I Tested 25 Midjourney Prompt Styles - These Are the Stunning Results (Patreon)

Hi wonderful creators!

I thought it would be a fun experiment to try out 25 Midjourney prompt styles and share the results with you here so you can see the images and get some inspiration.

Full disclosure: I’m only including 10 image examples for free in this post. If you’d like to see all 25 examples, please consider joining my Patreon as a paid member.

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So what are styles, and how do they impact AI-generated images?

Styles refer to different artistic approaches, mediums, and cinematic concepts that can drastically change the way an image looks.

For example, here’s one prompt:

“portrait photo of a 35-year-old woman, long brown hair, soft features, office attire, pink button-up blouse, natural lighting”

You can see in the images below examples with the same prompt rendered in three different styles: Cinematic Film Still, Double Exposure Portrait and Painterly Oil Painting.

As you can see from the example above, simply changing the style words can dramatically alter the mood, impact, and overall feel of the AI-generated image.

It’s a simple technique that can help you improve your results or adjust an image for a specific concept, for example, switching from a cartoon look to a more cinematic one.

Understanding how styles influence AI image generation can help you achieve the type of image you want without frustration or endless prompt tweaking.

Maybe you’ve seen a really cool image or animation online and tried to generate something similar, but didn’t get the results you expected.

This is where understanding different styles becomes incredibly helpful. It gives you the creative toolkit you need to produce better images and refine your prompts.

There are many popular styles you may already recognize, even if you don’t yet know the exact terms to describe them in a prompt.

Some styles aim to make images appear natural and realistic, while others mimic the animated looks seen in films from studios like Studio Ghibli or Pixar.

By including the right styles in your AI prompts or by selecting them from options available in AI image generator apps like NightCafe, you can recreate scenes that resemble your favorite visual aesthetics.

Those images can then be transformed into GIFs for social media, visual storytelling pieces, or even short animated films.

I hope this guide helps you create better AI-generated images.

25 Visual Styles to Try in Midjourney

1. Cinematic Film Still

Looks like a frame from a movie.

cinematic film still, dramatic lighting, shallow depth of field, anamorphic lens, film grain

Example prompt: cinematic film still of a sports car on a rainy road, dramatic lighting, shallow depth of field, anamorphic lens, film grain

2. Double Exposure Photography

Layered imagery with symbolic storytelling.

double exposure portrait, silhouette filled with landscape imagery

Example prompt: double exposure portrait of a luna moth and the moon, silhouette filled with landscape imagery

3. Surreal Dreamscape

Perfect for fantasy or strange worlds.

surreal dreamscape, impossible architecture, floating objects, ethereal atmosphere

Example prompt: surreal dreamscape, impossible futuristic architecture, floating objects, ethereal atmosphere

4. Vintage National Geographic Photo

Great for nature, animals, or exploration themes.

1970s National Geographic photography, documentary style, natural lighting

Example prompt: 1970s National Geographic photography of an elephant in Africa, documentary style, natural lighting

5. Editorial Fashion Photography

Very polished and magazine-style.

editorial fashion photography, Vogue style lighting, studio backdrop

Example prompt: man dressed in a blue leather contemporary outfit, editorial fashion photography, Vogue style lighting, studio backdrop

6. Macro Nature Photography

Works beautifully for insects, plants, textures.

extreme macro photography, ultra detailed, shallow focus

Example prompt: bee's wing, extreme macro photography, detailed, shallow focus

7. Cyberpunk Neon

High contrast futuristic city vibes.

cyberpunk aesthetic, neon lights, rain soaked streets

Example prompt: cyberpunk aesthetic, beautiful couple embracing, neon lights, rain soaked streets

8. Painterly Oil Painting

Classic art texture.

oil painting, thick brushstrokes, rich texture, dramatic composition

Example prompt: oil painting of a happy corgi on a farmhouse porch, thick brushstrokes, rich texture, dramatic composition

9. Watercolor Illustration

Soft and dreamy.

watercolor illustration, soft pigment bleed, paper texture

Example prompt: children's storybook of a little boy looking at fireflies, watercolor illustration, soft pigment bleed, paper texture

10. Fantasy Concept Art

Very popular in Midjourney.

epic fantasy concept art, cinematic lighting, detailed environment

Example prompt: male warrior dragon rider, epic fantasy concept art, cinematic lighting, detailed environment

11. Minimalist Product Photography

Super clean and modern.

minimalist product photography, soft studio lighting, clean background

Example prompt: crystal perfume bottle with floral elements, minimalist product photography, soft studio lighting, clean background

12. Pinhole Camera Photography

Dreamy and slightly distorted.

pinhole camera photography, soft focus, vignetting

Example prompt: pinhole camera photography, a succulent plant on a shelf, soft focus, vignetting

13. Retro 80s Synthwave

Bright and nostalgic.

1980s synthwave aesthetic, neon grid horizon, sunset colors

Example prompt: 1980s synthwave aesthetic, a woman dressed for a music fest, neon grid horizon, sunset colors

14. Dark Fantasy

Moody and dramatic.

dark fantasy illustration, gothic atmosphere, mist and shadows

Example prompt: an opulent witch queen, dark fantasy illustration, gothic atmosphere, mist and shadows

15. Origami Paper Art

Fun and unusual.

origami paper sculpture style, folded paper textures

Example prompt: origami paper sculpture style, folded paper textures, whimsical starry night sky

16. Claymation Style

Looks like stop-motion animation.

claymation style characters, handmade clay textures

Example prompt: two cats having coffee at worn wooden table, claymation style characters, handmade clay textures

17. Cross-Processed Film (X-Pro)

Great for unique color shifts.

cross processed film photography, vibrant color shifts

Example prompt: stunning sunset on beach, cross processed film photography, vibrant color shifts

18. Computer Animated

Useful for creating Pixar style graphics

computer animated scene, polished textures, saturated colors, dramatic rim lighting

Example prompt: computer animated scene, with a caterpillar watering a little garden, polished textures, saturated colors, dramatic rim lighting

19. Studio Portrait Lighting

Professional headshot feel.

studio portrait photography, Rembrandt lighting

Example prompt: African-American woman wearing runway style workwear, studio portrait photography, Rembrandt lighting

20. Black and White High Contrast

Timeless dramatic look.

high contrast black and white photography, dramatic shadows

Example prompt: high contrast black and white photography, dramatic shadows, large male lion partially concealed by a rock,

21. Diorama Miniature Scene

Looks like tiny handcrafted worlds.

miniature diorama scene, tilt shift photography

Example prompt: miniature diorama scene, little men mining for buttons in a craft drawer, tilt shift photography

22. Art Nouveau Illustration

Elegant flowing design.

art nouveau illustration, ornate floral patterns

Example prompt: dark haired beautiful queen of hearts woman on a shimmering throne, art nouveau illustration, ornate floral patterns

23. Brutalist Architecture Photography

Bold geometry.

brutalist architecture photography, stark concrete structures

Example prompt: sci fi desert outpost, brutalist architecture photography, stark concrete structures

24. Fantasy Book Illustration

Storybook vibes.

storybook fantasy illustration, soft painterly lighting

Example prompt: storybook fantasy illustration of a young man finding a portal by his bed, soft painterly lighting

25. Documentary Street Photography

Natural human moments.

documentary street photography, candid moment, natural light

Example prompt: documentary street photography with two old men chatting on a park bench, candid moment, natural light