👉 How to Prompt Like a Pro: Adjectives That Actually Matter for AI Images (Patreon)

Stop over prompting: how the right adjectives unlock better Midjourney images

Hi there, wonderful creators! I hope you’re having a great week so far ✨

Since so many people are interested in creating AI-generated images with Midjourney, I thought it would be helpful to start a short series of pro tips focused on prompting more effectively and getting better results with less frustration.

You may have already seen the first article in this series, where I talked about how to prompt like a pro by using fewer words, you can find it here. That post really resonated with a lot of creators, so I'm continuing the series with another topic that makes a huge difference in your results:

Adjectives that actually matter for AI images.

Why Adjectives Matter (And What They Actually Are)

Before we jump in, let’s level-set for a moment.

An adjective is a word (or short phrase) that describes an attribute of something.
Think: yellow dress, energetic dog, weathered wood, soft lighting, towering tree.

Simple, right?

Now here’s where things get interesting for AI image generation.

When you create AI images, you’re essentially becoming a visual artist, but instead of using paint, brushes, or pencils, you’re using words to guide composition, texture, color, and mood.

And just like traditional art, the tools you choose matter.

Think Like an Artist

When I was in art school, one of my favorite tools was a blending stump a tightly rolled piece of paper used with charcoal or colored pencils. Softer pencils laid down richer pigment and blended easily, while harder pencils gave crisp, sharp lines. Each tool had a specific purpose.

Prompting works the same way.

Adjectives are your pencils, brushes, and textures.
And just like in traditional art, you don’t want to throw everything onto the canvas.

If you grab oil paints, colored pencils, charcoal, markers, and pastels all at once and hope for the best… well, you’re probably getting chaos.

The same thing happens when you overload AI prompts.

Be Selective With Your Words

One of the most common mistakes I see is trying to use too many descriptive words, or leaning too heavily into vague, abstract language.

Instead, I recommend treating adjectives like precision tools.

I often refer to them as keywords, almost like the keys you need to unlock a specific visual outcome. I focus on words that are:

• Clear

• Direct

• Visually grounded

I avoid being overly abstract or obtuse unless I’m intentionally experimenting.

Yes, there are times when you’ll want more detail, like when designing a specific character (eye color, hair texture, facial features, age, clothing, etc.). In those cases, more adjectives make sense.

But in most situations? You don’t need to write a novel.

Remember You’re Talking to an Image Generator, Not a Chatbot

Another thing to keep in mind: Midjourney (and most image generators) are not conversational.

ChatGPT has trained us to speak casually to AI—“Hey, can you make me a picture of…”—but that tone doesn’t translate well to image generation.

Midjourney doesn’t need politeness or filler words.
It needs visual instructions.

Skip the “hi,” skip the explanations, and guide it using strong, descriptive language instead.

The Best Adjectives to Use (Especially If You’re New)

If you’re just getting started or if you’re trying to achieve a specific visual effect, focus on tactile, concrete adjectives.

These include:

• Colors

• Textures

• Materials

• Lighting styles

• Design aesthetics

• Physical attributes

These are things the AI can easily recognize because they’re well represented in existing images across the internet.

Abstract ideas like dreamy, emotional, nostalgic, or ethereal can work, but they’re less predictable. I usually recommend experimenting with those after you’ve nailed the basics.

Want a Shortcut?

I’ve put together a curated list of effective adjectives organized by image type to help take the guesswork out of prompting, available for my paid Patreon members on that bottom of this article! Think of it as a cheat sheet you can reference when building prompts quickly and intentionally.

If you want deeper dives, prompt formulas, and more advanced techniques, I share those with my paid subscribers, along with behind-the-scenes experiments and practical breakdowns of what actually works in Midjourney.

Prompting doesn’t have to feel overwhelming.
Once you start thinking like an artist and choosing your words with intention, you’ll see your images improve fast.

And honestly? It’s kind of magical when it clicks. 🎨✨

Pro Tip: How to Combine Adjectives Without Overloading

Stick to 3–6 strong adjectives per prompt.
Mix categories, but don’t stack synonyms.

Example (Cinematic Portrait):

dramatic lighting, shallow depth of field, intense gaze, cinematic color grading, film grain

Not:

dramatic, cinematic, epic, emotional, intense, powerful, beautiful, stunning, unreal, insane

(That second one is how prompts cry for help.)

Example of customizing this prompt: dramatic lighting portrait of a woman with short black hair in the rain, shallow depth of field, intense gaze, cinematic color grading, film grain

Bonuses for Patreon paid members only:

Your Go To Prompt Formula: Subject + Style + Lighting + Texture/Detail + Mood