a walnut table, morning window light, steam rising, minimal Scandinavian kitchen background, product photography, shallow depth of field --ar 4:5 --style raw --no logo

Why it works: one product, one surface, one light source, and the --no parameter blocks random branding.

Fantasy illustration

a tiny fox knight in silver armour crossing a mossy log bridge, glowing mushrooms, storybook watercolour illustration, soft dusk light --ar 3:2 --s 250

Why it works: the character is specific, the medium is clear and stylize is raised for a more painterly look.

Phone wallpaper

a single paper boat on still teal water, large negative space, minimalist, soft gradient sky --ar 9:16 --chaos 10

Why it works: vertical ratio, a simple subject and a little chaos for variation.

Street photo

a rainy night market in Taipei, steam from food stalls, people with umbrellas, neon reflections on wet ground, candid 35mm photo, grain --ar 3:2 --style raw

Multi-prompts and weights

Midjourney supports separating concepts with a double colon :: so they're considered separately, and you can add a number after the colon to give a part more or less weight, for example space::2 ship versus space ship. This is useful for unusual combinations, such as "hot dog" the food versus a dog that is hot. Use it sparingly; most prompts don't need it, and plain wording is easier to debug.

Image prompts and references

Adding an image link at the start lets Midjourney borrow colours, composition or content from your reference. Newer versions also offer separate style reference and character reference features. Rules of thumb:

• Use your own images or images you have the right to use.
• A reference image plus a short text prompt often beats a long text-only prompt for matching a look.
• Test the image weight parameter if the reference dominates too much or too little.

Mistakes that waste your generations

• Parameters in the middle of the text. Move them to the end.
• Spaces in the wrong place. Write --ar 16:9, not -- ar 16 : 9.
• Negative phrasing in the text. "no people" in the description can actually add people; use --no people instead.
• Style soup. Pick one dominant medium.
• Changing everything between attempts. Change one element, regenerate, compare.

A refining workflow for Midjourney

1. Start with a balanced prompt and the right aspect ratio.
2. Review the grid and pick the closest image.
3. Use variations on that image, or edit the text for the biggest problem.
4. Lock a seed while testing tiny wording changes.
5. Upscale the final choice and save the prompt for reuse.

Keeping a record matters more than people expect. A prompt that worked once is the best starting point for the next project.

Where to get starting prompts

Rather than writing every Midjourney prompt from a blank box, many people start from tested examples and adapt them. The AI Image Prompts Android app gives you a searchable library sorted by category, with preview images, one-tap copy and a favourites list, and the collection is updated regularly. It doesn't create images itself; you copy a prompt, paste it into Midjourney, and then add your own parameters such as --ar at the end.

If you also use other tools, our guides to ChatGPT image prompts and Gemini image prompts explain how to rewrite the same idea for conversational generators.

A quick checklist before you press enter

Run through these questions every time. It takes ten seconds and saves a lot of wasted generations:

• Is the subject in the first few words? If the prompt opens with "cinematic, epic, detailed", move the subject forward.
• Is there exactly one main style? Photograph, watercolour, 3D render or anime, but not all four.
• Have I named the light? Even two words such as "overcast daylight" or "neon glow" add a lot of control.
• Does the aspect ratio match the use? Square for a profile picture, 16:9 for a video thumbnail, 9:16 for a story.
• Are unwanted elements handled with --no? Text, watermarks, extra people and frames are the usual suspects.
• Are all parameters at the end and spelled correctly? A typo in a parameter can cause an error or be ignored.

If the answer to all six is yes, you have a well-structured Midjourney prompt. The remaining work is taste: choosing between the variations and nudging details until the image matches what you pictured.

FAQ

Where do parameters go in a Midjourney prompt?

Always at the end, after the text description. Image links go at the start, text in the middle, parameters last.

Does word order matter in Midjourney?

Yes, to a degree. Concepts near the start often have more influence, so put the subject and the most important detail first.

What does --stylize do?

It controls how much Midjourney's own artistic style is applied. Lower values stick closer to your words; higher values give more artistic, interpretive results.

How do I stop Midjourney adding text or people?

Use the --no parameter, for example --no text, people, instead of writing "no people" in the description.

Can I copy a Midjourney prompt into another generator?

The text description usually transfers well. Remove the parameters, since other tools use their own settings for size and style.