How to Use Midjourney: Step-by-Step Guide to Creating AI Images
Midjourney is one of the most-used AI image generators in the world, known for the aesthetic quality of its outputs and a steeper learning curve than competitors like DALL-E 3. Unlike other platforms, Midjourney started as a Discord bot and only recently launched its own web app, which simplifies daily use.
In this guide you will learn the full step-by-step: how to create an account, choose between Discord and midjourney.com, build prompts that actually work, master parameters like --ar and --v, understand the differences between v6 and v7, and pick the right plan for your usage volume.
What Midjourney Is and Why It Stood Out
Midjourney is a proprietary generative model focused on images. It is not open source, has no stable public API, and until recently only ran inside Discord, which was charming to some and a barrier to others.
What sets Midjourney apart from Stable Diffusion or DALL-E 3 is aesthetic: images tend to look more “cinematic,” with dramatic lighting, realistic depth of field, and intentional composition. That is why Midjourney is preferred by designers, illustrators, marketing teams, and visual content producers.
Version 6 set a new bar for photorealism and prompt adherence. v7, released in 2025, brought improvements in coherence (especially for hands, faces, and text in images) and in personalization, the model now learns your aesthetic preferences over time.
How to Create Your Midjourney Account
Whether you use Discord or the web app, signup begins the same way:
1. Go to midjourney.com and click “Sign In.”
2. Log in with Discord or Google. If you plan to use the Discord bot, Discord login is more convenient. If you only want the web app, either works.
3. Confirm your email if the platform asks.
4. Pick a plan. Midjourney no longer offers a free tier — every generation requires an active subscription.
5. Accept the terms of service. Heads up: images generated on personal plans appear publicly in the site’s gallery, unless you use Stealth mode, which is only available on Pro and Mega.
After these five steps, you can generate your first image.
Discord vs Web App: Where to Use Midjourney
Today Midjourney runs in two main interfaces. Each has advantages:
Web app (midjourney.com/imagine):
- Modern visual interface, folder-based organization
- Easy-to-browse history
- Inline editing (variations, upscale, vary region)
- Recommended for beginners and ongoing professional use
Discord bot:
- Generation through
/imaginecommands - Good for collaborative use in servers
- Active community for support
- Steeper learning curve due to slash commands
For 90% of users, the recommendation is the web app. If you want to experiment with the community or already live in Discord, the bot still works normally.
How to Write Prompts That Work
Midjourney’s prompt syntax is more technical than DALL-E 3’s. Instead of long natural-language descriptions, Midjourney responds better to lists of visual terms separated by commas.
Recommended structure:
“`
[main subject], [art style], [composition/framing], [lighting], [color palette], [technical details] –parameters
“`
Practical example:
“`
elderly woman reading book in library, documentary photography, medium shot, natural window light, warm autumn tones, 50mm lens, shallow depth of field –ar 3:2 –v 7
“`
Compare with a weak prompt:
“`
photo of a lady reading
“`
The output gap is dramatic. The more specific you are about style, framing, and lighting, the more predictable and useful the result.
Prompt tips:
- Start broad, refine later with
vary subtleorvary strong - Reference photographers, painters, or directors (“in the style of Annie Leibovitz”)
- Avoid contradictory terms (“realistic cartoon”)
- Cap at 30–40 words, giant prompts confuse the model
Essential Parameters: –ar, –v, –style, –no and More
Parameters are modifiers at the end of the prompt that control technical aspects of generation. The most-used ones:
| Parameter | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
--ar |
Aspect ratio | --ar 16:9, --ar 1:1, --ar 9:16 |
--v |
Model version | --v 7, --v 6.1, --v 6 |
--style |
Style (raw, cute, scenic) | --style raw, --style cute |
--no |
Negatives (what NOT to include) | --no people, text |
--s (stylize) |
Style intensity (0–1000) | --s 250 (default), --s 50 (subtle) |
--c (chaos) |
Variability (0–100) | --c 25 |
--seed |
Seed for reproducibility | --seed 12345 |
--tile |
Generates repeatable patterns | --tile |
--q (quality) |
Time per image | --q 1, --q 2 |
Combining parameters is where real control lives. For example, --ar 21:9 --v 7 --style raw --s 100 produces realistic panoramic photography with minimal stylistic interference.
The --style raw parameter is especially useful when you want more natural photography, without the saturated “Midjourney look” the model applies by default.
Models v6 and v7: What Changed
Each Midjourney version has its own personality. In 2026, the relevant models are:
v6 / v6.1: proven stability, great photorealism, strong on studio photography and urban scenes. Still the default on many accounts.
v7: released in 2025, focused on coherence (hands, faces, text) and personalization. The model learns from your ratings over time and adapts style. It also has Draft mode, which generates 10x faster at lower quality, ideal for iterating prompts.
Niji 6: specialized model for illustration and anime/manga style. Activate with --niji 6.
How to choose: start with v7 for most cases. If v7 feels “too refined” or inconsistent for your work, switch to v6.1. For anime and stylized illustration, use Niji 6.
Midjourney Plans and Pricing
Midjourney works with monthly or annual plans (with a discount). The current tiers:
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (effective/mo) | Fast hours/mo | Stealth Mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $10 | $8 | ~3.3 hours (200 images) | No |
| Standard | $30 | $24 | 15 hours + Relax unlimited | No |
| Pro | $60 | $48 | 30 hours + Relax unlimited | Yes |
| Mega | $120 | $96 | 60 hours + Relax unlimited | Yes |
Fast hours is dedicated GPU time — each image takes about 1 minute. Relax mode (Standard and up) generates for free but waits in a slower queue. Stealth mode keeps your images private (relevant if you create confidential commercial content).
For beginners, Standard offers the best value: you are not capped at 200 images, and unlimited Relax frees up experimentation. Professionals who iterate heavily or create for clients prefer Pro for Stealth.
Real Use Cases: Where Midjourney Wins
Even with a wide range of image generators, Midjourney dominates in specific niches:
- Mood boards and art direction, cinematic style helps creative teams align vision before real production.
- Concept art for games and film — designers use Midjourney as a starting point for characters, environments, and scenes.
- Editorial and cover content, blogs, podcasts, and digital magazines generate original images without stock-photo costs.
- Marketing and social media, campaigns that need strong visual identity and originality.
- Storyboards and visual prototyping — studios use it to visualize ideas quickly.
For editing existing images or simple, fast generation, consider alternatives like DALL-E 3 (integrated into ChatGPT). To compare with other AI assistants, our how to use ChatGPT guide gives you the broader ecosystem context.
Midjourney Limitations
Despite the aesthetic edge, Midjourney has important limitations:
No stable public API. Integrating Midjourney into products is risky, there is no SLA contract or official documentation.
Text inside images. Even on v7, the model still misspells letters on posters, packaging, and logos frequently.
Precise edits. Want to change just a character’s shirt color? Vary region helps, but it is less precise than tools like Photoshop with AI.
Limited reproducibility. Even with --seed, small prompt changes produce different outputs. Do not rely on Midjourney for identical serial deliveries.
Privacy on lower plans. Everything you generate on Basic/Standard is public in the gallery. For sensitive commercial use, go straight to Pro.
Ambiguous copyright. Midjourney’s terms grant a commercial license on paid plans, but case law is still evolving, consult a lawyer for product use.
Tips to Help Beginners Learn Faster
Newcomers often get stuck in the first few days. A few strategies to shorten the path:
Study other users’ prompts. Midjourney’s public gallery shows prompt + parameters + output. Copy structures that work and adapt them.
Use --style raw when you want photography. The default loads images with artistic style — --style raw keeps things more natural.
Master the vary/upscale workflow. Instead of regenerating from scratch every time, evolve from a good image with Vary (Subtle/Strong) and Upscale.
Think about lighting. Terms like “golden hour,” “softbox lighting,” “cinematic backlight” radically shift the result.
Save your winning prompts. Build a doc of prompts that worked so you can reuse them.
Start simple. 6–10 terms beats 30. Add specificity only when the base output is consistent.
FAQ
Does Midjourney have a free version?
Not currently. The free trial was discontinued around 2023 due to abuse. Today you need a paid plan starting at $10/month.
Can I use Midjourney images commercially?
Yes, on all paid plans, the license allows commercial use of generated images, subject to platform terms. Companies with annual revenue above $1M need the Pro or Mega plan.
What is the difference between Discord and the web app?
Functionally, both generate the same images with the same model. The web app offers a modern visual interface, organization, and inline editing. Discord uses slash commands and is better for collaborative server use. Most new users prefer the web app.
Why did my image come out different from what I asked?
Usually the prompt is vague or has contradictory terms. Use clear structure (subject, style, lighting, parameters) and be specific. Generic terms like “beautiful” or “modern” do not guide the model.
Is Midjourney better than DALL-E 3?
It depends on the use case. Midjourney has superior aesthetic quality in photography and concept art. DALL-E 3 is better for long natural-language descriptions, chat-based editing, and is included free with ChatGPT Plus. Many professionals use both as complements.
Conclusion
Midjourney is not the simplest AI generator out there — but it is one of the most powerful when you want real control over visual aesthetics. Investing a week learning prompt syntax and the main parameters pays dividends for months.
Start with the Standard plan, focus on the web app, study prompts in the public gallery, and use --style raw while you get used to the model. As you build a repertoire of winning prompts, Midjourney stops being a random generator and becomes a direct extension of your creative vision.
Related reading
To go deeper, we recommend these iabrief articles:
- OpenAI’s $852 Billion Valuation in 2026: The Largest Private Funding Round in History
- Week in AI: agents at work, Gemini in cars and AI beating doctors (May 3, 2026)
- How to Use Google Veo 3.1 to Create AI Videos: Step-by-Step Tutorial (2026)
Official sources
For deeper context, see the official sources and authoritative references below:
