How to write prompts

Midjourney generates high-quality images based on a short text input called a Prompt.

• short (remove unnecessary filler words like articles, conjunctions, verbs)
• specific (keywords, numbers, medium, drawing style, time period, emotions, colors)
• simple (black dog playin in flowery green field)
• weighted (most important comes first)
• correct (grammar, spelling)
• vivid language (adjectives)
• positive language (don't use "no")

• strong tokens:

  • intricate

  • candid
  • iconic
  • dynamic "pose"

Keep in mind:

• capitalization doesn't matter
• punctuation is not interpreted

Sample prompt:

/imagine prompt a candid closeup of a giggling blonde French girl wearing a pink ruffled haute couture dress, enjoying the view, in Paris, 1970, autumn colors, misty morning --no umbrella --ar 4:3

What words to use

• abstract and metaphorical words (anger, joy, love)
• style keywords, technical expressions (surreal, selfie)
• art styles like
• adjectives and adverbs (a photorealistic portrait)
• illustrating examples (a tabby cat that looks like this [URL link to an image of a tabby cat].")
• collecting
• specific numbers (3 wolves)
• images
• camera settings (type, lens)
• single words (like "surrealism" to run midjourney run its imagination)
• compound words (like "cup cake")
• collecting nouns (class, pair, stack, team, troop, herd, ...)
• emojis
• emotions
• parameters (stylization, chaos, ratio, no, camera and lens specifications, lighting conditions)

Basic Prompt Structure

Detailed Prompt Formula

• Photo type: editorial cover shot
• Subject: black Labrador retriever
• Subject Position: standing next to man's leg
• Subject Focus: medium shot
• Subject Wearing: wearing orange collar
• Environment: Wyoming 
• Environment Focus: -
• Environment Description: rolling fields
• Emotion: -
• Tone: contrasting light and dark elements
• Colors: muted greens and oranges, soft browns
• Mood: early moring ambition
• Lighting: dramatic morning light
• Time of Day: early moring
• Textures: rough grass , canvas farbrics, moist mud
• parameters: --ar 2:1 --sref --personalize --stylize 200

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rory-flynn-ai_ai-midjourney-chatgpt-activity-7211470671036432384-A-py?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBgRhbYlF6Q 

Example of an advanced prompt:

A high angle photo of a futuristic queen standing on top of a high mountain, views of the entire island, ocean in the distance, futuristic city highrise in the distance, really long dress blowing in the wind, pastel colors, summer --ar 2:3

Tips

• place the most important prompt first (eg. red color tones, extrem low angle shot from below)
• use separators to separate concepts (double colon/::)
• use permutations {} like /imagine a red panda eating a {banana, strawberry, pear} while riding a Yamaha –ar {3:2, 1:2, 16:9}
• add image weights to your words with :: like /imagine a red panda eating a banana in space::1.5 while riding a beach buggy::2.0
• use the parameter "/describe" to understand the prompts
• use the parameter "/shorten" to show alternative wording.
• use the parameter "/blend" to combine subjects and art styles
• attache images whenever possible (/blend, --iw, --srf)
• use aspect ratios (--ar)
• use detalied upscaler in versions v1, v2 or v3  (--uplight, beta upscaler)
• use --style raw to be closer to your prompt
• set a shortcut with /prefere option set, name it and refer to an URL

https://nerdschalk.com/midjourney-cheat-sheet/

Vary your prompt structure depending on the subject