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How to Use Midjourney: A Beginner’s Guide from the 2024 Workflow to V8.1

Start with a concise prompt on Midjourney’s Create page, compare the results, and refine them with variations, references, or the Editor. V8.1 Draft mode is a web-based prototyping option, but Midjourney’s version guide says V8.2 is now the default.

By ThatPainter Team 6 min read
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To make your first Midjourney image, subscribe, open the website’s Create page, describe the image in the Imagine bar, and submit your prompt. Midjourney generates a set of image options; compare them with your goal, adjust the prompt or use variations, and refine a selected result in the Editor when you need a specific change.

The title refers to V8.1, but Midjourney’s version guide says V8.2 became the default on July 24, 2026. The durable workflow is to describe, generate, compare, and iterate; check the model selector and current documentation for version-specific controls.

Start on the website or use Discord

For a first image, open Midjourney’s website and go to the Create page. Type an idea into the Imagine bar and press Enter or the send button. Midjourney’s getting-started guide describes a set of four images appearing as the generation completes.

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Discord is another documented entry point: use /imagine, enter a prompt, and submit it. Both routes let you create images, but this guide follows the website workflow so the steps stay consistent. V8.1 Draft mode is documented for the website, not Discord.

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Workflow How to start Useful distinction
Website Open Create, enter a prompt in Imagine, and submit. Includes the documented web workflow for references, prompt reuse, and Editor tools.
Discord Use /imagine, enter a prompt, and submit. A command-based route; V8.1 Draft mode is not available there.

Write a clear first prompt

Midjourney’s official Prompt Basics documentation says, “Short and simple prompts typically generate the best images with Midjourney.” Describe what should be visible and add useful details such as medium or style, setting, lighting, color, mood, and composition. A long list of instructions is not required.

A flexible prompt structure is:

Subject + medium or style + setting + lighting or color + framing

For example: a red fox in a snowy pine forest, watercolor illustration, soft blue twilight, wide composition.

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This is a starting point, not mandatory syntax. Add details that clarify the image you want, then submit the prompt in the Imagine bar.

Compare the first batch and iterate

  1. Check the main goal. Compare the options for subject, composition, mood, color, and whether the important details appear.
  2. Choose the strongest starting point. Decide which result is closest to the image you want, even if it needs refinement.
  3. Change a small number of prompt details. Adjust wording such as lighting, setting, or framing, then rerun or use a variation action.
  4. Use variations or Remix for broader exploration. These options create further interpretations; they do not promise an exact result.
  5. Open the Editor for a targeted repair. Use its tools when you want to change a region, extend the scene, or adjust the image more directly.

The advice to change only a few details at a time is a practical way to understand how your prompt affects results, not a required Midjourney rule.

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Use V8.1 Draft mode to explore

Midjourney documents Draft mode for V8.1 and V8.2 as a lower-resolution prototyping path. It is a web feature, so use the website rather than Discord to follow this workflow. Draft results can help you explore ideas before using Vary or Remix to regenerate a selected image at higher resolution according to the available settings.

Draft specification Midjourney-published detail
Images per prompt 24
Draft image size 512 × 512 pixels
GPU time per prompt 0.4 minutes

These are feature specifications from Midjourney’s official Draft & Conversational Modes documentation, accessed in 2026, not independent performance findings. Check the model selector and current documentation because version behavior and controls can change.

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Add a reference image when it solves a problem

Use a reference when text alone does not give enough guidance. An image prompt guides a new image using visual content; a Style Reference guides its look; the Edit Model reference workflow supports editing or maintaining a character or object, according to Midjourney’s web guide. References inspire new creations rather than copy their source exactly.

Option What it guides Use it when
Image prompt Visual content for a new creation You want the new image guided by a reference’s visual information.
Style Reference The look or aesthetic You want to guide the style rather than make the reference subject the focus.
Edit Model reference Editing or character/object consistency in supported workflows You want to edit an image or guide continuity for a subject.

For V8.1, Midjourney’s image-prompt documentation lists a default image weight of 1 and a range of 0–3. Adjust image weight when you need more or less reference influence, and verify the selected model because parameter ranges can differ by version. The documented maximum image upload size on the web is 10 MB, according to Midjourney’s Creating on Web documentation accessed in 2026.

Make a specific change in the Editor

Use the Editor when a selected image needs more than another broad variation. Midjourney documents tools including Remix, Vary Region, Pan, Zoom Out, resizing, erase and restore brushes, layers, and downloads. For example, select or mask an area that needs changing, describe the desired change, and submit the edit. Midjourney’s walkthrough says edits produce four results in the results panel.

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Which actions appear can depend on the workflow and model. Consult Midjourney’s current Editor documentation if the controls differ from those described here.

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What changed since the 2024 framing?

This title preserves the historical 2024 framing, but the sources reviewed for this guide do not reconstruct every detail of the 2024 interface. The basic cycle—describe an image, generate options, and iterate—remains useful, while model defaults, controls, platform availability, GPU costs, and Editor features can change.

Midjourney’s version guide says V7 released April 3, 2025 and became the default on June 17, 2025, remaining so through June 9, 2026. V8.1 followed in April 2026 and was the default from June 10 through July 23, 2026. V8.2 became the default on July 24, 2026. As a result, V8.1 is not the current default according to the documentation accessed for this guide. Check the model selector and official version guide before relying on version-specific instructions.

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Quick-start checklist

  1. Subscribe and open Midjourney’s website Create page.
  2. Enter a short, concrete idea in the Imagine bar and submit it.
  3. Compare the generated options against your intended subject, mood, and composition.
  4. Adjust the wording or use variations to explore promising results.
  5. For V8.1 Draft mode, use the website and treat the low-resolution batch as a prototype.
  6. Add an image prompt, Style Reference, or Edit Model reference only when it helps solve a clear problem.
  7. Use the Editor for a targeted change to a selected image.
  8. Check the model selector and current official documentation for version-specific features.

FAQ

How do I make my first image in Midjourney?

Subscribe, open the Create page, type an idea in the Imagine bar, and submit it. Midjourney’s getting-started guide describes a set of four images appearing as the generation completes.

What should I type in a Midjourney prompt?

Describe the subject clearly, then add useful details such as style, setting, lighting, color, mood, or framing. Midjourney’s official Prompt Basics documentation recommends short, simple prompts.

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Do I need Discord to use Midjourney?

No. Midjourney documents both the website Create workflow and a Discord workflow using /imagine. Use the website for V8.1 Draft mode, which is documented as unavailable in Discord.

How do I make Midjourney follow a reference image?

Add it as an image prompt to guide visual content, use a Style Reference to guide the look, or use the Edit Model reference workflow for supported editing or character/object consistency. References influence new results; they do not guarantee an exact copy.

What does Draft mode do in V8.1?

Midjourney documents Draft as a lower-resolution prototyping mode for the website. Its published V8.1 specifications are 24 images at 512 × 512 pixels for 0.4 GPU minutes per prompt. You can use Vary or Remix to regenerate selected draft images at higher resolution according to available settings.

How do I edit or fix part of a Midjourney image?

Open the image in the Editor and use tools such as Vary Region, erase and restore, or Remix to make a targeted change. Describe the desired edit and submit it; consult the current Editor documentation for the controls available in your workflow.

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Is V8.1 still the default?

No. Midjourney’s version guide says V8.2 became the default on July 24, 2026. V8.1 was the default from June 10 through July 23, 2026, so check the model selector for the current option.

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