How to Use Midjourney v6: Complete Guide to Stunning AI Art

Midjourney v6 produces the most aesthetically stunning AI images available. Whether you're a designer, marketer, or artist, mastering Midjourney opens up incredible creative possibilities. This guide covers everything from basics to advanced techniques.

Getting Started

Setting Up

• Visit midjourney.com and create an account
• Choose a subscription plan (starts at $10/mo for 200 images)
• Access Midjourney through Discord or the new web app
• Start with /imagine in Discord or the create button on web

Your First Image

Try this prompt to get started:

/imagine a serene Japanese garden in autumn, golden maple leaves, koi pond reflection, soft morning light, photorealistic --ar 16:9

Essential Parameters

Aspect Ratio (--ar)

• --ar 1:1 — Square (Instagram posts)
• --ar 16:9 — Widescreen (presentations, YouTube)
• --ar 9:16 — Vertical (Stories, TikTok)
• --ar 4:3 — Standard (blog images)
• --ar 2:3 — Portrait (print, posters)

Quality (--q)

• --q .5 — Faster, lower detail
• --q 1 — Default balance
• --q 2 — Higher detail, slower

Stylize (--s)

Controls how "artistic" Midjourney interprets your prompt:

• --s 0 — Literal interpretation
• --s 100 — Default (balanced)
• --s 500 — Very artistic
• --s 1000 — Maximum artistic interpretation

Chaos (--c)

How varied the initial grid results are:

• --c 0 — Similar results
• --c 50 — Moderate variety
• --c 100 — Maximum variety (great for exploration)

Prompting Techniques

The Prompt Structure

Subject + Setting + Style + Mood + Technical

Example: "A cyberpunk samurai (subject) standing on a neon-lit Tokyo rooftop (setting), digital art style (style), dramatic and moody (mood), 8K detailed cinematic lighting (technical)"

Style Keywords That Work

• Photography: photorealistic, cinematic, portrait photography, macro, aerial
• Art styles: oil painting, watercolor, digital art, concept art, anime
• Moods: dramatic, ethereal, moody, vibrant, minimalist, cozy
• Lighting: golden hour, studio lighting, volumetric, backlighting, neon

Multi-Prompt Weighting

Use :: to separate concepts and control their weight:

• space::2 cat::1 — More emphasis on space than cat
• forest --no fog — Forest without fog

Using Image References

Upload a reference image and add it to your prompt:

• Upload image in Discord
• Copy the image URL
• Add URL at the start of your prompt
• Add --iw 1 (image weight) to control influence

Advanced Features

Style Reference (--sref)

Use another image as a style reference:

/imagine a mountain landscape --sref [URL of art style image]

This applies the artistic style of the reference to your new subject.

Character Reference (--cref)

Maintain consistent characters across multiple images:

/imagine a woman reading a book in a library --cref [URL of character image]

This is game-changing for creating consistent characters for stories, brands, and marketing.

Vary Region

Select specific areas of an image to regenerate while keeping the rest. Perfect for fixing small details without regenerating the entire image.

Upscaling

Click the U button for high-resolution upscales. Options include:

• Subtle: Clean upscale with minimal changes
• Creative: Adds detail and refinement
• 2x/4x: Higher resolution for printing

Use Cases

Marketing & Advertising

• Hero images for landing pages
• Social media visuals
• Ad creative variations
• Product concept visualization

Branding

• Logo concepts and mood boards
• Brand photography alternatives
• Packaging design concepts
• Marketing material backgrounds

Content Creation

• Blog post illustrations
• YouTube thumbnails
• Newsletter graphics
• Infographic elements

Art & Creative

• Digital art prints
• Concept art for games/film
• Character design
• Environmental design

Tips for Professional Results

• Be specific about lighting — It's the single biggest factor in image quality
• Use real photography terms — "85mm lens, f/1.8, depth of field" produces realistic results
• Iterate aggressively — Generate many variations, then refine the best ones
• Study real art — Understanding composition and color theory improves your prompts
• Save your best prompts — Build a library of prompts that consistently produce great results