Midjourney Parameters Cheat Sheet (2026)
Midjourney parameters are the flags appended after your prompt text — --ar,
--stylize, --no and friends — and they control framing, artistic
liberty, and exclusions more reliably than any wording change. This cheat sheet covers every
parameter we use across the 74 tested Midjourney prompts
in our library, with the values that actually get used (median --stylize in our
corpus: 200) rather than theoretical ranges. Behavior described as
of Midjourney v7, mid-2026 — the model evolves, so treat edge-case behavior as
verify-before-relying.
The parameters that matter
| Parameter | What it controls | Range / values | Our tested guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
--ar W:H | Aspect ratio of the frame | any W:H (1:1 default) | 1:1 icons/avatars · 16:9 wallpapers/thumbnails · 2:3 prints/pins · 21:9 ultrawide. Full mapping in the aspect-ratio guide. |
--stylize N (--s) | Artistic liberty beyond your words | 0–1000 (100 default) | 50–100 for logos, flat design, icons (31% of our stylize-declared prompts sit ≤100) · 200–250 general scenes · 400+ painterly fantasy/watercolor. |
--no a, b, c | Exclusions (Midjourney's negative prompt) | comma-separated terms | The workhorse: --no text, watermark on almost everything; --no photorealism, gradient, 3d keeps vector looks flat. 72% of our MJ prompts carry a --no chain. |
--niji 6 | Anime-tuned model variant | flag (or model toggle) | The default for anime work — cleaner lineart and cel shading than base v7; our anime entries note when it's required. |
--seed N | Reproducibility of the starting noise | 0–4294967295 | Fix it when building matching sets (avatars, print series) so single-variable tweaks stay comparable; same discipline our beginner guide teaches. |
--chaos N (--c) | Variety across the 4-image grid | 0–100 (0 default) | Raise to 20–40 when exploring directions; keep 0 when you're refining a locked composition. We publish final prompts without chaos so results reproduce. |
--weird N (--w) | Offbeat/unconventional aesthetics | 0–3000 (0 default) | Occasional spice for cyberpunk and surreal work; stacks with stylize — change one at a time. |
--tile | Seamless repeating pattern | flag | Purpose-built for sticker sheets' backgrounds and fabric/wrap patterns for print sellers. |
Stylize, demonstrated with tested prompts
The dial is easier to feel than to describe — these are real entries from the library at three levels, each with its full settings, example image and variations one click away:
Plant Care App Icon
Midjourney
Fox and Lantern Night Walk
Midjourney
Dragon Coiled Around Mountain Keep
MidjourneyCopy-ready parameter recipes
| Job | Append this |
|---|---|
| Logo / flat vector mark | --no photorealism, gradient, 3d, text --ar 1:1 --stylize 75 |
| Desktop wallpaper | --ar 16:9 --stylize 250 |
| Phone wallpaper (calm top third) | --ar 9:16 --stylize 200 |
| Print / Pinterest pin | --ar 2:3 --stylize 200 --no text, watermark |
| Anime scene | --niji 6 --ar 16:9 --stylize 180 |
| YouTube thumbnail background | --ar 16:9 --stylize 200 --no text, watermark |
| Exploration mode | --chaos 30 --stylize 400 |
The mistakes parameters won't fix
Parameters shape output; they don't rescue a weak prompt. Stacking --stylize 800
on a vague subject gets you a beautiful image of the wrong thing. Contradicting your own
flags — "minimalist logo" at stylize 600 — makes Midjourney pick a side, and you won't
control which. And re-rolling the same prompt five times is slower than changing one
parameter deliberately: our whole library
exists because single-variable testing beats slot-machine prompting. Want the assembled
version of this page? The free prompt builder
writes the flag chain for you.
Which Midjourney parameters should beginners learn first?
Three: --ar for the frame, --stylize for artistic liberty, and
--no for exclusions. They cover ~90% of everyday control — every other flag is
situational. Across our 74 tested prompts, those three account for nearly every
parameter appearance, with the median stylize at 200 and a third of prompts kept at
≤100 for geometry-critical work.
Frequently asked questions
- What does --stylize do in Midjourney, and what value should I use?
- --stylize (--s) controls how much artistic liberty Midjourney takes beyond your words, on a 0–1000 scale with 100 as the default. Keep it 50–100 for logos, icons and flat vector work where geometry has to stay clean — 31% of our stylize-declared prompts sit at or below 100 — use 200–250 for general scenes, and 400+ for painterly fantasy or watercolor. The median across our corpus is 200.
- How do I exclude unwanted things from a Midjourney image?
- Use --no, Midjourney's negative-prompt flag: list comma-separated terms you want gone, such as --no text, watermark. It is the workhorse parameter — 72% of our tested Midjourney prompts carry a --no chain. For flat vector looks, --no photorealism, gradient, 3d stops results drifting into rendered depth. It removes elements far more reliably than writing "without a watermark" into the prompt text itself.
- Which three Midjourney parameters should a beginner learn first?
- Learn --ar for the frame, --stylize for artistic liberty, and --no for exclusions. These three cover roughly 90% of everyday control; every other flag (--chaos, --weird, --seed, --niji, --tile) is situational. Across our 74 tested Midjourney prompts they account for nearly every parameter appearance, with the median stylize at 200. Get comfortable with these before touching chaos or weird.