You use Midjourney by typing a prompt into its interface, waiting for a grid of variations, then upscaling or re-rolling the one you like. The prompt is where the work happens: subject, style, lighting, camera and a few parameters at the end. This guide covers where Midjourney runs, the anatomy of a prompt that lands on the first try, and the setup for product mockups.
Where Midjourney runs
Midjourney started as a Discord bot and later added its own web app. Pick the web app if you are new. Discord is where the community lives, and it is a noisier place to learn.
You need a subscription to generate images, and the tiers differ on speed and on how many images you can make in a month. Start on the lowest tier. The prompt skills transfer upward; the bill does not need to.
Whichever door you use, the loop is the same. Type the prompt. Get back a grid of options. Upscale one, make variations of one, or change the prompt and go again.
Prompt anatomy: subject, style, lighting, camera, parameters
Every Midjourney prompt I write has five parts, in this order. The order matters because Midjourney weighs the front of the prompt more than the back.
| Part |
Job |
Weak |
Specific |
| Subject |
What is in the frame and what it is doing |
"a woman with a laptop" |
"a woman in her thirties, linen shirt, typing on a laptop at a cafe counter" |
| Style |
The medium and the visual tradition |
"nice style" |
"editorial photograph, film look, natural grain" |
| Lighting |
Where the light comes from and how hard it is |
"good lighting" |
"late afternoon window light from the left, soft shadows" |
| Camera |
Lens, distance, angle |
(missing) |
"35mm, eye level, shallow depth of field" |
| Parameters |
Technical flags after the description |
(missing) |
aspect ratio, stylization strength, variation amount |
Two rules I follow every time. First, write in fragments separated by commas, since in my experience Midjourney reads keywords more than grammar. Second, describe what you want in the frame rather than what you want left out. Exclusions belong in their own parameter, and even there, one or two words is enough.
Adjectives stack fast. Three or four well-chosen ones beat twelve. If the image comes back muddy, remove words before you add them.
What the parameters do
Parameters go at the end of the prompt as short flags. Names and ranges change between versions, so treat this as the map and check the current syntax.
- Aspect ratio. Sets the shape of the image. Square for social, wide for hero banners, tall for phone screens. The single most useful parameter and the one to set first.
- Stylization. Controls how much of Midjourney's own aesthetic gets applied over your description. Low keeps your words in charge; high makes it prettier and less obedient.
- Variation amount. Low gives you similar options; high gives you different interpretations of the same prompt. Use high when you are exploring and low when you are refining.
- Version. Pins the model version. Newer is usually better, and older sometimes gives a look you liked.
- Exclusion. Removes a thing that keeps sneaking in. Use it sparingly.
- Reference images. An image at the front of the prompt that steers composition, plus separate references for style and for character.
Mockups and product shots
Mockups are where Midjourney earns its subscription for a small business. A packaging shot that would cost a studio day comes back in a minute, and the prompt is repeatable.
The setup that works:
- Name the product plainly, with material and finish. "Matte black aluminum bottle" beats "a bottle".
- Ask for a blank label or a plain surface. Midjourney will invent text and logos otherwise, and they will be wrong. You overlay your real design in a design tool afterward.
- Set the surface and background: "on a concrete plinth, plain warm gray backdrop".
- Set the light like a studio would: "softbox from upper left, gentle rim light, no harsh reflections".
- Set the camera: "product photography, 85mm, slight downward angle".
- Fix the aspect ratio to where the image will live.
Run it, pick the grid cell with the best angle, and upscale. Then change only the color word and run again to get the same shot in the other variants. That single-word swap is the whole trick for a consistent product line.
For lifestyle shots, keep the product description identical and change the setting: kitchen counter, gym bag, desk. The product holds because its description held.
Two honest limits. Midjourney makes a convincing version of a product like yours rather than an exact copy of the one in your photo, even with a reference image. For hero images and ads that is fine. For an accurate catalog shot of the real item, photograph it. And when a client needs the same character across twenty images, the ChatGPT images guide and the Nano Banana guide cover models with different consistency tools.
The Midjourney prompt library has the mockup prompts I use, with the parameters already set.
What is inside the free Midjourney guide
The download has four parts.
- Midjourney Prompt Engineering Guide
- 50+ Midjourney Prompts
- How-to Guides plus Cheatsheets
- Lifetime access and updates
