Signing up for the website requires a Google or Discord account. If you’ve already created images via Discord, you can use that account to retrieve a history of the images you generated in the past. You can then merge your Discord and Google accounts to be able to sign in with either one. Otherwise, signing in with a Google account is easier.

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To get started, browse to the Midjourney website and click the Sign Up link in the lower right. At the next screen, choose Discord or Google. You’re then placed at the full website.

After you sign in, a sidebar on the left displays tabs for different sections and tasks. Going to the “Explore” section lets you check out images that other people have created. You can view images by selecting different categories at the top, such as “Random,” “Hot,” “Top Day” (as well as Top Week or Top Month), and “Likes.”

You can click on an image you like to view it closer. You’ll also see the prompt that was used to generate the image. When done, click the X to return to the image gallery.

Click the Create tab on the right to view a welcome video briefly explaining how to use Midjourney. You may also be prompted to join the platform with one of the paid subscriptions.

At the “Create” screen, you can then request an image. Type your prompt in the “What will you imagine” field at the top of the page. When creating your prompt, try to include the right details to specify the description and style for the image you want. 

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Using the three-lined settings icon to the right of the prompt, you can change the size, model, aesthetics, and other options for the image. Play around with the various settings to see how they affect your image. When ready, place your cursor in the prompt field and press “Enter”.

In response, Midjourney creates four different images based on your prompt. Look at each image to see how Midjourney interpreted your description.

Hover over an image, and you’ll see options for “Vary Subtle” and “Vary Strong.” Click on either option. Midjourney will then create a new batch of similar images with subtle or strong variations based on which image you selected and which option you chose.

Your image then opens in a larger view. On the right side of the screen, there are different categories for “Creation Actions.”

With the “Vary” category, you can again vary the image in a subtle or strong way. In response, a new image is created with subtle or dramatic changes. With the “Upscale” category, you can upscale the image in a subtle or creative way. Upscaling generates a larger image that is suited for saving or printing.

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With the “More” category, you can run the same prompt again or head directly to the editor. You can also use the image, a style, or a prompt to revise it. With the “Use” category, you can use the image, style, or original prompt to generate a new image.

Click the “More options” link for additional commands for “Remix,” “Pan,” and “Zoom.”

Play with the different categories and actions. Each time you select an action, a new series of images will be generated. So don’t go too crazy here, or you’ll end up with too many images.

Midjourney has a built-in editor through which you can make even more changes to an image. Click the “Editor” button on the right. In the editing screen, you’re able to scale the image to zoom in or zoom out by moving the slider at the top. After that, you can move the image around the canvas by dragging the four-arrow icon in the middle.

Next, you can change the aspect ratio based on how you want the image to appear. For example, you can shrink the image to add more content to the left, right, top, or bottom.

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Coolest of all, however, is the ability to change parts of the image based on revisions to your prompt. For instance, you could add a new element to your image by tweaking the prompt, erasing the part of the image that you want to change, and then submitting your new prompt.

For tips on how to use the editor, check out my story on “Midjourney now lets you edit your AI-generated images. Here’s how.”

If you like the image with the changes you made and want to use it, open the image in its own window. Click the “Download Image” button on the right and select the folder to save the file. Your image is downloaded as a PNG file.

Finally, you can view and organize all the images you’ve generated. Click the “Organize” category on the left. By default, you’ll see all the images you’ve created. Right-click on a specific image to access a menu where you can like, hide, modify, copy, or save the image. 

Click the “Organize” button on the right to display a sidebar. Here, you can create folders to save your images, filter the list of images by different criteria, and play with the layout and image size.