Midjourney Guide: Create Professional AI Images Step by Step

Imagine typing a single sentence — "traditional Arabian palace in a golden desert at sunset" — and getting a stunning artwork in 30 seconds that looks like a professional artist spent weeks painting it. That's exactly what Midjourney does.

But the difference between getting jaw-dropping images and disappointing results isn't the tool — it's how you write the prompt. This guide teaches you the right approach from scratch.

According to Statista, Midjourney holds 30% of the AI image generation market — the largest share among all competitors.

What Is Midjourney and How Does It Work?

Midjourney is an AI model specialized in generating images from text descriptions. You type what you want in English and it generates 4 different images in seconds. It works through its official website midjourney.com or via Discord.

What sets it apart from competitors (like DALL-E and Stable Diffusion) is its artistic quality — images look like actual artwork, not just machine-generated pictures.

If you want a full comparison of all AI design tools, read best 11 AI design websites.

How to Get Started with Midjourney

The first steps are simple, but many beginners get lost. Here's the clear path from sign-up to your first image.

Step 1: Sign up at midjourney.com with a Google or Discord account.

Step 2: Choose the right plan (there's no free plan currently).

Step 3: Write your first prompt. Type a description in English in the prompt field and hit send.

How to Write a Professional Prompt

Prompt writing is the most important skill in Midjourney. A professional prompt has 4 elements: subject, art style, lighting, and technical parameters.

The Basic Formula

[Subject], [Art Style], [Lighting], [Additional Details] --[Parameters]

Beginner example: a cat → ordinary, boring result

Professional example: Persian cat sitting on a velvet cushion, oil painting style, warm golden hour lighting, intricate details, shallow depth of field --ar 16:9 --v 6.1

The difference is clear — the second prompt specifies the breed, pose, art style, lighting, and aspect ratio.

20 Ready-to-Use Prompts

Realistic photos:

1. Portrait of an Arab businessman in a modern office, natural light, Canon EOS R5, 85mm lens, shallow depth of field --ar 3:4 --v 6.1
2. Aerial view of Riyadh skyline at sunset, golden hour, drone photography, ultra realistic --ar 16:9 --v 6.1
3. Traditional Arabic coffee setup with dates, macro photography, warm tones, studio lighting --ar 1:1 --v 6.1

Digital art: 4. Futuristic Arabian city with flying cars, cyberpunk style, neon lights, rain, cinematic --ar 21:9 --v 6.1 5. Arabic calligraphy forming a phoenix, digital art, gold and teal colors, dark background --ar 1:1 --v 6.1

Commercial design: 6. Minimalist tech startup logo, letter A, gradient blue to purple, clean background --ar 1:1 --v 6.1 7. Social media banner for AI technology blog, modern design, blue and green palette --ar 16:9 --v 6.1

According to Creative Bloq, Midjourney v6.1 produces realistic images that outperform DALL-E 3 by 40% in blind comparison tests.

Advanced Parameters

Parameters are what separate beginners from professionals. They're added at the end of the prompt after --.

How to Get Arabic Text in Images

One of the biggest challenges for Arabic-speaking Midjourney users. The model handles English text well but often fails with Arabic.

Practical solution:

1. Generate the image without Arabic text in Midjourney
2. Add Arabic text using Canva or Photopea (free)
3. Or use Ideogram to generate images with Arabic text directly

Automating Image Generation with Python

If you're a developer and want to generate images programmatically, you can use the Midjourney API through intermediary services:

import requests
import time

def generate_midjourney_image(prompt: str, api_key: str) -> str:
    """Generate an image via Midjourney API (intermediary service)"""

    # Send generation request
    response = requests.post(
        "https://api.mymidjourney.ai/api/v1/midjourney/imagine",
        headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}"},
        json={"prompt": prompt}
    )

    task_id = response.json()["taskId"]
    print(f"Generation started... Task: {task_id}")

    # Wait for result
    for _ in range(30):
        result = requests.get(
            f"https://api.mymidjourney.ai/api/v1/midjourney/task/{task_id}",
            headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}"}
        ).json()

        if result["status"] == "completed":
            return result["imageUrl"]

        time.sleep(10)

    return "Timeout — try again"

# Usage example
image_url = generate_midjourney_image(
    prompt="Modern Arabic mosque, minimalist architecture, sunset --ar 16:9 --v 6.1",
    api_key="YOUR_API_KEY"
)
print(f"Image: {image_url}")

Midjourney vs Competitors

For a comprehensive comparison of all AI models, read AI fundamentals.

7 Common Mistakes Beginners Make

1. Prompts that are too short. "beautiful landscape" won't give you a standout result. Add lighting, style, and mood details.

2. Ignoring aspect ratio. A square image doesn't work for a YouTube thumbnail. Use --ar 16:9 for landscape and --ar 9:16 for Instagram Stories.

3. Not using --no. If you don't want people in the image, type --no people. Much easier than regenerating ten times.

4. Skipping Upscale. After choosing your favorite image, press U1-U4 to increase resolution. Don't use the thumbnail directly.

5. Writing in Arabic. Midjourney only understands English. Write your prompt in English even if you want Arabic-themed content.

6. Not experimenting with --s. The Stylize value completely changes the image. Try 50, 250, and 750 for the same prompt and compare.

7. Forgetting the version. Always add --v 6.1 to get the latest model and best quality.

What's Next

Midjourney is a powerful tool, but it's a means — not an end. Start by generating 10 images today — try different styles, adjust parameters, and compare results. Within a week, you'll develop an intuition for what produces stunning images and what doesn't. Most importantly: use these images in your real projects — don't just generate them to admire.