Creating compelling imagery no longer requires exceptional artistic talent. Thanks to Midjourney, you can generate fascinating visuals in just a few minutes with only a few prompts.

Midjourney harnesses the power of generative AI, handling most of the complex work for you. Your role is simply to provide a brief text description of the image you have in mind, and Midjourney brings it to life.

Although relatively new to the scene, Midjourney has swiftly made a name for itself in the generative AI domain, earning a place among the likes of renowned AI systems such as DALL-E and Stable Diffusion.

Now, let’s dive into how you can get started with Midjourney.

Sign Up For Midjourney

Step 1: Sign up for Discord

Midjourney is accessed through Discord, so if you don’t have one already, then sign up for a free account here!

Step 2: Sign up for Midjourney

Once you have a Discord account set up, it’s time to head over to Midjourney’s website and register with them using the “Join the Beta” button in the lower right of their home page, or you can use this Discord invite link to get instant access to their Discord server.

Step 3: Select your plan!

Midjourney is no longer free to use and requires a subscription to generate images. Thankfully Midjourney has affordable options for using its service. Below is a list of their services and pricing.

Step 4: Start Creating!

Midjourney images are creating by Direct messaging the Midjourney Bot on Discord.

You can use a variety of prompts to make nearly anything. Simply start the message with “/imagine ” and then type the prompt!

Creating Images With Midjourney

Start generating images by typing the following into the Midjourney Bot message. Note: the “prompt” part of the message autogenerates after typing in “/imagine “

/imagine prompt: a dog in the style of van gogh

Below is the output for the prompt above.

What is generated four images from your prompt. Midjourney takes the prompt you input and adds and randomized seed to it. This randomized seed is what creates the variety you see in multiple images generated with the same prompt.

Note: The image may take a minute or more to generate.

Upscaling and Variations

After the images are created (as seen above), there will be multiple buttons appear below your images. These buttons are U1-4, V1-4, and a Retry button.

U# (Upscale)

The upscale function, or U, upscales one of your four particular images to a greater resolution and size. The number indicates which photo you want to upscale. The picture below indicates an example of choosing the fourth option for upscale. The numbers start at 1 in the top left and read like a book (2 is top right, 3 is bottom left, 4 is bottom right).

V# (Variations)

Variations do exactly what they say, they take the image you indicate (1-4) and apply any variations you want to that image and create four new images from it.

Retry

The retry button simply reruns the same prompt to create four new images using four new randomly generated seeds.

Parameters

Midjourney offers a variety of parameters that can be used to enhance image creation.

Parameters are called in the prompt by adding a double hyphen “–” and then the parameter name.

For example, if you want to change the aspect ratio of the image generated to 2:3, you would type:

--ar 2:3

A full list of their parameters can be found here!

Editing Your Images

Editing your images is also easy in Midjourney. When an image is upscaled, there will be a variety of options below it that allow you to edit the image.

The buttons do the following:

• Vary (Strong) – Remixes the image with strong variations
• Vary (Subtle) – Remixes the image with slight variations
• Vary (Region) – Lets you select a region of the image to vary
• Upscale (2x and 4x) – Upscales the image more
• Zoom Out (all options) – Zooms the image out and generates more around the original image
• Arrow Buttons – Generates more of the image in that direction.
• Heart Button – Rates the image
• Web – Takes you to your Midjourney profile where the image is

Using Reference Images

In addition to typing what you want in a prompt, you can reference an image as well!

The image needs to have a link in the format of a .png, .gif, .webp, .jpg, or .jpeg. Then simply link the image in the prompt.

Settings Tab

There is a settings tab that can also be accessed in the Midjourney Bot Discord message.

Type in /settings like below and hit enter.

/settings

Once entered, you’ll see this pop up.

An explanation of all Midjourney settings can be found here!

Extra Midjourney Tips

1. Keep It Simple

While you should be as detailed as possible in your prompt, creating prompts that are too long will often lead to some of the prompt being ignored. Any descriptions after 80 words are more likely to be ignored, so keeping it concise is key.

2. Descriptive Characteristics

Specify the shapes, colors, textures, and other aspects of what you want descriptively. Being vague will lead to Midjourney being more creative and offering generalized images that might not fit what you’re looking for.

3. Trial And Error

Just like commissioning traditional artwork, it may take some revisions. Try out different prompts with the same seed and learn how your prompt is changing the image. This will help you get to the final image you’re looking to create.