Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly popular in design despite its relative recency. The technology can help you extensively with the design process by allowing you to brainstorm and prototype your ideas in a better way.
Amongst the currently available AI design tools, Midjourney has gained the most momentum thanks to its versatility. Exploring the tool in your day-to-day work is a great option if you’re thinking about adding a unique flair to your design process.
In today’s guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know to get started with Midjourney in your design process.
How to Use Midjourney Effectively
To get started with Midjourney, you need to head over to the website and sign up. Currently, the only way to use Midjourney is by using a chat app called Discord. The process is straightforward; you just need to connect Discord to write your first prompt.
Here are the three main steps you need to follow.
- Sign up for Discord
- Sign up for Midjourney and accept the invitation to join the Midjourney Discord channel.
- Scroll to the #newbies channel and type /subscribe. This will allow you to pick the Midjourney plan. Once your plan is finalized, you’re ready to start generating images.
Understanding the Tools of Midjourney
To properly create using the application, you need to understand the different tools Midjourney offers. These tools can be manipulated to achieve your required results and will help you add a much-needed layer of customization.
It is important to understand that Midjourney is designed to be used by a community. While this can be great for artistic collaboration, the #newbie channels can be pretty overwhelming. Many designers are constantly posting requests, and the content is all public on different channels. However, you can also scroll through the channels to understand how prompts work.
Generating Your First Image
To generate your first image using Midjourney, you need to enter /imagine in the message box. Then, you’ll input your text prompt and press Enter. You can type in whatever you can think of, but try to edit your prompt with a clear description to get the best results.
Here are some tips to nail the best prompt:
- Be Specific With Your Prompt – The more detail you enter in your prompt, the more likely Midjourney will deliver the best result. For example, instead of writing a car, write “a photorealistic sedan with blue accents and headlights on.”
- Use Examples and References – If you have a frame of reference, it can be a great idea to provide that to Midjourney for the best results. For example, write “a photorealistic sedan standing on a cliff that looks like [example link].”
- Experiment – Even though templates are a good starting point, you’ll only be able to get the best results when you experiment with prompts. Once you start to get the hang of things, you’ll be surprised at how accurate the generated images can be.
Mastering the Art of the Prompt – Important Tips
The secret to any successful AI-generated image is in the prompt. By following these guidelines, you’re much more likely to get a result that is accurate to your imagination.
Add Detailed Parameters to Your Prompts
Generic image prompts are like general instructions; you cannot expect to get specific results without providing specific input. Here are some key parameters that you can specify in your prompt:
Aspect Ratio
The aspect ratio in your prompt can be altered by using the “–aspect” or “–ar” parameter. This will allow you to change the aspect ratio of the image being generated. For example, if you’re trying to create a YouTube thumbnail, you will specify “–ar 16:9”. You can specify the aspect ratio and customize your result for other uses.
Example
A picture of a dog –ar 3:4 –v 5
[Insert Midjourney image]
No
This parameter is used to filter out research with certain details and imperfections. This allows you to specify your search results and only get the results that you want.
For example, if you use the “–no text” tag, it will remove any text present in the images. However, it is important to note that there are some instances in which this tag will not yield the ideal results.
Example
A picture of a dog –no red-haired
[Insert Midjourney image]
Quality
The quality “–q” parameter changes the output quality of the image you’re generating. Setting the quality to a higher setting will require more processing time, but you’ll get an image with a much higher quality. It is important to note that the setting does not impact the output resolution of the image but increases the level of detail in the image.
By default, the quality is set at 1. This represents the base quality of the image. You can multiply the quality or decrease it depending on your preference.
Example
A picture of a dog –q 2
[Insert Midjourney image]
Experimenting With Art Styles
Instead of trying to add individual instructions to Midjourney, you can experiment with different art styles to get a unique flair for your designs.
Here are some interesting art styles that you can experiment with:
Analytic Drawing
This drawing style is a great way to add a schematic feel to your designs. The analytics aspect can help you outline furniture pieces or spaces by providing an engineered outlook into the spatial design.
Example
analytic drawing of a table— v 4
[Insert Midjourney image]
Infographic Illustrations
Illustrations are the ideal medium to showcase your business concepts by providing detailed information to readers. They also help you convey intricate details for your designs in a popular modern format.
Example
motorbike, infographic illustration — v 4
[Insert Midjourney image]
Diagrammatic Drawing
Diagrammatic drawings add a beautiful technical layer to your designs by adding a raw schematic feeling to your designs. You can make your concepts much more eye-catching by taking advantage of the details offered by this medium.
Example
diagrammatic drawing of a young girl— v 4
[Insert Midjourney image]
Isometric Illustration
If you want to visualize architecture in a different way, isometric illustrations are the perfect style to try. You’ll be able to see spaces in a completely new way and explore different versions in variable viewpoints.
Example
Building from medieval Rome, isometric illustration — v4
[Insert Midjourney image]
Visualize Different Options With Special Prompts
Aside from the standard design options, Midjourney offers a variety of tools you can use to improve the visual impact of your designs. You can access these tools through special prompts.
Here are some important prompt types.
Lighting Changes
The importance of lighting in your images cannot be overstated. Proper lighting can completely change the outlook of your images by improving the appearance and adding a much-needed ambient effect. Proper lighting can highlight the nuances and patterns within the images, and improper lighting can take away from otherwise well-designed images.
Natural Lighting
There are a number of natural light sources that you can cite in your prompts to add a natural effect to your images. You can choose from the following types:
- Moonlight
- Sunlight
- Candlelight
- Reflections
Artificial Lighting
Artificial lighting adds a unique touch to your images that you expect in settings at night. Here are some options you can consider:
- Led Lights
- Studio Lights
- Ring Lights
- Strobe Lights
- Top Light
Example
samurai in full armor + samurai helmet + katana + On a verdant plain surrounded by flowers, Cinematic lighting, Unreal Engine 5, Cinematic, Color Grading, Editorial Photography, Photography, Photoshoot, Shot on 70mm lense, Depth of Field, DOF, Tilt Blur, Shutter Speed 1/1000, F/22, White Balance, 32k, Super-Resolution, Megapixel, ProPhoto RGB, VR, tall, epic, artgerm, alex ross, Halfrear Lighting, Backlight, Natural Lighting, Incandescent, Optical Fiber, Moody Lighting, Cinematic Lighting, Studio Lighting, Soft Lighting, Volumetric, Contre-Jour, dark Lighting, Accent Lighting, Global Illumination, Screen Space Global Illumination, Ray Tracing Global Illumination, Red Rim light, cool color grading 45%, Optics, Scattering, Glowing, Shadows, Rough, Shimmering, Ray Tracing Reflections, Lumen Reflections, Screen Space Reflections, Diffraction Grading, Chromatic Aberration, GB Displacement, Scan Lines, Ray Traced, Ray Tracing Ambient Occlusion, Anti-Aliasing, FKAA, TXAA, RTX, SSAO, Shaders, OpenGL-Shaders, GLSL-Shaders, Post Processing, Post-Production, Cel Shading, Tone Mapping, CGI, VFX, SFX, insanely detailed and intricate, hypermaximalist, elegant, hyper realistic, super detailed, dynamic pose, centered, photography
Conclusion
Midjourney can be a complete game-changer for your design approach thanks to its unique ability to turn ideas into reality. Thanks to its robust image generation, you aren’t limited to your creative arsenal. You can take input from the tool to improve your existing designs and create new possibilities.
However, to get the most out of Midjourney, you need to master the art of creating insightful prompts. For you to do that, you need to study the prompts entered by others and understand how different elements in the image are impactful by subtle changes. Also, you need to practice extensively to get things right.
Once you start leveraging the potential of Midjourney, you’ll be surprised to see how much it can simplify your design process. The robust response of the platform can also be a game-changer for your productivity.
Just ensure you keep practicing the art of prompt generation, or copy some of the prompts we’ve shared above to get started.
Despite being popular, AI technologies are still in their infancy. If you incorporate them into your working process, you can significantly increase your productivity and access a ton of creative resources. However, still need to think creatively to get the best results from Midjourney.
Looking for assistance with your creative designs?
Sunan has a team of experienced designers who incorporate cutting-edge creative approaches to create bespoke designs.
