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HOMETHE CRAFTCHEAT SHEETSMIDJOURNEY V8.2
CHEAT SHEET · MIDJOURNEY · TEXT-TO-IMAGE

Midjourney Prompting Cheat Sheet

How --no really works — a weight, not a ban — and what Midjourney's own documentation says about it.

READ4 min
WORDS629
SECTIONS5
SOURCES2
TYPECHEAT SHEET
CHECKED16 SEP 26

Midjourney documents --no directly. This sheet quotes that documentation, and drops two claims this page used to make without a source.

TL;DR — THE SHORT VERSION
  • V8.2 is the default model. Midjourney: “V8.2 released as the default version on July 24, 2026.”
  • --no is how you exclude things. Add it “to the end of your prompt”, followed by what you do not want.
  • List several items with commas. Midjourney: “You can even list multiple elements by separating them with commas.”
  • It is a weight, not a ban. Midjourney says --no “is the same as weighing part of a multi-prompt to "-0.5"”.
  • Do not write "please don't add fruit" in the prompt. Midjourney lists that style as a bad example and uses --no fruit instead.
VENDOR-DOCUMENTED

Every rule on this sheet is quoted from the vendor's own published documentation, linked where it is used.

The formula

[what you want, described] --no [thing, thing, thing]

Midjourney, No parameter, read in a browser 16 Sep 2026: “Add --no to the end of your prompt in the Imagine bar, followed by the thing or list of things you don't want in your image.”

Template:

[subject] [action] [setting] [lighting] [style] --ar [ratio] --no [thing, thing, thing]

Worked example:

A ceramicist centring clay, north window light, documentary photography, muted palette --ar 3:2 --no text, watermark

Breakdown — what each part does

01

Prompt body

Describe what you do want. This is the part that steers the image.

02

Parameters

Settings such as aspect ratio (--ar) and version (--v) go after the description. Midjourney: “Add --v # to the end of your prompt in the Imagine bar.”

03

--no

Midjourney: “The --no parameter is a tool you can use to tell Midjourney what you don't want in your image.” Separate several items with commas.

Does it take a negative prompt?

Yes — the --no parameter.YES

Midjourney, No parameter, read in a browser 16 Sep 2026 (the page refuses automated fetches): “Using the --no parameter is the same as weighing part of a multi-prompt to "-0.5"”.

Because it works as a negative weight, treat --no as a strong push away rather than a guarantee. If something must not appear, also describe a scene that leaves no room for it.

KEEPING SOMETHING OUT · WEAKEST TO STRONGEST
--no is a weight, not a ban. When something must not appear, describe a scene with no room for it as well.
A POLITE SENTENCEMidjourney’s own bad example: “still life gouache painting, please don't add fruit!”
--NOA push away, equal to a -0.5 weight.
--NO PLUS DESCRIPTIONThe push, and a described scene that leaves no room for the thing.
Midjourney, No parameter, read in a browser 16 Sep 2026 (the page refuses automated fetches): “Using the --no parameter is the same as weighing part of a multi-prompt to "-0.5"”. The ordering is this sheet’s advice, not Midjourney’s.
TAKEAWAY

--no lowers the odds of something appearing. It does not promise it will not appear.

What not to do

Do not treat --no as a hard ban. Midjourney equates it to a -0.5 weight.
Do not write exclusions as polite sentences in the prompt. Midjourney's own bad example is “still life gouache painting, please don't add fruit!”
Do not run several exclusions together. Separate each one with a comma.
Do not reuse an old prompt without checking the default version. V8.1 “was the default version from June 10 to July 23, 2026”.
WHAT CHANGED ON 16 SEP 2026

An earlier version of this sheet was labelled secondary sourcing and said Midjourney's documentation could not be retrieved. It can: every quote above comes from docs.midjourney.com. Two claims that had no source were removed — that a second --no does not stack, and that each word after --no is read as a separate exclusion.

Free or paid? What the free plan allows, who owns the output, and when you need to pay: free vs paid AI image, video and music tools.

Where this model sits among the others: which models take a negative prompt, and what each vendor publishes as its formula.

Why a photoreal prompt still looks like an advert is on why AI output looks fake.

The checklist

Before you send it:

1 — Description says what you want?
2 — Exclusions after --no, separated by commas?
3 — Expecting a push away, not a ban?
4 — Checked the default version before reusing an old prompt?
SOURCES

Midjourney, No parameter · Midjourney, Version All read at source on 16 Sep 2026.

Model versions and vendor documentation both move. Re-read the source before relying on a specific number.

Every other sheet in this set: all model cheat sheets.

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