Midjourney Prompts Cheatsheet - --ar, --v & --no

Midjourney separates its parameter channel from its prompt channel: the description decides what is depicted, while --ar, --v, --q, --chaos and --stylize decide how it is rendered, how many variations appear, and how much they differ. Many people rewrite the description when the composition is wrong, when the parameter they needed to change is aspect ratio or chaos. This sheet is grouped into basic parameters, style keywords, composition and lens, lighting and mood, negative terms with weights, and advanced techniques, where each entry describes the visual change a term produces rather than offering a bare English word. Reach for it when results are consistent but bland, which usually means --stylize is high enough that the model taste is overriding your description and lowering it beats adding words; when four variations come back nearly identical, raising --chaos is cheaper than rewriting the prompt; and when you need to reproduce and tune a specific image, fix --seed. The test for the :: weight syntax is whether you are changing one element's strength: it cannot fix a global compositional problem, only the description order can.

AI Prompts·31 commands·Last updated 2026-07-31

Typical Use Case

For creators producing posters, avatars and concept art with Midjourney. The real difficulty is translating a visual idea into keywords and parameters the model understands, so this sheet follows the order in which a prompt is written: base parameters, style, composition, lighting, negatives and weighting, then advanced techniques. Three techniques pay off fastest — pick --ar by intended use, fix --seed so you can compare one variable at a time, and use --no to remove what you do not want.

Basic Parameters (--ar/--v/--q/--n) 6

--ar 16:9

Landscape widescreen, good for scenery, banners, desktop wallpapers

--ar 9:16

Portrait, good for phone wallpapers, posters, full-body characters

--ar 1:1

Square, the default; good for avatars, icons, social media

--v 6

Use V6 model; strongest photorealism and text understanding (current main version)

--q 2

High quality mode, richer detail but slower (V6 default is already 1)

--niji 6

Anime-specific model, best for anime/manga styles

Style Keywords (photorealistic/anime/oil painting) 6

photorealistic, hyperrealistic, 8k, highly detailed

Photorealistic; pair with --v 6 for max realism

anime style, studio ghibli, cel shading

Japanese anime, Ghibli feel; you can also just use --niji

oil painting, impressionist, van gogh style

Oil/impressionist, classic art styles

cyberpunk, neon, futuristic, blade runner aesthetic

Cyberpunk, neon futurism

watercolor, soft, pastel, dreamy

Soft watercolor, dreamy pastel

3d render, octane render, cinematic lighting

3D render, cinematic lighting

Composition & Camera (close-up/wide angle/aerial) 5

close-up shot, macro, detailed texture

Close-up/macro, emphasizes detail and texture

wide angle, panoramic, landscape

Wide-angle panorama, good for large scenery

aerial view, drone shot, top-down

Aerial/top-down, god's-eye view

low angle, looking up, dramatic perspective

Low-angle upward, dramatic perspective

rule of thirds, centered composition, symmetrical

Rule of thirds / centered / symmetrical, more stable framing

Lighting & Mood (golden hour/neon/cinematic) 5

golden hour, warm sunlight, soft shadows

Golden hour, warm light with soft shadows, top choice for portraits

neon lighting, cyberpunk glow, reflective surfaces

Neon lighting, cyberpunk reflections

cinematic lighting, dramatic, volumetric, god rays

Cinematic lighting, volumetric / god rays

moody, foggy, misty, atmospheric

Hazy fog, strong atmosphere

studio lighting, softbox, even illumination

Studio lighting, softbox even light, common for product shots

Negative Prompts & Weights (--no/::) 4

--no blur, text, watermark

Exclude blur/text/watermark; --no is stable on V6

keywordA::2 keywordB::1 keywordC::0.5

Multi-weight; higher number = more weight, controls element balance

--no people, animals, buildings

Exclude specific subjects, force empty scenery/still life

detailed::2 simple::1

Weight contrast, leans toward detailed output

Advanced Tips (seed/chaos/stylize) 5

--seed 12345

Fixed random seed, reproduce the same image or do controlled tweaks

--chaos 50

Chaos 0-100; higher = more variation across the 4 images, raise when exploring

--stylize 1000

Stylize 0-1000; higher = more artistic but drifts from the prompt

--tile

Generate seamlessly tileable textures, for wallpapers/texture maps

--repeat 4

Run the same prompt 4 times, batch-generate and pick the best

Parameter matrix

Parameter	Effect	Example
`--ar`	Aspect ratio; pick 16:9 / 9:16 / 1:1 by use case	`--ar 16:9`
`--v 6`	Specify the model version; V6 has the best photorealism and text understanding	`--v 6`
`--niji`	Dedicated anime model, best for anime-style results	`--niji 6`
`--q`	Quality level; higher means more detail and longer time	`--q 2`
`--seed`	Fix the random seed for reproduction or controlled tweaks	`--seed 12345`
`--chaos`	Chaos 0-100; the higher, the more the four images differ and the more random	`--chaos 50`
`--stylize`	Stylize strength 0-1000; the higher, the more artistic	`--stylize 1000`
`--no`	Exclude elements such as watermarks and text	`--no blur, text, watermark`
`:: weight`	Adjust the weight of a keyword; higher number, higher weight	`detailed::2 simple::1`
`--repeat`	Run the same prompt multiple times to pick the best	`--repeat 4`
`--tile`	Generate a seamlessly tileable texture	`--tile`
`light keywords`	Lighting mood: golden hour / neon / cinematic	`golden hour, warm sunlight`

Common pitfalls

SymptomText in generated images is always garbled or misspelled.

CauseV6 understands text but is still unstable with complex text, or the prompt does not clearly state the text content.

FixWrite the exact text separately in quotes and add --no to exclude extra watermark elements; for complex typography, compose it with vector tools instead.

SymptomEvery generation is completely different, making fine-tuning impossible.

CauseThe random seed is not fixed, so each run is a fresh start.

FixAdd --seed to fix it, then change only the keyword you want to adjust for a controlled comparison.

SymptomThe subject is cropped or the composition does not match expectations.

CauseThe --ar ratio does not match the content.

FixPick the ratio by use case (banner 16:9, portrait poster 9:16, avatar 1:1).

SymptomThe image contains watermarks or extra text.

CauseThe model may generate signature-like textures by default.

FixExplicitly exclude with --no watermark, text, signature.

SymptomThe image looks too photorealistic and loses its illustrative feel.

CauseThe default stylize strength is high and the model leans toward photographic texture.

FixLower --stylize, or add style words like oil painting / anime style to reinforce the direction.

SymptomZooming in reveals obvious seams and repeated elements.

CauseWhen --chaos is too high the model tends to repeat the same element, or the result is a texture-type composition.

FixLower --chaos to 20-40 and explicitly write single subject / centered composition to constrain the composition.

Troubleshooting

1Fix the starting point for controlled tweaks
--seed 12345
Keep the seed unchanged and change only one keyword to see its net effect.
2Exclude unwanted elements
--no blur, text, watermark
Under V6, --no works reliably; you can also use --no people to force an empty landscape.
3Increase output diversity for inspiration
--chaos 50
The higher the chaos, the more the four candidates differ; raise it during exploration.
4Batch generate then pick the best
--repeat 4
Run the same prompt four times to get multiple variants at once.
5Generate a tileable texture
--tile
Edges align on output, ready for wallpapers or patterns.

Command Examples

A full prompt: subject, style, composition, lighting and parameters

a cat, photorealistic, close-up, golden hour --ar 16:9 --v 6

Keep the order fixed: subject first, then style, composition, lighting, and all parameters last. V6 reads natural language well, so the subject can be a full sentence such as a cat sitting on a windowsill rather than a pile of keywords. Composition and lighting words set the mood, while --ar sets the frame the image is for.

Exclusions and weights: suppress what you do not want, amplify what you do

3d render, detailed::2 simple::1 --stylize 1000 --no blur, text, watermark --q 2

The number after :: is a relative weight, so detailed::2 with simple::1 means the first is worth twice the second, not that the frame splits in two. --no is an exclusion prompt and blur, text and watermark are the three most useful entries, cutting the rate of unusable images sharply. --stylize trades fidelity to the prompt for artistic licence, and --q 2 buys detail at the cost of time.

Fix the seed and A/B one word at a time

# Baseline: fixed seed
a lighthouse at dusk, photorealistic, wide angle --ar 16:9 --v 6 --seed 12345

# Change only the lighting, keep everything else
a lighthouse at dusk, photorealistic, wide angle --ar 16:9 --v 6 --seed 12345 --no fog

# Run 4 images at once and pick the best
a lighthouse at dusk, photorealistic, wide angle --ar 16:9 --v 6 --repeat 4

# When the composition does not change, raise chaos instead of rewriting the prompt
a lighthouse at dusk, photorealistic, wide angle --ar 16:9 --v 6 --chaos 50

A seed reproduces an image only within the same model version, parameters and account session: switching --v or --niji with the same seed gives a different picture. --repeat 4 runs the same prompt four times rather than producing anything beyond the usual grid, and it spends fast-hour credit per image. Raising --chaos to 50 spreads the four results apart, which is cheaper than rewriting the prompt when the composition keeps repeating.

Anime via a dedicated model and seamless textures via --tile

# For anime style, use the dedicated anime model rather than piling anime keywords into the photoreal model
a girl holding a lantern, anime style, cel shading --niji 6 --ar 9:16

# Seamless tileable texture, for wallpapers/patterns
watercolor, soft, pastel, seamless pattern --tile --ar 1:1 --q 2

Anime goes to the dedicated --niji 6 model rather than piling anime style and studio ghibli words into the general one; the two are separate weight systems and mixing them gives inconsistent results. --tile produces a seamlessly tileable texture, which removes the need to build the tiling yourself, but also means no complete subject appears in frame, so it is the wrong tool for subject-driven requests.

Common Pitfalls

Do not use an anime model for photoreal work: on portraits, product shots and anything where the forms must be accurate, --niji 6 (or a heavily stylised prompt) produces visibly wrong hands, structure and materials. Choose the model by intended use, not by how well the prompt reads.
Pushing --stylize towards 1000 makes the model drift far from the prompt: specified colours, object counts and poses all get rewritten, and nothing in the prompt tells you why. Fix the seed and confirm the composition at a low stylize value before raising it for a batch.
--no is a negative prompt, not a hard constraint; excluded elements still appear, especially ones strongly related to the subject. Do not treat it as the only safeguard and still curate the output; if an element must be absent, also state the negative composition in the positive prompt.
Both --repeat N and --chaos multiply fast-hour credit consumption: running several parameter comparisons in parallel can exhaust the quota within half an hour, and the wait afterwards is billed per minute. Count the images before a batch run and fall back to standard mode queueing when the arithmetic does not work.
Before commercial use, check portrait and trademark exposure: prompts naming a living photographer, a specific brand or a copyrighted character can produce output very close to existing work, and the terms of service do not guarantee that outputs are copyrightable, so brand usage needs a separate legal review.

Tips

Recommended prompt structure: subject + style + composition + lighting + parameters. E.g. "a cat, photorealistic, close-up, golden hour --ar 16:9 --v 6"; put parameters last.
V6 understands natural language well; full sentences often beat keyword stuffing. But --no and :: weights remain key for precise element control.
To reproduce or tweak an image, lock it with --seed; to batch and pick, use --repeat; to explore variants, raise --chaos.
--no is stable on V6; common exclusions blur, text, watermark, deformed, extra fingers markedly cut the reject rate.

FAQ

How do I reliably reproduce the same image?

Pin the seed with --seed 12345 and keep the --v version, --ar ratio and the full prompt identical. Results then stay close. Holding the seed steady is the key when iterating in small steps: it turns "reroll" into "tweak this same starting point", otherwise every run differs too much to tell which change actually mattered.

How should I choose the --ar aspect ratio?

Choose by intended use — that is the most reliable heuristic. --ar 16:9 for landscapes, banners and desktop wallpapers; --ar 9:16 for phone wallpapers, posters and full-body portraits; --ar 1:1 is the default and suits avatars, icons and social images. A wrong ratio either crops the subject or leaves large dead areas.

How do :: weights and --no work together?

:: raises or lowers the weight of a term — larger numbers mean more influence, so detailed::2 simple::1 biases toward more detail. --no excludes what you do not want, and --no blur, text, watermark is the common V6 combo that behaves predictably. Use them in sequence: push the desired features up with ::, then suppress distractors with --no.

How should I tune --stylize and --chaos?

--stylize controls artistic interpretation from 0 to 1000 — higher is more stylized but drifts further from your prompt. --chaos from 0 to 100 controls how much the four images differ from each other. Raise chaos while exploring for variety and surprise; lower both stylize and chaos when you need controlled, prompt-faithful output.

How do I generate in bulk and pick the best?

Use --repeat 4 to run the same prompt four times and choose the best result. Pinning --seed alongside it turns each variation into a tweak of one baseline, which is what you want for controlled comparison. For seamless textures or wallpapers use --tile, which aligns edges for direct tiling.

Official References

Each command links to its official documentation below, so you can verify the latest usage and read deeper.

Midjourney Docs

Maintained by LaoHand

Publicly updated on Jul 31, 2026, continuously proofread against official docs.

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