If you're curious about creating images with AI and have heard of Midjourney, you're not alone. It's one of those tools that surprises you the first time you try it. You type in a description, and a minute later, you get artwork that feels like it came from a real artist. But while the result looks easy, using Midjourney takes a few steps—and knowing them makes a difference in what you get out of it.

Whether you want surreal illustrations, product mockups, or just want to bring your imagination to life, here's a step-by-step walkthrough on how to use Midjourney AI.

How to Use Midjourney AI?

Join the Midjourney Discord

Midjourney works inside Discord. You won’t find a standalone app or website where you can just type and go. So, the first thing you need is a Discord account. If you don’t have one, sign up at discord.com, which takes just a couple of minutes.

Once you're in Discord, visit the official Midjourney website and click “Join the Beta.” This will send you straight to their Discord server.

Expect the server to be a little chaotic at first glance. Dozens of people typing prompts, images being generated every few seconds, and various channels on the sidebar. But don’t worry—you don’t need to explore everything.

What you’re looking for are the “newbie” rooms. These are where new users type prompts and see what others are creating. Scroll a bit, and you'll start seeing how the prompts work.

Subscribe to a Plan

Midjourney isn’t free anymore. They offer a few subscription tiers, and you'll need to pick one before you can use the image generator.

Here’s how to do it:

• In the Discord server, type /subscribe to any text channel.
• A link will appear—click on it, and it’ll take you to the Midjourney subscription page.
• Choose a plan that suits your usage. The Basic Plan gives you a limited number of image generations per month. The Standard and Pro plans offer more generations and extra features like private image creation or faster rendering.

Once your subscription is active, you’re ready to start generating images.

Generate Your First Image

Now comes the fun part.

In one of the “newbie” channels, you’ll use a prompt to tell Midjourney what kind of image you want. To do that, type the command:

/imagine prompt: [your description here]

For example:

/imagine prompt: a cozy cabin in the woods, warm lighting, surrounded by pine trees, snow falling, twilight

After you hit enter, the bot will start processing your request. In about a minute, it’ll return four variations based on your prompt. You’ll see buttons labeled “U1,” “U2,” “U3,” and “U4” (for upscaling one of the four images) and “V1,” “V2,” “V3,” and “V4” (to make variations of a specific image).

Click “V3,” and it will create four new images that resemble the third one, with some differences.

Improve and Adjust Your Prompts

Once you try it a few times, you’ll notice something: the more specific your prompt, the better your results.

Instead of saying:

/imagine prompt: a car

Try:

/imagine prompt: a vintage red convertible parked on a desert road, clear blue sky, sunset lighting, cinematic style

You can also influence the style and feel of the image by adding references. Words like:

• realistic
• cinematic
• isometric
• concept art
• watercolor
• line drawing

These help guide the AI toward a certain look.

And if you want to keep things consistent across multiple images, you can use parameters like --seed followed by a number. This tells the bot to use the same "starting point," giving you similar compositions.

Use Parameters for More Control

Midjourney gives you more than just prompts—it offers parameters that let you control how the image is generated. These are typed at the end of the prompt.

Here are a few helpful ones:

• --v 6 → Uses the latest version of Midjourney's model (version 6 is current).
• --ar 16:9 → Sets the aspect ratio to widescreen. You can use other ratios, such as 4:5 or 1:1.
• --style raw → Gives you more literal interpretations, less “artistic” style.
• --q 2 → Quality setting (higher values = better quality but slower processing).
• --chaos 30 → Adds randomness; the higher the number, the more surprising the results.

Example:

/imagine prompt: futuristic cityscape, glowing neon signs, flying cars, night time --ar 16:9 --v 6 --style raw --chaos 40

Once you’re familiar with these, you can shape the output more precisely. It’s all about testing and adjusting.

Save and Use Your Images

After you've created an image you like, saving it is simple.

Click on the image to open it fully in Discord. Then, right-click and choose “Save Image As.” That’s it.

You can use these images for personal inspiration, concept work, social media, or creative projects. Keep in mind Midjourney’s usage terms, especially if you plan to use them commercially. Their rules depend on the subscription tier and whether you are using it as an individual or for a company.

Create in Direct Messages or Your Own Server (Optional)

Once you’re more comfortable and want a cleaner space to work in—away from the busy newbie channels—you can invite the Midjourney Bot to your own Discord server or use it in direct messages.

Here’s how:

• Create your own Discord server (click the plus sign on the sidebar).
• Go to the Midjourney server, click on the Midjourney Bot’s profile, and select “Add to Server.”
• Choose your server and authorize it.

Now, you can use /imagine commands in peace, with only your prompts and results visible.

If you want to keep things even more private, you can use the bot in a direct message chat.

Final Thoughts

Midjourney can look overwhelming when you first see it in action, but it's actually straightforward once you understand where to go and what to type. The tool rewards creativity and experimentation. A simple change in wording can take an image from average to amazing. So, if you enjoy shaping visuals with just a sentence, Midjourney might become your favorite part of Discord.