Midjourney for Beginners: Your First AI Image in 10 Minutes
Midjourney still lives in Discord, which is weird, but once you get past the setup, the images it creates are unlike anything else.
Midjourney produces some of the most beautiful AI-generated images you can make right now. The catch: it runs inside Discord, which confuses a lot of people who've never used it. Here's a no-fluff guide to your first image.
Step 1: Set Up Discord
If you don't have Discord, download it at discord.com, it's free. Create an account and verify your email. That's all you need to get started.
Step 2: Join the Midjourney Server
Go to midjourney.com and click "Join the Beta." This sends you to the official Midjourney Discord server. Accept the invitation and you're in.
Step 3: Subscribe
Midjourney no longer has a free tier (they removed it in 2023). The basic plan is $10/month for about 200 image generations. The standard plan at $30/month gives you unlimited relaxed generations, which is what most hobbyists actually need. Go to midjourney.com/account to subscribe.
Step 4: Your First Prompt
Go to any "newbies" channel in the Midjourney Discord server, or create your own server and add the Midjourney bot. Type: /imagine and then hit space. A text field will appear. Type your prompt and hit enter.
For your first image, try something like: a cozy coffee shop on a rainy afternoon, warm lighting, film photography style
How Prompting Works
Midjourney reads your prompt and generates 4 image variations. Below the images you'll see buttons: U1-U4 (upscale a specific image) and V1-V4 (create variations of a specific image). Clicking U1 gives you a high-resolution version of the first image. V2 makes 4 new images similar to image 2.
Useful Prompt Modifiers
Add these to the end of your prompt to control the output:
- --ar 16:9, Widescreen aspect ratio (great for thumbnails)
- --ar 1:1, Square (great for social media)
- --style raw, Less stylized, more photographic
- --v 7, Uses the latest model version
- --no text, Removes text from the image (very useful)
A Prompt That Works Every Time
When you're stuck, this formula reliably generates beautiful results: [subject], [setting], [mood/lighting], [style reference] --ar 16:9 --v 7
Example: young woman reading at a window, autumn light streaming in, golden hour, editorial photography style --ar 16:9 --v 7
Saving Your Images
Click any image to open it full-size, then right-click and "Save image as." They're yours to use however you'd like under Midjourney's terms of service (check their licensing page if you're using them commercially).
That's genuinely all you need to get started. The learning curve is mostly just developing taste for what prompts work. And that comes with practice.
Emily in AI
Emily in AI is a plain-English guide to AI tools, tips, and beginner guides. Every tool gets tested and written up without the hype or the jargon, so you can figure out what actually helps. New posts every week.
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