🧭 Start Here If You’ve Never Typed a Prompt Before

Stop Wasting Time. Start Directing. Most “AI gurus” sell you what you can learn in 10 minutes. This isn’t theory. This is how I create cinematic, gothic, hyperreal portraits—and how you can too, for free. No fluff. No paywalls. Just control.

This is not a course. This is your first real conversation with AI. Forget everything you’ve heard from people selling “secret prompts.” Real control starts with understanding what each word actually does—not copying magic spells.

🎬 What is an AI prompt?

An AI prompt isn’t a request—it’s a director’s instruction.

You’re not saying: “make a beautiful woman.”

You’re saying: woman in black lace corset, red rose in ear, amber eyes glowing under full moon, cinematic rim light from left, fog in valley below, 85mm lens, shallow depth of field

→ The more precise your visual language, the less the AI “guesses.”

🔤 Why does word order matter?

AI weighs early words more heavily.

Weak: ‘cinematic, dramatic, mysterious woman in black dress’
Strong: ‘woman in black dress, standing on cliff edge, wind in hair, intense amber eyes, full moon behind, cinematic lighting, 85mm lens’

→ Subject → Environment → Lighting → Camera → Mood. That’s the hierarchy professionals use.

⚙️ What are the 5 parameters you MUST set?

--ar 9:16   // Portrait frame (like Instagram)
--v 6       // Use latest Midjourney version
--q 2       // Full render quality
--s 200     // Strong stylization (for dramatic looks)
--no blur, text  // Remove common artifacts

→ Never leave these to default. They define your result’s foundation.

🎨 Artistic Styles & Mediums

You’re not choosing “art.” You’re choosing a visual language. AI doesn’t understand beauty—it understands patterns.

📸 The Anti-Style: --style raw

This isn’t a style—it’s a reset. MidJourney’s default adds dreamy glow. --style raw says: “Render like a camera—not a painter.”

Use it for: Product shots, portraits, architecture. Avoid it for: Fantasy, surrealism, oil painting.

🛠️ 1. Medium = Your Art Supply

Pick one. Mixing confuses the AI.

  • Photographic realism – camera-level detail, skin pores
  • Oil painting – rich impasto, visible brush strokes
  • Watercolor – translucent washes, soft blooms
  • Charcoal sketch – high-contrast, smudged edges

🎭 2. Art Movements = Your Mood Code

  • Cyberpunk – neon rain, urban decay
  • Noir – monochrome, deep shadows
  • Minimalist – negative space, calm authority

Rule: One medium + one movement + one genre = clarity.

🔬 Advanced & Hidden Controls

These aren’t “hacks.” They’re the dials pros use to fine-tune reality.

⚙️ 1. Diffusion Process = Your Render Engine

  • CFG scale (6–10) – How strictly AI obeys your words
  • Steps (20–60) – Detail level
  • Sampler – Use DPM++ 2M or Euler a

🔄 2. Control Systems = Your Puppet Strings

  • ControlNet – Lock pose or composition
  • LoRA – Inject characters (use at 0.6–0.8 strength)
  • IPAdapter – Copy style from reference image

→ Don’t tweak everything. Tweak one thing at a time. Balance beats force.

👤 Practical Example: Realistic Portrait

Close-up portrait of woman in soft window light, shallow depth of field, natural skin texture, f/1.8, realistic color tones --ar 4:5 --v 6 --style raw --q 2

Photographic cues (f/1.8, window light) mimic real gear. --style raw ensures skin texture accuracy.

→ Write like you’re briefing a film crew—not begging a genie.

📋 Quick Reference Table

Adjust in this order: --ar → --q → --s → --chaos.

--ar          → Aspect ratio (9:16, 16:9)
--v           → Model version (use v6)
--q           → Quality (0.25–2)
--s           → Stylization (100–300 = balanced)
--style raw   → Disables dream filter
--no          → Exclude blur, text, extra fingers

→ Mastery is subtraction, not addition.

💡 Critical Prompting Insights

These 15 rules separate people who hope from people who direct.

  1. Prompt Hierarchy: Subject → Environment → Lighting → Camera → Mood → Technical
  2. Order Matters: Early words shape composition
  3. Use Contrast: “Soft light on rough metal” > “cinematic”
  4. Delete Fluff: Fewer words = clearer image
  5. Debug in Layers: Test one element at a time
  6. Think Like a Director: You’re briefing a crew—not typing to a bot

Final Rule: Prompting is direction — not description.