Midjourney produces the best AI images available — but it's also one of the less intuitive tools to start with. This guide walks you through everything from account creation to advanced prompting, based on 5,000+ test images our team has generated.
Tutorial
How to Use Midjourney in 2026: Complete Beginner's Guide
By Sara Lin · June 18, 2026 · 15 min read · Updated for v6.1
What you'll learn: How to set up Midjourney (Discord + web), write effective prompts, use key parameters, control aspect ratios, and generate consistently high-quality images. No prior experience needed.
Step 1: Get Started with Midjourney
1
Create your account
Go to midjourney.com and click "Sign In." You'll use your Discord account — create one if you don't have it (free). Then choose a plan: Basic ($10/mo, ~200 images) is enough to start. No free trial available in 2026.
2
Choose: Web App or Discord
Web app (midjourney.com): Easier for beginners. Clean interface, no Discord knowledge needed. Still in beta but fully functional.
Discord: More control, community access, faster for power users. Join the official Midjourney Discord server and use any channel marked "image-gen."
3
Generate your first image
In the web app, type in the prompt box. On Discord, type /imagine followed by your prompt. Press Enter and wait 30–60 seconds for 4 image variations to appear.
Step 2: Write Effective Prompts
The biggest difference between mediocre and excellent Midjourney results is prompt quality. Here's the structure that consistently works:
[Subject], [Style/Medium], [Lighting], [Color palette], [Mood/Atmosphere], [Camera angle]
Example (weak): a woman in a coffee shop
Example (strong): a young woman reading a book in a cozy Parisian café, warm morning light through large windows, soft bokeh background, muted earth tones, peaceful and contemplative mood, eye-level perspective, shot on 85mm lens
The strong prompt gives Midjourney specific creative direction. The weak prompt leaves too much to interpretation — results vary widely and often don't match your vision.
Step 3: Essential Midjourney Parameters
Parameters go at the end of your prompt and control specific aspects of image generation:
| Parameter | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
--ar 16:9 | Aspect ratio (landscape, portrait, square) | --ar 16:9 for widescreen |
--v 6.1 | Model version (6.1 = latest, best quality) | Always add --v 6.1 |
--style raw | Reduces aesthetic processing for photorealism | Portraits, product shots |
--q 2 | Quality (1=fast, 2=high detail) | Use --q 2 for final images |
--chaos 20 | Variation (0=consistent, 100=wild) | Brainstorming: --chaos 40 |
--no text | Exclude text from images | Prevents unwanted letters |
--sref [url] | Style reference — match a visual style | Brand consistency |
--seed [number] | Repeat exact same generation | Reproduce a good result |
Full example with parameters:
a minimalist home office setup with clean lines, Scandinavian design, natural light from left window, white and oak wood tones, calm and productive atmosphere --ar 16:9 --v 6.1 --style raw --q 2
Step 4: Aspect Ratios for Common Use Cases
Social Media Post
--ar 1:1Instagram Story
--ar 9:16Blog Header
--ar 16:9Portrait / Poster
--ar 2:3Wide Landscape
--ar 21:9A4 Print
--ar 3:45 Tips for Better Results
1. Be specific about photography style. Adding "shot on Sony A7IV, 50mm f/1.4, shallow depth of field" to portrait prompts dramatically improves photorealism.
2. Use negative prompts. Add --no blurry, low quality, watermark, text to avoid common issues in generated images.
3. Vary with U and V buttons. After getting 4 initial images, U1-U4 upscales a specific variation. V1-V4 generates more variations of one image. Start with V to explore, then U to finalize.
4. Seed number for consistency. Copy the seed from a successful image and reuse it with slightly different prompts to maintain visual consistency across a series.
5. Style reference for brand work. Upload a reference image URL with --sref [url] to match a specific visual aesthetic across multiple generations — crucial for brand consistency.