How to Use Midjourney V5: The Complete Guide

Midjourney is an AI-powered image generation tool that allows users to create stunning visuals simply by describing what they want in natural language. With the release of Midjourney V5 in late 2022, the platform has become even more powerful and easy to use.

In this comprehensive guide, we will walk through everything you need to know to get started with Midjourney V5, from creating an account and understanding the basic prompts to using more advanced features and troubleshooting issues. Whether you’re new to the AI art generation or looking to improve your Midjourney skills, this guide has you covered. Let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Getting Started with Midjourney

Creating an Account

The first step to using Midjourney is creating an account. Here is how to sign up:

Go to midjourney.com and click “Sign up” in the top right corner. This will open the signup page.
Choose to sign up with your email or by connecting your Discord account. Using Discord makes it easier to share images within that platform.
Once you’ve signed up, check your email to confirm your account. You’ll have to verify your email before you can start using Midjourney.

And that’s it! Once you’ve confirmed your email, you’ll be ready to start using Midjourney.

Understanding Credits

Midjourney uses a credit system. You get 25 free credits to test it out when you first sign up. After that, there are a few options to get more credits:

Monthly subscription – $10/month for 115 credits
Top-up credits – Purchase credit packs starting at $15 for 115 extra credits
Refer friends – Get ten (10) free credits for each friend who signs up.

Most basic image generation prompts cost one (01) credit. More complex or more protracted generation prompts can cost more. This guide will cover how length and complexity affect credit costs later.

It’s a good idea to start with the free credits to get a feel for Midjourney and how you like to use it before purchasing a subscription or credits.

Connecting Midjourney to Discord

Midjourney is tightly integrated with Discord. While it’s not required, connecting your Midjourney account to Discord makes it much more manageable.

Here is how to connect your accounts:

In Discord, join the Midjourney server. This is where you’ll be able to generate images.
In the #newbies channel, type /login and follow the instructions to connect your Discord account to your Midjourney account.

That’s all there is to it! Once connected, you can use Midjourney directly within Discord to generate images.

Understanding the Midjourney Bot

Once you join the Midjourney Discord server, you’ll notice the Midjourney bot. This bot allows you to generate images right within Discord.

Here are some key commands to know:

/imagine – This is how you generate images. Just type a prompt after /imagine such as /imagine a cat sitting in front of the Eiffel tower.
/upscale – Take a low-resolution image and upscale it to 4K resolution.
/variation – Generate variations on an existing image.
/info – Get info about your account, like remaining credits.

We’ll discuss using these commands in more detail in the next section.

The Midjourney bot makes accessing AI image generation super convenient directly within Discord.

Chapter 2: Generating Your First Images

Now that you’re set up with a Discord account let’s dive into generating your first images with Midjourney!

Understanding Prompts

You tell Midjourney what to generate by providing a text prompt. This is a short phrase or sentence describing the visual you want it to create.

For example, prompts could be:

An oil painting of a cat playing a guitar
A towering fantasy castle surrounded by a lava moat
A cute baby sloth wearing a top hat and monocle

The key is giving enough descriptive detail, so Midjourney understands the elements you want included in the image. Let’s try out some starter prompts to see how it works!

Using the /imagine Command

To generate an image, use the /imagine command in Discord followed by your prompt:

/imagine a daisy flower in a field at sunrise

Midjourney will think for a minute and then send back four image variations based on your prompt.

Here are some other simple prompts to try:

/imagine an astronaut riding a horse on mars
/imagine a cute baby sea otter playing with a beach ball
/imagine a bowl of ramen topped with a fried egg

Feel free to come up with your ideas. At this stage, focus on simple prompts with 1-2 elements. We’ll cover more complex generations later.

Understanding Image Styles

When Midjourney generates images, it creates them in four different styles. Here’s what each type means:

V1 – The first image variation. Usually, the most accurate to your prompt.
V2 – The second variation. Experiments more than V1.
V3 – A more abstract, artistic interpretation.
V4 – A photorealistic image.

You can specify which style you want by adding it after your prompt. For example:

/imagine a flower in a field --s v3 – This will generate just the abstract, artistic version.

By default, though, Midjourney will create all four styles to give you options.

Choosing Your Favorite Image

Once Midjourney generates the images from your prompt, choose your favorite by reacting with emoji:

🎉 – I love this!
🤔 – Hmm, this is close
😐 I don’t care for this one

Reacting helps Midjourney learn what types of images you like best.

You can also type /imagine a daisy but make it more colorful with a rainbow background to give it follow-up instructions.

Okay, you should now have the basics of generating simple images with Midjourney! Let’s move on to creating more complex and detailed visuals.

Chapter 3: Advanced Image Generation

Now that you know the basics, let’s dive into more advanced prompt techniques to get even better results from Midjourney.

Adding More Description

The key to generating intricate images in Midjourney is providing more descriptive detail in your prompt.

Rather than just saying “a flower,” add details like:

A rose with ruby red petals and vivid green leaves
A sunflower with bright yellow petals and a brown center standing tall in a grassy field

Describe the colors, textures, surroundings, small details, etc. The more specific your prompt, the better the result will be.

Generating Specific Styles

Along with adding descriptive detail, you can also specify different visual styles like:

Oil painting
Vector art
Low poly
Pixel art
Cartoon
Realistic

Add the style after your description to generate variations in that aesthetic. For example:

/imagine a lush jungle landscape in the style of a digital illustration

This helps ensure Midjourney’s output matches the visual style you’re looking for.

Specifying Lighting and Camera Angles

You have complete control over the image composition, too. Add lighting details like:

At sunset
Under a night sky with a full moon
With soft lighting coming through trees

And camera angles such as:

Aerial view from above
Looking up from the ground
Close-up of the face
From the perspective of being in the water

The more direction you provide, the more accurate the final image will be.

Suggesting Colors

If you want an image with specific color schemes, suggest colors you want included:

Mainly shades of blue and purple
Bright neon colors
Natural greens and earthy browns
Vivid rainbow palette

Giving Midjourney color inspiration helps steer it in the right direction.

Putting It All Together

Let’s put everything together into a detailed prompt. Here’s an example:

An oil painting of a ram standing at the peak of a grassy mountain against a sunset sky. The ram has curled horns and white wool. Detailed shadows stretch across the terrain.Painted in bold gold, red and orange.

This includes details like the curled horns, white wool, shadows, the sunset sky, and suggested color schemes.

With prompts at this level of detail, Midjourney can generate stunning, intricate images that match your creative vision!

Chapter 4: Advanced Prompt Techniques and Tools

Midjourney provides advanced tools and syntax to take your prompt engineering skills even further. Let’s explore some powerful techniques.

Weights and Sizes

You can control the weight and size of elements in an image using the following syntax:

tiny/small/medium/large/giant {element} – Controls element size
low/mid/high weight on the {element} – Controls element focus

For example: /imagine a large ominous castle with high weight on the towers

This gives you more layout control.

Snapshots

Snapshots allow you to create sequences by chaining together prompts. Start with --v 3 to get an artistic style for the series.

The syntax is:

--v3 --ar 2:3 <prompt1> --ar 2:3 --testp <prompt2>

This generates two (02) images sequentially from the prompts. Add more-ar and –test segments to extend the sequence length.

Styles and Mediums

Specify photographic styles like cinematic, epic, or nostalgic. Or art mediums like pen and ink, charcoal, or watercolor. Adding these adjectives steers the class appropriately.

Aspect Ratios

You can define the aspect ratio and orientation using:

--ar 2:3 – Standard aspect ratio
--ar 16:9 – Landscape or panoramic
--ar 9:16 – Portrait orientation

Image Upscaling

If you want to increase the resolution of a generated image, use the /upscale command specifying a width up to 4096 pixels:

/upscale --wh 2048 <imageURL>

This will upscale the image while preserving quality.

Variations

Create modified versions of any image with the following:

/variation <imageURL> --testp <descriptive prompt>

This generates a new variation, keeping elements of the original but applying your prompt.

Importing Images

You can provide an existing image to Midjourney using the following:

/imagine this image in the style of Van Gogh: <imageURL>

This will stylize the image as per your prompt.

Hypernetworks

Midjourney uses an advanced AI technique called hypernetworks, which allows for incredibly photorealistic image generation. Activate it with --hn on any prompt.

Third-Person Prompting

Write prompts from a third-person perspective, as if describing the image to someone else. For example:

There is a large temple in a dense jungle, covered in moss and vines. A winding path leads up through the trees toward the entrance. The temple is ancient and eroded by time and the rainforest elements.

This technique often produces more detailed results.

Using DreamStudio

DreamStudio provides advanced Midjourney features like:

Outpainting – Expand the canvas beyond the original image.
Inpainting – Fill in blank areas in an image
Realism boost – Make pictures look more photorealistic

Check it out for more ways to refine images.

With the skills in this chapter and detailed prompts, you can achieve masterful results from Midjourney. Next, we’ll cover organizing, sharing, and expanding on the images you create.

Chapter 5: Working With Your Images

Once you start generating a lot of images with Midjourney, you’ll want ways to organize, refine, and share them. Here are some useful tips for working with your creations.

Saving and Deleting Images

Midjourney will store a history of your latest 25 generations. To save an image permanently, right-click it in Discord and “Save Image As” on your computer.

To remove images from your Midjourney history, hover over it and click the trash can icon. This deletes it from the Discord chat but does not remove any saved versions.

Upscaling Images

As mentioned previously, you can upscale images up to 4096×4096 pixels with the /upscale Command. This hugely improves print quality.

Make sure to save the upscaled versions. The original Midjourney images are only 512×512 or 1024×1024 pixels.

Creating Image Variations

To create modified versions of an existing image, use:

/variation https://url.to/image --testp <descriptive prompt>

This will apply the prompt to the image while preserving key elements. Extremely useful for iterative improvement.

Making Animated GIFs

You can turn an image series into an animated GIF using sites like Giphy. Upload the image sequence, set the frame order and timing, and export as an animated GIF.

Generating Images from Videos

Upload a video to Midjourney /imagine this video: , and it will generate representative images from keyframes. This lets you turn videos into AI art.

Using Offline Tools

For more editing capabilities like adding text or compositing multiple Midjourney outputs into a collage, download the images and use offline tools like Photoshop.

Sharing on Social Media

To share your creations, you can download images and post them directly to Twitter, Instagram, etc. Just be sure to credit Midjourney as the AI source.

Alternatively, you can link directly to the Discord chat message containing the image, giving viewers access to the different generation variations.

Selling AI Art

There is demand for high-quality AI art from tools like Midjourney. You can sell prints on sites like Etsy. Be ethical by properly crediting Midjourney for the underlying technology.

With these tips, you can do much more with your Midjourney creations! Next, we’ll cover some best practices for generating amazing images consistently.

Chapter 6: Prompt Best Practices

Here are some top tips for crafting effective prompts that produce stunning images with Midjourney:

Go Descriptive

As emphasized previously, detailed descriptive prompts get the best results. The more you elaborate on elements like textures, colors, lighting, styles, etc, the better.

Provide Context

Give the image context by describing the surrounding scene and background. This gives Midjourney more to work with.

Use Comparisons

Compare aspects of your prompt to well-known artworks, styles, or real-world objects. For example, “A meadow scene, sunny like a Monet painting.”

Seek Feedback

Ask others for feedback on your prompts. Fresh eyes can often spot areas to improve and make prompts clearer.

Be Consistent

Use consistent descriptive language in similar prompts. For example, always say “A person” rather than switching between person/man/woman, etc.

Limit Scope

Try to limit the prompt to 2-3 key elements. Too many subjects often result in a cluttered image.

Suggest Emotion

To convey a certain mood or feeling, suggest it in the prompt. For example, “A melancholy rainy day…”

Balance Detail

Find the right mix between too little and too much descriptive detail. Over-describing can limit Midjourney’s creativity.

Inspire Don’t Prescribe

Avoid overly dictating every single aspect. Leave room for Midjourney to interpret creatively.

Following these best practices will help you craft prompts that produce consistently amazing images tailored to your desired themes and styles.

Chapter 7: Advanced Features and Techniques

Midjourney has powerful advanced features to take your image generation to the next level. Let’s look at some key advanced capabilities.

Hypernetworks

We briefly covered hypernetworks previously. This feature uses leading-edge AI to produce photorealistic images. Enable it with --hn on any prompt.

Outpainting

Outpainting expands the image canvas beyond the initial frame. Use it to generate wide panoramas:

/imagine a beautiful mountain landscape --ar 9:16 --v 4 --outpaint

Inpainting

Inpainting fills blank areas in images. Try it by specifying a section to fill:

/imagine https://url.to/image --inpaint "the top half of the image"

ERSGAN

ERGAN produces consistent image edits. Use it to adjust specific attributes:

/imagine https://url.to/image --ergan --add "more stormy clouds"

Automatic1111 WebUI

This powerful web interface lets you fine-tune image generation with Midjourney and other models. Worth exploring for advanced users.

Photoshop Plugins

Plugins like ImPULSE integrate Midjourney directly into Photoshop as a filter for creative workflows.

Animation

Though Midjourney focuses on still images, basic animation is possible with flipbooks generated from image sequences. Third-party tools can enhance these.

3D Object Rendering

While early in development, Midjourney can generate and render 3D objects. Try prompts like /imagine a highly detailed 3D render of a robot.

Take time to experiment with these advanced features to discover new creative possibilities!

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Chapter 8: Troubleshooting Guide

Like any AI system, Midjourney has its limitations. Here are some common issues and how to troubleshoot them.

Unclear or Poorly Framed Images

If an image is unclear or framed oddly, try refining the prompt with more descriptive details and specific directions, like camera angles. Using comparisons to other artworks can also help guide Midjourney’s composition.

Missing Key Elements

Ensure important objects, characters, or elements described in the prompt actually appear in the final images. If not, emphasize and describe those key aspects more in the prompt.

Unwanted Elements

On the flip side, if any unnecessary or random objects appear, specify clearly if they should be excluded or use a targeted descriptive prompt to avoid them.

Stylistic Errors

If the image style doesn’t match what you want, include the specific artistic style, medium, or production values in the prompt. For example, “oil painting” or “Vector art.”

Incorrect Colors

Suggest colors or color schemes directly in the prompt if the images use unwanted tones. Terms like “muted,” “pastel,” or “earthy” help steer the pallet.

Low Resolution

Increase image resolution by upscaling with the /upscale command or regenerating with a higher size, like 1024x1024 or 4096x4096.

Artifacting and Distortion

Minimize visual artifacts and distortions by avoiding prompts with multiple complex elements and subjects. Simplify the prompt or reduce aspects that may conflict.

With practice, you’ll learn how to craft prompts to avoid issues and consistently generate high-quality images that match your creative vision!

Chapter 9: Ethics and Responsible Use

Like any new technology, using AI art generation responsibly is important. Here are some key ethical considerations.

Copyright and Plagiarism

Do not claim Midjourney art as 100% your creation. Credit the AI for the underlying work. Also, avoid reproducing copyrighted properties owned by others.

Adult Content

As per Midjourney’s acceptable use policy, avoid generating or sharing adult content. Stick to G-rated family-friendly image generation.

Harmful Content

Do not create content that promotes harmful ideologies or violence. Midjourney’s filters try to block this, but human judgment is still important.

Misuse

Refrain from using Midjourney solely to create spam, misinformation, or content intended only to deceive or harm others.

Overuse

Be mindful of overusing resources. Avoid excessive generation focused only on novelty rather than meaningful utility.

Accessibility

Advocate for making AI art tools affordable and accessible to all, not just privileged groups.

By considering these ethical considerations, we can enjoy the amazing benefits of AI art generation while minimizing risks.

Chapter 10: Future Possibilities

Midjourney is just the beginning of a new era of AI creativity. Here are some exciting directions this technology could head next:

Video and Animation

Smooth, high-quality video generation could make animated films and TV shows rapidly. Challenges include rendering realistic voices and movement.

3D Modeling

3D modeling via text prompts cuts modeling time immensely. It needs to improve in generating usable 3D assets for games and VR.

Music Composition

AI composing unique music tailored to themes and styles specified via text is coming. Quality and originality need improvement.

Code Generation

AI can now generate code from natural language descriptions. As it advances, programming can reach far more people.

General Creativity

In the future, AI could combine storytelling, art, code, music, and more into new forms of collaborative human/AI creativity we can’t yet imagine!

The next decade of AI progress will blow our minds. For now, we have incredible tools like Midjourney to explore. Have fun with it and create amazing things!

Conclusion

That concludes our ultimate guide to mastering Midjourney and unlocking all its capabilities for AI art generation. From the basics to advanced techniques, you now have all the knowledge needed to unleash your creativity with this remarkable tool.

We covered setting up your account, understanding prompts, using Discord, tweaking images, best practices, special features, ethical use, and the technology’s future. You know everything from generating your first images all the way to selling AI art and becoming an expert.

The amazing progress in AI will continue to surprise and delight us. Midjourney puts that future in your hands today. Now, go out and create something beautiful! The possibilities are endless.