Midjourney V6: The Ultimate Guide to AI Art Generation

Midjourney V6 changed everything. Better text rendering, photorealistic humans, and prompts that finally understand what you mean. Here’s how to master it.

Photo by Jr Korpa on Unsplash

What’s New in V6

Version 6 brought massive improvements:

• Accurate text in images - Finally works reliably
• Better prompt understanding - More natural language
• Improved human anatomy - Fewer nightmare hands
• Higher coherence - Elements relate better
• More photorealistic - Hard to distinguish from photos

Getting Started

Join Discord

Midjourney runs through Discord:

1. Go to midjourney.com
2. Click “Join the Beta”
3. Accept Discord invite
4. Subscribe ($10-60/month)

Your First Image

In any Midjourney channel, type:

/imagine prompt: a golden retriever wearing sunglasses at the beach, 
cinematic lighting, shot on Sony A7IV

Wait 60 seconds. Four images appear. Click V1-V4 to vary, U1-U4 to upscale.

Prompting Fundamentals

The Basic Structure

[Subject] + [Environment] + [Style] + [Technical details]

Example:

/imagine prompt: a samurai warrior (subject) standing in a bamboo forest 
at dawn (environment), ukiyo-e art style (style), highly detailed, 
4k resolution (technical)

Natural Language Works Now

V6 understands conversational prompts:

/imagine prompt: I want a cozy coffee shop interior with morning light 
streaming through large windows, there's a cat sleeping on a vintage 
armchair, the style should be warm and inviting like a Ghibli film

No more keyword stuffing required.

Photo by Milad Fakurian on Unsplash

Essential Parameters

Aspect Ratio (–ar)

--ar 16:9    # Widescreen, landscapes, YouTube thumbnails
--ar 9:16    # Vertical, phone wallpapers, Instagram stories
--ar 1:1     # Square, profile pictures, album covers
--ar 2:3     # Portrait photography
--ar 3:2     # Classic landscape photography

Stylize (–s)

Controls how artistic vs. literal:

--s 0      # Very literal interpretation
--s 100    # Default balance
--s 250    # More artistic interpretation
--s 1000   # Maximum artistic liberty

Chaos (–c)

Adds variation between the 4 outputs:

--c 0      # Similar results
--c 50     # Moderate variation
--c 100    # Wild variation (good for exploration)

Weird (–weird)

Adds unconventional, experimental elements:

--weird 250    # Slightly unusual
--weird 1000   # Surreal territory
--weird 3000   # Maximum weirdness

Advanced Techniques

Style References (–sref)

Copy the style of any image:

/imagine prompt: a mountain landscape --sref [image URL]

You can blend multiple style references:

/imagine prompt: portrait --sref [url1] --sref [url2] --sw 100

--sw controls style weight (0-1000).

Character References (–cref)

Maintain consistent characters across images:

/imagine prompt: a woman with red hair --cref [previous image URL]

Great for:

• Comic book characters
• Mascot consistency
• Story illustrations

Negative Prompts (–no)

Exclude unwanted elements:

/imagine prompt: forest landscape --no people, buildings, roads

Multi-Prompts

Weight different parts of your prompt:

/imagine prompt: cyberpunk city::2 nature::1 --ar 16:9

The ::2 gives cyberpunk twice the emphasis of nature.

Text in Images

V6 finally handles text well:

/imagine prompt: a neon sign that says "OPEN 24/7" in a rainy 
Tokyo alley, cinematic photography

Tips for better text:

• Use quotation marks around the text
• Keep it short (1-3 words work best)
• Specify the text format (neon sign, graffiti, poster)

Photorealistic Images

For photos that look real:

/imagine prompt: candid street photography of a businessman 
checking his phone in New York, golden hour, shot on Leica M11, 
35mm lens, shallow depth of field, grain

Key elements:

• Mention camera and lens
• Specify lighting conditions
• Add film grain or noise
• Include “candid” or “documentary style”

Style Keywords That Work

Photography Styles

• Cinematic
• Documentary
• Editorial
• Fashion photography
• Street photography
• Portrait photography

Art Styles

• Oil painting
• Watercolor
• Digital art
• Concept art
• Anime/manga
• Art nouveau
• Impressionism

Moods

• Ethereal
• Moody
• Vibrant
• Minimalist
• Dramatic
• Nostalgic

Workflow Tips

1. Start Broad, Then Refine

First prompt: Get the concept right

/imagine prompt: futuristic city at night

Variation: Add details to winners

/imagine prompt: futuristic city at night, flying cars, 
neon holographic advertisements, rain-slicked streets, 
blade runner style --ar 16:9

2. Use the Vary (Region) Feature

After generating, click “Vary (Region)” to edit specific areas:

• Fix a weird hand
• Change background elements
• Modify facial expressions

3. Build a Prompt Library

Save prompts that work well. Categorize by:

• Subject type
• Style
• Use case

Pricing (2026)

Midjourney vs Alternatives

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Over-prompting - V6 needs less keywords, not more
2. Ignoring parameters - –ar and –s dramatically change results
3. Not using references - –sref saves hours of prompting
4. Upscaling too early - Vary first, upscale last
5. Skipping the gallery - Others’ prompts teach you faster

Final Thoughts

Midjourney V6 is the most capable consumer AI art tool in 2026. The learning curve is real, but the results are worth it. Start with simple prompts, experiment with parameters, and build your style library over time.

The best prompt is one you iterate on. Generate, analyze, refine, repeat.

What will you create first?