by Want to take your AI image creation to the next level? Wondering how to leverage Midjourney for your visual content needs?
In this article, we explore creating advanced AI images using Midjourney.
Why Choose Midjourney?
Midjourney has emerged as a powerful tool for creators and marketers, offering several advantages over competitors like DALL-E 3, such as:
- Greater customization options
- Higher image quality
- More detailed control over the generation
- Ability to create unique, stand-out visuals
However, Midjourney does have some limitations. For example, it's a paid service with no free tier besides the initial trial credits, and text generation within images can be inconsistent. Most significantly, it operates through Discord, which may be unfamiliar and feel like a barrier to some users.
Still, Jeff Sieh, content strategist and host of Creator News Live, recently shared that, in his opinion, “Midjourney is a clear winner. There are just more options and more styles that you can do. You can tweak it a little better than some of the others.”
Think you don't have a use for AI image generation? Consider these practical use cases for Midjourney:
- Creating unique slides for presentations
- Designing eye-catching social media posts
- Generating custom B-roll for videos
- Producing original artwork for marketing materials
- Developing concept art for projects
- Creating consistent character images for branding
Ready? Let's dig in!
#1: How to Set Up Midjourney in Discord
As mentioned above, Midjourney operates through Discord, but you'll have to choose a paid Midjourney plan before using the Midjourney Bot on any Discord server.
A basic plan is $30/month with commercial usage rights. A pro plan is $60/month and includes additional features like faster generation and “stealth mode” to keep your prompts and images private.
If you're already a Discord user, you can add the Midjourney bot to one of your existing Discord servers or set up a new one.
If you're new to Discord, you can set up an account for free. Go to discordapp.com and click Open Discord in your browser. Enter a username and your email address, and create a password. Next, click Claim Account, and then check your email for a confirmation email with a link to verify your account. Finally, you can add a new server, and then add the Midjourney Bot.
#2: How to Prompt Midjourney to Generate Great AI Images
The “4W1H” format will help you develop effective prompting to create stunning images with AI. It comprises five elements in an easy-to-model prompt framework.
Who: Main subject
What: Theme of the image
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Where: Scene or setting
When: Time of day or lighting
How: Style and rendering details
For example:
A comic book image in the style of Alex Ross of a bearded man sitting in a recliner smoking a corncob pipe in the 1940s. High contrast.
These four tips will help you improve your 4W1H prompt language even more.
- Use natural language instead of keyword stuffing.
- Avoid terms like “4K” or “ultra-realistic” – they're not necessary.
- Specify artist styles for unique looks (e.g., “in the style of Alex Ross”)
- Use ChatGPT to help generate more complex prompts, especially for abstract concepts.
For example, this prompt from ChatGPT to generate photography-style prompts:
Act as a professional photography prompt generator that accepts visual descriptions and outputs a detailed paragraph that I can copy into my diffusion model. Include a variety of photography-related terminology, including the description of the exact Zeiss lens you use and, most importantly, a description of the volumetric lighting.
8 Advanced Prompting Techniques for Refining Images in Midjourney
Midjourney offers a range of advanced techniques and features that allow users to refine and enhance their generated images. After the initial generation, users can create variations of their chosen image using the V1, V2, V3, and V4 buttons or upscale for higher quality using the U1, U2, U3, and U4 buttons.
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GET THE DETAILSAspect ratio control is another important feature. It allows users to specify custom dimensions using the “–ar” command followed by the desired ratio (e.g., “–ar 16:9” for a widescreen format).
One of Midjourney's most powerful features is its ability to zoom and pan within generated images. Users can expand compositions with commands to zoom out or pan in different directions. Sieh advises consistently generating a zoomed-out version of final images, explaining, “I always do one out because you never know when you're going to need one and move something over, or the text is covering it somewhere.” This practice provides greater flexibility for future use of the image.
Character references are another valuable tool in Midjourney. By uploading reference images using the “C-ref” command, users can create consistent characters or adapt real people to different scenarios. This feature is handy for branding and marketing materials that require consistent character representation across multiple images.
In-painting is a feature that allows users to edit specific areas within an image selectively. Sieh shares an example of using this feature to fix poorly generated hands in an image: “I was able to go back into in-painting and fix every single one of those.” This level of detailed editing can help users perfect their images without needing to regenerate them entirely.
Sieh recommends using the “–style raw” command for users seeking more photorealistic results. This option removes Midjourney's automatic beautification, resulting in images that more closely resemble photographs.
Additionally, users can maintain consistency across multiple images using the same seed number, a feature that can be particularly useful when creating a series of related images.
On Discord, you can find the seed number by adding the envelope emoji reaction to the image. This will trigger the bot to send you a direct message containing the seed number.
On the desktop version of Midjourney, you can click on “Copy Job ID” for your image, then return to Discord and enter the command “/show” followed by the copied Job ID number. Once the image appears in your chat, react to it with the envelope emoji to receive the seed number.
Midjourney also includes a useful “/describe” function. Users can upload an existing image and use this command to get a detailed description, which can provide better prompts for future generations. This feature can be particularly helpful for users looking to recreate or iterate on existing images.
#3: 5 Complementary Tools to Use With Midjourney
While Midjourney excels in many areas, Sieh recommends these additional tools to get exceptional images.
Trouble with text? Ideogram.ai is excellent for text-heavy images and logo concepts. Sieh notes, “It never screws up the text.”
Want to see more of an image? Adobe Photoshop's Generative Fill feature lets you extend portions of images beyond the initial borders. Sieh shares, “I was able to go in and extend the whole room. And it made an AI-generated room that fit perfectly with the product shot they gave me.”
If you want to animate your static images, you can try Kling AI.
But what if you need help coming up with a prompt? Freeflo.ai is a visual prompt inspiration tool… sort of a visual dictionary of prompts.
Finally, if Midjourney seems too much to begin with or budget is a concern, consider trying Flux. It's a free, open-source alternative to Midjourney with fewer customization options.
Jeff Sieh is a content strategist who helps creators get more from their existing content and host of Creator News Live. Check out his website for access to the free AI Artistry for Entrepreneurs course.
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