Midjourney Prompt Weight Mastery: A Guide to Advanced Prompt Crafting
The field of AI-generated art is becoming more and more advanced. Cutting-edge tools and techniques open the floodgates for a never before seen wave of creative expression. However, to truly push the boundaries of AI art generation, you’ll need to master advanced prompt weight techniques.
This article will explore advanced techniques for using Midjourney’s prompt weight system to create custom, highly detailed AI art. We’ll cover the basics of prompt weights and how you can use them to improve your Midjourney experience. Whether you’re interested in creating photorealistic images, surreal landscapes, or abstract compositions, this guide will provide the tools you’ll need to take control of your creative canvas using Midjourney’s prompt weight system.
Introduction to using prompt weights in Midjourney
Prompt weights in MidJourney allow you to assign different levels of importance to various elements of your prompt. The advantages of using prompt weights to refine the prompts you build include the following:
- Improved accuracy
- Increased efficiency
- Better control over output
Midjourney prompt weights are defined by a double colon–(“::”), followed by a number–(“::2”). The number displayed after the double colon tells Midjourney how much influence the prompt element should have over the generated image.
Let’s look at the following prompt as an example.
a realistic photo, human colony on alien world, lush vegetation, sunny
We have four main elements that make up this prompt. [ art medium — a realistic photo ], [ main objects — human colony on alien world ], [ detailing — lush vegetation ], and [ lighting — sunny ]
By default, each element has a default weight of 1, and each has “roughly” the same amount of influence on the generated image. I say “roughly” the same amount because the order of the elements in your prompt makes a difference. The elements placed at the start of a prompt will have a more significant effect on the result than those placed at the end.
Here are some sample image outputs from our example prompt without any weights added.
How to use prompt weights effectively in Midjourney
Now let’s look at examples of image outputs with weights added to emphasize (or de-emphasize) some aspects of our prompt more than others.
a realistic photo, human colony on alien world, lush vegetation::2 sunny
In our first example, the detailing element ( “lush vegetation” ) has a weight of 2, giving it twice as much emphasis as the other prompt elements.
It’s easy to see the difference between our unweighted examples and those with greater importance placed on the “lush vegetation” part of the prompt. Here we see the vegetation receive more focus in the resulting imagery.
a realistic photo, human colony on alien world::0.5 lush vegetation::2 sunny
In our second example, the main object element ( “human colony on alien world” ) now has a weight of 0.5. This weight assignment gives the “lush vegetation” element of our prompt 4 times the importance of our main objects ( “human colony on alien world” ) in the overall image result generated by Midjourney. In this example, we can now see the vegetation dominating our generated output. So much so that only very subtle signs, if any, of our “human colony” prompt element remain visible.
This image output is an excellent example of how prompt weights in Midjourney function relative to each other. A weight of 0.5 compared to a weight of 2 impacts the resulting imagery in the same way a weight of 1 compared to a weight of 4–a similar relative scale provides a similar relative result.
This relative scaling to prompt weights also means that once the relative weights scale past the range of 1 to 6 or 1 to 8, you’ll notice a less and less meaningful impact on your image output. So, you’re unlikely to find a use for prompt weights of more than 10 for Midjourney version 5.
Including negative prompt weights in your prompt builds
Next, let’s look at adding negative weights to a few example prompts. Negative prompt weights are a great way to improve image generation by eliminating unwanted features or objects–helping refine the focus or theme of your images. They can range from “:: -0.1” to “:: -1, a powerful effect on the resulting image generation. Midjourney also offers a convenient “ — no” command flag for assigning a negative weight of “:: -0.5”.
Here are some example image outputs from our starting sample prompt with a combination of negative and standard positive prompt weights included.
a realistic photo, human colony on alien world::2 lush vegetation::-.05 sunny
These example images do a great job of showcasing the power of negative weights in your prompt building. We now see our lush greenery completely absent from the resulting imagery. Without using large-scale weights in our prompt building, we can easily transform our once lush green paradise into a barren alien landscape.
Crafting prompts using a combination of positive and negative weights to add the desired emphasis to different elements provides a great deal of added control of your image generation process.
Tips for using prompt weight for crafting precise prompts that produce desired results
Here are a few tips for a prompt-building approach to help you add more control and direction over your generated Midjourney imagery.
- It’s always a good idea to start crafting your prompts with a simple yet clear description of the finished image or concept you want to create.
- Split up your prompt into key components so you can assign weights accordingly.
- Some best practices for using prompt weights include:
- Highlight essential prompt elements and add impact to them with higher prompt weights and priority placement in the overall prompt.
- Use negative prompt weights to remove unhelpful prompt elements
- Continue to experiment and adjust your prompt weights for the better results
I’d suggest a simple 4 part prompt build you can experiment with and more complexity and detail bit by bit.
Feel free to use the 4-part build from our alien colony examples as a good starting point for your prompt build experiments.
[ art medium ], [ main objects ], [ detailing ], [ lighting ]
More advanced example prompts and image output
It’s worth noting that Midjourney version 5 is more opinionated than previous versions. This “opinionated” labeling simply means you’ll be able to generate better results with less detailed prompts because Midjourney will often add a little secret sauce to the mix for you.
However, if you’d like more control while still using the latest version of Midjourney, you can have your cake and eat it too. Using the command “ — style raw” in your version 5 prompts will let Midjourney know you want less secret sauce and more of what you add to the prompt-building mix.
Here are a few interesting image examples I generated from a more complex prompt based on our original 4-part prompt build.
a realistic photo, human colony on alien world::3 lush vegetation, cinematic lighting, wide angle view, hyper detailed, insanely detailed, shot on agfa vista 200, style of unsplash and National Geographic — no people person humans — style raw
I included the “ — style raw” command in these example prompts as I added more detail and elements to the build. Be sure to experiment with the amount of prompt complexity and influence from Midjourney you include in your prompts and see what results you prefer most.
Mastering prompt weights in Midjourney can unleash a world of potential possibilities in your AI art generation. In this in-depth guide, we’ve covered the basics of using the Midjourney’s prompt weight system, from understanding how weights influence the generated images to applying advanced techniques such as negative weights and using the “ — style raw” command. We’ve also demonstrated the striking effects of these techniques through examples, showcasing the dramatic differences that varying weight values can produce in image outcomes.
As you forge ahead in your AI art creation journey, remember the key takeaways from this guide. Start by crafting clear, component-like elements for your prompts. Experiment with positive and negative weights to highlight important aspects and downplay or eliminate others. The path to mastery will involve a lot of experimentation, so feel free to play around with different prompt combinations and weight scales.
And while Midjourney Version 5 may add its touch of ‘secret sauce’ to the imagery you generate together, remember that you can steer its direction. With the right combination of creativity, understanding, and command over prompt weights, your imagination is the only limit to what you can achieve. So go forth and explore this fascinating frontier of AI-generated art. The canvas is yours to command, and Midjourney is your brush.
