20 Midjourney Prompt Examples (with Breakdowns)
Real working Midjourney v6 prompts across portrait, landscape, concept art, and real-world subjects — each with a breakdown of the choices that made it work. Adapt the templates to your own scenes.
In short: This page contains 20 copy-paste ready prompts, organized into 4 categories with a description and pro tip for each. The first 5 prompts are free instantly, no signup needed. Hand-curated and tested by the AI Academy team.
Portrait Examples
5 promptsCinematic Backlit Portrait
1/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates a cinematic portrait of a young woman with curly auburn hair, golden-hour rim light, reflector fill, and Kodak Portra 400 grain. Swap the subject, then keep the 85mm frame that still looks like film.
Cinematic portrait of a young woman with curly auburn hair, golden hour backlight creating rim light around hair, soft side fill from reflector, 85mm lens at f/1.4, Kodak Portra 400 film grain, --ar 4:5 --style raw --v 6
Pro tip: To adapt: keep the lens, film, and aspect ratio. Change ONLY the subject description. The technical descriptors carry the realism.
Editorial Studio Portrait
2/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates a Vogue editorial portrait with avant-garde silver makeup, sculptural earrings, beauty-dish light from above, and a pastel pink seamless backdrop. Change the makeup, then pick the pose you would actually print.
Vogue editorial portrait of a model with avant-garde silver makeup and sculptural earrings, beauty-dish lighting from above, pastel pink seamless backdrop, slight motion in hair, --ar 4:5 --style raw --v 6
Pro tip: To adapt: swap "silver makeup" and "pink backdrop" for any color combo. Keep "Vogue editorial" and "beauty-dish" — they anchor the genre.
Documentary Black-and-White Portrait
3/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates a high-contrast black-and-white documentary portrait of an elderly fisherman with weathered hands, overcast light, and a Leica M6 Tri-X look. Save the grit that still reads as photojournalism, or rerun it with a new face.
High-contrast black and white documentary portrait of an elderly fisherman with weathered hands, natural overcast light, Leica M6 with 35mm Summicron, Tri-X 400 film grain, --ar 4:5 --style raw --v 6
Pro tip: To adapt: works for any character-driven portrait. Keep Leica/Tri-X for B&W; swap to Fujifilm/Pro 400H for color documentary.
Cinematic Character Portrait
4/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates a chiaroscuro portrait of a weathered ship captain in a foggy harbor at dawn, with one window light and a Rembrandt triangle on the shadow cheek. Keep the painterly face, then use it as a character still.
Dramatic chiaroscuro portrait of a weathered ship captain in a foggy harbor at dawn, single window light from left creating Rembrandt triangle on shadow cheek, oil-painting realism, --ar 3:4 --style raw --v 6
Pro tip: Rembrandt triangle is the small light triangle on the shadow-side cheek. Explicitly requesting it locks in the painterly look.
Environmental Portrait of a Craftsperson
5/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates an environmental portrait of a Japanese ceramicist at her wheel, hands in clay mid-throw, shoji light, and slight blur on the rotating wheel. Hold the action frame, then keep it as a storytelling portrait.
Environmental portrait of a Japanese ceramicist at her pottery wheel, hands covered in clay mid-throw, soft diffused light through shoji window, 50mm lens at f/2, slight motion blur on the rotating wheel, --ar 3:2 --style raw --v 6
Pro tip: To adapt: specify ONE action verb ("mid-throw", "mid-laugh", "lighting a cigarette") for life. Static poses feel staged.
Landscape Examples
5 promptsMountain Landscape with Scale
6/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates a photoreal mountain sunrise with valley fog, first light on snow peaks, a tiny hiker on the left ridge, and an Iceland ultra-wide look. Drop or move the hiker, then save the 16:9 with the strongest scale.
Photorealistic mountain landscape at sunrise, dense valley fog filling foreground, distant snow-capped peaks catching first warm light, single tiny hiker silhouette for scale on left ridge, ultra-wide 16mm lens, Iceland aesthetic, --ar 16:9 --style raw --v 6
Pro tip: The single tiny human silhouette is the single most important compositional trick in landscape photography. Always include one.
Northern Lights with Reflection
7/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates a long-exposure aurora over a snowy Norwegian fjord, with green and purple lights mirrored in still water and a lone red cabin on the opposite shore. Move the cabin, then pick the reflection that still looks still.
Aurora borealis over snowy Norwegian fjord, vibrant green and purple lights dancing in night sky, perfect mirror reflection in still water below, lone red cabin on opposite shore, long exposure photograph, --ar 16:9 --style raw --v 6
Pro tip: Aurora photos always need a foreground element. Pure sky-only shots feel empty. A cabin, mountain, or person solves it.
Forest Path with Atmosphere
8/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates an autumn forest path of orange and red maple leaves, with dappled canopy light, light mist, and a single distant figure walking away. Change the season or the walker, then keep the contemplative 4:5 for wall art.
Autumn forest path covered in fallen orange and red maple leaves, soft afternoon sunlight filtering through canopy creating dappled light pattern, light mist between trees, single distant figure walking away, painterly atmosphere, --ar 4:5 --style raw --v 6
Pro tip: Figure "walking away" (vs. toward camera) reads as contemplative. Walking toward camera reads as confrontational. Direction matters.
Ocean Storm Dramatic
9/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates a long-exposure ocean storm against basalt cliffs at dusk, with silky waves, grey storm clouds, and one shaft of golden light through an ultra-wide 14mm view. Crop for the break in the clouds, then save the seascape.
Long-exposure photograph of stormy ocean crashing against basalt cliffs at dusk, silky smooth motion-blurred waves, dramatic grey storm clouds with one shaft of golden light breaking through, ultra-wide 14mm lens, --ar 16:9 --style raw --v 6
Pro tip: Specify "silky smooth motion-blurred waves" explicitly. Without it, Midjourney renders sharp wave detail.
Desert Minimalist
10/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates a square minimal desert at golden hour, a diagonal S-curve dune, deep shadow versus warm light, and no horizon, in a Michael Kenna style. Crop until the ridge is the whole picture, then print it as gallery art.
Minimal desert landscape at golden hour, single S-curve sand dune ridge running diagonally across frame, deep shadow on one side and warm light on other, no horizon visible, abstract composition, shot by Michael Kenna, --ar 1:1 --style raw --v 6
Pro tip: For abstract landscapes, square (1:1) framing feels more like fine art. Wide ratios push toward travel-magazine.
Concept Art & Illustration Examples
5 promptsFantasy Floating Islands
11/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates epic fantasy concept art of floating rocky islands over a cloud sea at sunset, with waterfalls into the mist and a tiny person on the edge for scale. Change the islands, then keep the widest book-cover frame.
Epic fantasy concept art of floating rocky islands suspended over endless cloud sea at sunset, waterfalls falling from islands into clouds below, tiny silhouette of person standing on edge for scale, Studio Ghibli meets Magic the Gathering, --ar 16:9 --v 6
Pro tip: Combining two named references (Ghibli + MTG) blends styles. Up to 3 named references works; more creates muddy results.
Cyberpunk Cityscape
12/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates a cyberpunk megacity at night with holographic neon in Japanese and English, flying vehicles, and rain-soaked streets reflecting purple and pink. Tweak the signs, then save the Syd Mead night view for a board.
Cyberpunk megacity at night, towering skyscrapers with massive holographic neon signs in Japanese and English, flying vehicles between buildings, rain-soaked streets reflecting purple and pink neon, by Syd Mead and Moebius, --ar 16:9 --v 6
Pro tip: Syd Mead designed Blade Runner. Moebius is the European comic master. Combined, they unlock the precise cyberpunk visual language.
Studio Ghibli Pastoral
13/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates a Studio Ghibli watercolor of a young girl running through a tall-grass meadow with a black cat, golden afternoon light, and a distant farmhouse. Change the girl or the cat, then keep the hand-painted scenic still.
Studio Ghibli style watercolor illustration of a young girl running through tall grass meadow with a black cat trailing behind, golden afternoon light, distant rolling green hills with single farmhouse, hand-painted feel, --ar 16:9 --niji 6 --style scenic
Pro tip: --niji 6 is non-negotiable for Ghibli. The default --v 6 model produces muddy anime that doesn't match the genre.
Sci-Fi Mars Colony
14/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates concept art of a Mars colony at dusk, with glowing geodesic greenhouses, red landscape, and two Earth-blue moons in a pink sky. Adjust the habitats, then use the photoreal CGI frame as architecture reference.
Concept art of a futuristic Mars colony at dusk, modular geodesic habitat structures with internal greenhouses glowing warm green, red Martian landscape, two Earth-blue moons in pink sky, photorealistic CGI by Syd Mead, --ar 16:9 --v 6
Pro tip: "Photorealistic CGI" feels more buildable than pure illustration. Use for sci-fi concepts you want to feel grounded.
Mythological Dragon Portrait
15/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates a photoreal dragon resting in a mountain cave, scales in warm firelight from below, intelligent eyes meeting the viewer. Soften the stare if it feels too fierce, then keep the National Geographic creature portrait.
Majestic dragon resting in mountain cave, scales catching warm firelight from below, intelligent eyes meeting viewer, photorealistic creature design, How to Train Your Dragon meets National Geographic, --ar 4:5 --v 6
Pro tip: Mythical creatures lit like real animals (warm firelight from below = realistic cave lighting) feel believable. Cartoony lighting kills it.
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Real-World Subject Examples
5 promptsRestaurant Food Photography
16/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates an overhead food photo of handmade pasta with truffle shavings on rustic ceramic, parsley, olive oil, and soft window light from the left. Swap the plate, then put the cleanest take on a menu or a reel.
Overhead photograph of fresh handmade pasta with truffle shavings on rustic ceramic plate, weathered wooden table, single sprig of parsley, small dish of olive oil beside, soft natural window light from left, 50mm macro lens, --ar 4:5 --style raw --v 6
Pro tip: Always include side dishes or props (olive oil, herbs, salt grinder). Plain plates feel staged; props feel like an actual meal.
Tokyo Street Night
17/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates rainy Shinjuku street photography at night, neon in wet pavement, a lone umbrella in the middle distance, and a Fujifilm X100V Blade Runner grade. Change the figure, then keep the bokeh that still looks photographed.
Street photography of rainy Tokyo Shinjuku at night, neon shop signs reflecting in wet pavement, lone figure with umbrella in middle distance, soft bokeh of distant lights, Fujifilm X100V at 23mm f/2, Blade Runner 2049 color grade, --ar 3:2 --style raw --v 6
Pro tip: Color grade references like "Blade Runner 2049 color grade" or "Wes Anderson palette" carry more signal than adjective descriptions.
Modern Architecture at Dusk
18/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates an architectural dusk photo of a minimalist concrete-and-wood house in a pine forest, with warm interiors through floor-to-ceiling glass and an infinity pool reflecting a purple sky. Change the house, then use the Iwan Baan-style frame as a reference.
Architectural photograph of modern minimalist concrete-and-wood house in pine forest at dusk, floor-to-ceiling windows revealing warm interior lighting, infinity pool reflecting purple sky, photographed by Iwan Baan, --ar 16:9 --style raw --v 6
Pro tip: Dusk is always the best architecture time. Sun has set but sky is still blue, AND interior lights are on. Both effects in one shot.
Luxury Product Photography
19/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates a photoreal luxury watch on polished black marble under one dramatic spotlight, with a subtle face reflection and natural marble veining. Replace the watch with your product, then keep the still that signals premium.
Photorealistic luxury watch on polished black marble surface, single dramatic spotlight from upper-right, subtle reflection of watch face on marble, fine natural marble veining visible, premium product photography, --ar 4:5 --style raw --v 6
Pro tip: Specify surface texture (marble veining, wood grain, fabric weave). Plain surfaces read as CGI; textured surfaces read as photographed.
Pet Portrait
20/20✨ What it does
Midjourney generates a studio portrait of a golden retriever puppy on a neutral grey backdrop, with soft light from the left, sharp catchlights, and a slight head tilt. Change the breed, then keep the 85mm frame with the liveliest eyes.
Studio portrait of a golden retriever puppy, soft natural light from left, neutral grey backdrop, sharp catchlights in eyes, slight tilt of head, 85mm lens at f/2, --ar 4:5 --style raw --v 6
Pro tip: Pet portraits use the SAME technical setup as human portraits (85mm, soft light, catchlights). Change only the subject.
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