Creating good images with AI tools like Midjourney depends a lot on the words you use. People who are skilled at writing these words are often called prompt engineers. Getting good results isn't always easy by just typing a few words.
You might spend a lot of time and money trying prompts that don't work. But someone good at prompt engineering can often get the image they want quickly. Learning how to write effective prompts can save you time and help you create the art you picture in your head.
What Makes a Good Prompt?
To write better prompts, it helps to know what AI models can do and where they have limits. Sometimes, the AI gets confused if you ask for too many specific things at once, especially when describing details about multiple items.
For example, if you ask for a "beautiful princess in a blue dress holding a yellow umbrella," you might get the princess and the dress right, but the umbrella might be the wrong color, or in the wrong place. Asking for a "pink castle" in the same prompt can make things even harder, confusing colors for the dress, umbrella, and castle.
Right now, AI models are reliable for the main subject (the princess) and maybe one object (the umbrella). When you add more details or more objects with specific details, the results can become less predictable.
How to Structure Your Prompts
A helpful way to arrange your prompt is to start with the type of image you want. Then, add the main subject or subjects.
Media Type: Start with what kind of image it is. Is it a painting, photograph, illustration, or portrait?
Subject(s): Describe the main thing or person. Try to limit this to one or two main items (like "princess holding a flower").
Descriptors: Add words that describe the look and feel. Use words like "beautiful," "detailed," "smooth," "sharp," "attractive." You can use commas to separate these.
Artist or Style: Finish by adding the name of an artist or a specific style you want the image to look like. You can even combine different artists.
Following this pattern can help the AI understand what you want more clearly.
Going Beyond the Basics for Better AI Art
A beginner writing a prompt might just type "red shoes." They'll likely get a basic, maybe blurry image.
Someone with a little more experience knows to name the subject and the setting, like "red Jordan shoes advertisement." This gets a better result but still might not be exactly what's needed.
A skilled prompt engineer adds more layers to the prompt:
Subject + Setting: What you want and where it is.
Mood + Purpose: What feeling should the image have? What is it for (e.g., a movie poster, an advertisement)?
Adding these details, like "epic advertisement of red Jordans 11 movie poster," makes a big difference in quality and impact.
Adding Even More Detail
Top prompt engineers add even more information to guide the AI:
Quality: Describe the level of detail ("highly detailed," "ultra realistic").
Lens/Photography Terms: Add photographic terms if it's meant to look like a photo (like "300mm lens," "professional commercial photograph").
Source/Destination: Where would you expect to see an image like this? (e.g., "trending on ArtStation," "on the Nike website").
Combining all these elements – Media Type, Subject, Object, Descriptors, Artist/Style, Setting, Mood, Purpose, Quality, Lens, Source, Destination – gives you a much better chance of getting a great result.
Writing detailed and structured prompts takes practice. It requires understanding how small changes in words or word order can affect the final picture. As you write more prompts, you'll learn what works best for the style and subject you want.
Need Help Automating Your Midjourney Process?
Writing and managing many complex Midjourney prompts can be time-consuming. Tools exist to help streamline this process.
Consider using the Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT. It can help you organize, manage, and automate aspects of your Midjourney tasks, letting you focus more on creativity and less on repetitive steps.
Conclusion
Becoming skilled at writing prompts for AI art is a valuable ability. It moves you from just generating pictures to being able to create specific, high-quality images on demand. By understanding AI limitations, structuring your prompts well, and adding specific details about the subject, setting, mood, and technical aspects, you can greatly improve your results.
Keep experimenting with different words and structures. The more you practice, the better you'll become at telling the AI exactly what you want to see.
Ready to take your Midjourney workflow to the next level? Explore what the TitanXT Midjourney Automation Suite can do for you.
