Last updated on August 7, 2024
Midjourney is an AI image generator that operates through a Discord bot interface as well as a web app (an API version of Midjourney is planned). The process for generating images with Midjourney follows the same fundamental principles as other AI image generators, including the use of prompts to guide the generation process.
One of the unique features of Midjourney compared to other AI image generators is its ability to create visually striking and artistically composed images. This is attributed to the model's specialized training, which enables it to produce high-quality images with specific artistic parameters (more about this in "Advanced Prompts" > "Parameters").
You can experiment with the Midjourney Bot in the Learn Prompting Discord or in the official Midjourney Discord server.
The basic prompt anatomy with Midjourney is /imagine prompt: [IMAGE PROMPT] [--OPTIONAL PARAMETERS]
.
For example: /imagine prompt: astronaut on a horse
Example with parameters: /imagine prompt: astronaut on a horse --ar 3:2 --c 70 --q 2 --seed 1000
In this basic example, the following parameters have been used:
--ar 3:2
sets the aspect ratio of the image to 3:2
--c 70
adds a chaos value of 70 to allow Midjourney to interpret the prompt more freely(chaos value range: 0 - 100)
--seed 100
sets an arbitrary seed value which can be used to re-render or re-work an image later.
(learn more about Midjourney parameters in "Advanced Prompts" > "Parameters")
Advanced prompts in Midjourney make use of parameters and special prompting techniques supported by the Midjourney algorithm.
Midjourney interprets your prompt holistically by default. Using a double colon ::
tells Midjourney to interpret each part of a prompt separately.
Example:
/imagine prompt: astronaut and horse
/imagine prompt: astronaut:: and horse
By uploading an image to Discord and using its URL in a prompt, you can instruct Midjourney to use that image to influence the content, style, and composition of your results. Example: Astronaut (Source: Wikipedia)
/imagine prompt: [image URL], impressionist painting
The following parameters are supported by Midjourney's latest model (v4).
--ar [ratio]
changes the default ratio (1:1) to a new ratio (currently the max. supported ratio is 2:1)
Example: astronaut on a horse --ar 16:9
and astronaut on a horse --ar 1:2
--c [value]
sets a chaos value that determines how much Midjourney varies the prompt; the higher the chaos value the more unusual and unexpected the results and compositions (range: 0 - 100)
Example: astronaut on a horse --c20
and astronaut on a horse --c 80
--q [value]
defines how much time will be spent generating the image, thus increasing the quality. The default setting is "1". Higher values use more of your subscription's GPU minutes (accepts values ".25", ".5" , "1" and "2")
Example: astronaut on a horse --q .5
and astronaut on a horse --q 2
--seed [value]
sets a seed number that defines the starting point (noise field) for the image generation. The seeds for each image are generated randomly when not specified with the seed parameter. Using the same seed number and prompt will produce similar images.
Example: astronaut on a horse --seed 123
--stylize [value]
or --s [value]
influences how strongly Midjourney applies its artistic algorithm. Low values produce images that closely match the prompt, high values create very artistic images that are less connected to the prompt. The default is 100, value range is 0 - 1000.
(Note: you can use the /settings
command to change the default stylize value from "🖌️ Style Med" (=--s 100
) to "🖌️ Style Low" (=--s 50
), "🖌️ Style High"(=--s 250
) or "🖌️ Style Very High" (=--s 750
))
Example: astronaut on a horse --s 50
and astronaut on a horse --s 900
--v [version number]
or --version [version number]
let you access earlier Midjourney models (1-3)
Example: --v 1
, --v 2
, and --v 3
--sameseed
: while the --seed
parameter produces a single noise field applied across all images in the initial grid, the sameseed parameter applies the same starting noise to all images in the initial grid so it will produce very similar images.
Example: astronaut on a horse --sameseed --v 3
--tile
generates images that can be used as repeating tiles to create seamless patterns for fabrics, wallpapers and textures (only works with models 1 - 3)
Example: astronaut on a horse --tile --v 3
--video
creates a short movie of the image grid being generated. Reacting with the ✉️ emoji lets the Midjourney Bot send you a DM with the link to the video.
Example: astronaut on a horse --video --v 3
Midjourney offers a large arsenal of tools and parameters to add to your image prompts and generate impressive outputs. Familiarizing yourself with these techniques will help you put your new prompt engineering skills into practice with a popular model.
Midjourney is a popular AI image generator that can be accessed through a Discord bot interface or a web app.
Midjourney supports many different parameters that can be used to specify your image prompts. For example, you can explicitly determine the aspect ratio of the output and influence how stylized you want it to be.
Official Midjourney Documentation