Watch the full video at davidegpt.ai/resources/midjourney-beginners-video.
GETTING STARTED
- Go to midjourney.com and sign up
- Connect your Discord account
- Join the Midjourney Discord server or use the web interface at midjourney.com
- Subscribe (Basic plan starts at $10/month for ~200 images)
YOUR FIRST PROMPT
Type /imagine in any Midjourney channel, then describe what you want. Start simple: /imagine a golden retriever on a beach at sunset, cinematic photography, warm tones
THE ANATOMY OF A GREAT PROMPT
[SUBJECT] + [STYLE] + [LIGHTING] + [COLOUR] + [ASPECT RATIO]
Example: "a professional headshot of a woman in her 30s, studio lighting, clean background, business casual, --ar 1:1 --style raw"
MOST USEFUL PARAMETERS
--ar 16:9 — Widescreen (YouTube thumbnails, presentations) --ar 9:16 — Vertical (Instagram Stories, TikTok) --ar 1:1 — Square (Instagram posts, profile pictures) --style raw — Less stylised, more photographic --no [THING] — Exclude something ("--no text" removes text from images) --v 6 — Use the latest model version
STYLE KEYWORDS THAT WORK
Photography: "cinematic", "documentary", "golden hour", "studio lighting", "bokeh" Illustration: "flat design", "editorial illustration", "line art", "watercolour" Professional: "corporate photography", "clean background", "professional headshot" Creative: "surrealist", "concept art", "hyper-detailed", "epic scale"
10 READY-TO-USE PROMPTS
- LinkedIn headshot: "professional headshot, [YOUR DESCRIPTION], studio lighting, clean white background, business attire --ar 1:1"
- YouTube thumbnail background: "dramatic [TOPIC] scene, bold colours, high contrast, cinematic --ar 16:9"
- Blog header: "minimal flat design illustration of [TOPIC], pastel colours, clean --ar 16:9"
- Social post background: "abstract gradient background, [BRAND COLOUR], clean, modern --ar 1:1"
- Product mockup: "[PRODUCT TYPE] on a marble surface, natural lighting, product photography"
- Logo concept: "minimal logo for [BUSINESS TYPE], clean lines, black and white, vector style"
- Brand mascot: "cute cartoon [ANIMAL/CHARACTER], simple design, friendly, flat illustration"
- Email header: "wide banner illustration of [THEME], soft colours, professional --ar 3:1"
- Course thumbnail: "[TOPIC] concept, bold typography space, dark background, dramatic lighting"
- Story background: "soft bokeh background, [COLOUR PALETTE], abstract, blurred --ar 9:16"
COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID
- Too vague: "a nice image" → Be specific about subject, style, and mood
- Too many ideas: Keep it to one main subject and 2-3 style descriptors
- Wrong aspect ratio: Always set --ar to match where the image will be used
- Ignoring variations: Always generate 4 and pick the best, then use V (vary) buttons
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