5 Tips To Writing More Effective Midjourney Prompts

When crafting effective prompts for MidJourney, punctuation and structure play a crucial role in conveying your intent clearly to the AI. Here are some guidelines to follow when structuring prompts:

1. Use of Commas vs. Periods

Commas: These are ideal for separating different attributes or aspects of the same object in a single prompt. They help maintain the flow and connection between descriptive elements. Example: /imagine prompt: a full-body cartoon illustration of a man wearing a red coat, with long brown hair, standing on a mountain --ar 16:9 --s 300
Periods: Periods should generally be avoided unless you are creating very distinct clauses. However, they can sometimes be used when transitioning between entirely separate ideas or actions within the scene. Example: /imagine prompt: a futuristic city. A man stands in the foreground, wearing a white suit --ar 16:9

2. Be Specific but Concise Include only the most important details to avoid confusing the AI with too much information. Rather than describing every minute detail, focus on the key attributes that drive the main style or mood of the image. Example: Instead of “a man wearing a detailed silver vest with golden embroidery standing in a dimly lit room,” try “a man in a silver vest, standing in a dimly lit room.”

3. Use Descriptive Hierarchy Put the most important details (subject, pose, mood) first, followed by secondary descriptors like background or style, then conclude with parameters. Example: /imagine prompt: a smiling man in a red coat, standing in a forest at sunset --ar 3:2 --s 500

4. Using "with" for Attributes If you're describing something tied to the main subject, use "with" to create a natural connection between them. For example, “a man with a hat” links the hat to the man without needing extra words. Example: /imagine prompt: a man with a surprised expression, wearing a black suit, standing on a rainy street --ar 16:9

5. Keep It Modular You can break your prompt into modular parts: subject, emotion, action, and background. This lets you easily adjust parts of the prompt for different outputs without rewriting the whole thing.

Here’s a free prompt template demonstrating modularity and hierarchy that you can copy and use as a starting point: /imagine prompt: a [character description] with a [facial expression] expression, [action] in a [setting] --cref [CREF URL] --s 300 --ar 16:9

Example: /imagine prompt: a futuristic warrior with a neutral expression, holding a sword in a desert city at dusk --cref [CREF URL] --s 300 --ar 16:9

I hope these 5 quick tips brought you value and help you better understand how to write effective midjourney prompts for your AI art.

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