Midjourney Prompt Structure Explained for Beginners
Midjourney turns text descriptions into images. Beginners often write either one word or a very long list of adjectives. A better approach is a short prompt with a clear structure, where each part has a job. This guide explains those parts so you can build your own prompts instead of copying others.
Part 1: The subject
Start with what is in the picture: 'a ceramic coffee mug' or 'a fictional baker in a small bakery'. Be concrete. 'A beautiful thing' gives the model nothing to work with. One main subject per image gives the cleanest results.
Part 2: The setting
Describe where the subject is: 'on a light wooden table', 'in a flour-dusted kitchen'. The setting adds context and helps the composition feel natural.
Part 3: The light
Light changes mood more than almost any other element. Try 'soft window light', 'warm late-afternoon sun', 'overcast daylight' or 'neon sign glow'. If an image looks flat, light is the first thing to change.
Part 4: The style or medium
Say how the image should look: 'product photography', 'documentary photography', 'watercolor illustration', 'flat vector icon'. Avoid naming living artists or copying a specific brand; describe the look you want instead.
Part 5: Camera and composition words
Phrases like 'close-up', 'wide shot', 'shallow depth of field' or 'centered composition' guide framing. They are useful for photo-style images.
Part 6: Parameters
Parameters come at the end and start with two dashes. Two common ones are --ar, which sets the aspect ratio (for example --ar 4:5 for portrait or --ar 16:9 for wide), and --stylize, which controls how much artistic freedom the model takes. Parameters and version options change over time, so check the official Midjourney documentation for the current list.
A worked example
Putting the parts together: 'ceramic coffee mug on a light wooden table, soft window light from the left, shallow depth of field, neutral beige background, product photography, centered composition --ar 4:5'. Each phrase maps to one part above, so you can change one part at a time and see its effect.
Practical tips
Change one thing per attempt. Keep a note of prompts that worked. Use fictional subjects rather than real people. Read the platform's content rules before generating images for commercial use.