Practical Midjourney Workflow Tips from Design Professionals

Are you ready to move beyond just experimenting with Midjourney? Do you want to use it for real projects, maybe even with clients? This post shares practical tips and a proven workflow used by designers every day to create professional-quality work.

We'll cover the essential steps, key settings you might be missing, and tools that can transform your Midjourney images from interesting concepts into polished assets ready for use.

Essential AI Tools for Creatives

AI is changing the creative landscape. While new tools appear constantly, some key platforms stand out for designers:

• Midjourney: Excellent for generating images.

• Runway: Focuses on video creation (though still developing for strict client needs).

• ChatGPT: Helps with text, scripts, and writing marketing copy.

• Suno: Useful for creating music.

• Gamma: Good for quickly starting presentation outlines.

Mastering Midjourney is a great starting point because the principles of prompting and iteration apply broadly to other AI tools. To keep up with new AI tools, check out the tools.design website; it's updated often and has a helpful section on generative AI platforms.

A Six-Step Workflow for Midjourney

Achieving consistent, high-quality results in Midjourney involves more than just typing words. A workflow helps structure your process. Here is a six-step approach:

• Create: Generate the initial image with a prompt.

• Refine: Adjust settings and parameters to get closer to your goal.

• Finish: Use editing tools to polish the image.

• Repeat: This is key – learn how to create similar or matching images for a series.

• Animate: Potentially turn images into video (still evolving).

• Evolve: Continuously learn and adapt as the tools change.

Getting the 'Repeat' step right is often what separates people who play with AI from those who use it professionally.

Building Effective Prompts

The quality of your output depends heavily on your prompt. A structured approach leads to better, more consistent images:

• Start with the Medium: What do you want back? (e.g., photo, illustration, sketch).

• Define the Subject: Who or what is the main focus? (e.g., a person, a city, an object).

• Add Environment: Where is it? (e.g., indoors, outside, in space).

• Specify Composition: How is it framed? (e.g., portrait, wide view, close-up).

• Include Style/Period: Do you want a particular look or time? (e.g., 1900s, a specific artist style).

• Consider Technical Details: Lighting, camera type, lens (optional but adds realism).

• Use Negative Parameters: Tell it what you explicitly *don't* want (e.g., --no text, --no foam). This is crucial for fixing unwanted details.

Using negative parameters helps avoid common issues. Getting into the habit of structuring your prompts helps you get better and faster results.

Understanding Midjourney Features and Settings

Midjourney has several features that significantly impact your results.

Using the Web Interface and Discord

The Midjourney web interface is now much easier to use for creating and managing your work. Use Discord mainly for specific commands or the `/describe` feature we discuss next.

Working with Describe

Use the `/describe` command in Discord and upload an image. Midjourney will give you four example prompts that explain how it interprets the image. This helps you understand how the AI 'sees' things and how it weights different words in a prompt, giving you a starting point for similar images. Remember, these prompts won't create an exact copy, but they are valuable for learning how to phrase your own ideas.

Image Ratios Matter

The aspect ratio you choose fundamentally changes the composition. Use the `--ar` command. For example, a square (1:1) or wide ratio (16:9) will show more of the environment, while portrait ratios (4:5, 9:16) will frame subjects more closely. If you want a landscape, always start with 16:9.

Selecting the Model Version

Midjourney has different model versions. The current latest (like 6.1) tends to produce more realistic images. Older models might be better if you're looking for a more stylized or fantasy look. Select the model from the dropdown in the web interface based on the style you need.

Enabling Personalization

You can train Midjourney to understand your preferred aesthetic. Go to the 'Personalize' section on the web interface and start ranking images. By doing this, you can influence future results to match your style better. As a bonus, ranking images can earn you free hours of generation time! Make sure personalization is turned ON for the best results.

Using the Image Editor

The built-in image editor in the web interface is incredibly powerful for refining images after creation. You can enlarge areas, adjust framing, or add/remove details. This is often more effective than using external tools like Generative Fill for changes to the original Midjourney output, as it processes within the image's native environment.

Understanding Prompts with 'Shorten'

The `/shorten` command in Discord analyzes your prompt and shows you which words or phrases Midjourney considers most important. This helps you see if the AI is focusing on what you intended. If a key concept ranks low, you know you need to rephrase or reposition it in the prompt. Click 'show details' after running the command to see the ranking.

Managing all these prompts, settings, and techniques can be time-consuming. Streamline your workflow and keep track of your best prompts and reference images with a dedicated tool like the Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT. It helps you organize and automate tasks, allowing you to focus on the creative process.

Post-Processing for Professional Finish

Raw Midjourney outputs, even after refining, often need further work for client use, especially for print or high-detail digital applications.

Enhancing with Magnific.ai

Magnific.ai is a game-changer. It not only upscales images but also adds incredible detail and realism (skin texture, hair, fine lines). Comparing the original to a version processed through Magnific often shows a dramatic difference, pushing images closer to looking photorealistic. It also offers relighting and style transfer features. It's recommended to use a monthly subscription as tools in this space change rapidly.

Using Generative Fill (Photoshop/Firefly)

For minor edits, removals, or adding small elements, tools like Generative Fill are useful. Use them for refining small details or fixing artifacts rather than major image changes, which are often best handled in Midjourney's editor.

Creating High-Resolution Output with Gigapixel AI

If you need images for large formats, like billboards or banners, Gigapixel AI can create extremely high-resolution final files. It has different models optimized for various image types (photos, art, text) to ensure quality during massive upscaling.

Creating Consistent Image Series (The 'Repeat' Step)

For client work or campaigns, you often need a series of images that look cohesive. This is where Midjourney's reference features become essential.

Understanding Reference Icons

When you drag or add an image in the web interface, hover over it to see three icons. These icons let you specify how Midjourney should use the image alongside your prompt:

• Character Reference (Person icon): Tells Midjourney to try and keep the likeness of a person from the reference image. Adjusting the `--stylize` parameter controls how closely it matches (lower for exact copies, higher for variations).

• Style Reference (Paperclip icon): Instructs Midjourney to adopt the overall style (color, lighting, mood) of the reference image.

• Image Prompt (Default): Uses the image as general inspiration alongside the words in your prompt.

You can hold the Shift key while clicking icons to apply multiple reference types to one image. Combining text prompts with specific references is key to creating a consistent series.

Managing Your Prompts

Keeping a clear record of which prompts, settings, reference images, and parameters worked for specific results is vital for repeatability. A simple system like a Google Sheet can help track this information so you can easily recreate or build upon past successful generations.

Looking Ahead: Video and Developing Your Skills

While AI image generation is powerful and usable now, AI video is still catching up for professional client work. Platforms like Runway and Luma show promise but require significant iteration and cost for consistent results today.

Beyond tools, the rise of AI means adapting your own skills:

• Learn to collaborate with AI, treating it as a partner in the creative process.

• Talk with others using AI to share knowledge and techniques.

• Stay updated and experiment constantly. Work on 'proof of technology' projects to see what's possible as tools evolve.

• Consider the ethical aspects of AI – understand training data, copyright, and how your data is used.

• Develop your curation skills. AI generates options; the human designer's role includes selecting, directing, and arranging elements to tell a story.

Conclusion

Midjourney and other AI tools are changing how designers work. By understanding the workflow, using the right parameters and features, incorporating post-processing, and practicing repeatability, you can create professional, impactful visuals. Don't wait to dive in. Embrace these tools, experiment, and see how they can enhance your creative projects.

Ready to take your Midjourney workflow to the next level and manage your creative assets efficiently for consistent results? Explore the Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT and see how it can help streamline your process.