Midjourney tutorial: setup, strengths, costs, mistakes, prompts
One lesson in tabs. Facts come from the official page; where it blocked us, we say so.
Setup
Subscribe
Plans auto-renew: Basic $10, Standard $30, Pro $60, Mega $120/month, 20% off annual (Midjourney docs).
Privacy
Images are public unless you use Stealth Mode, which is only on Pro and Mega.
Good & bad at
Good at
- Stylized art, moodboards, concept images
- Fast variations of one idea
Careful with
- Exact text in images and exact logos
- Real people and trademarks
- Commercial-use rules: check the plan terms for your company size
Cost control
What costs
Fast GPU time; extra fast time is $4/hr (Midjourney). Upscales and many variations use more.
Cheaper habits
- Test prompts at low settings, upscale only the winner
- Reuse a style reference instead of re-rolling
Common mistakes
Forgetting it auto-renews
Cancel before the renewal date if you're done.
Prompt examples
Product shot
Bad: "cool coffee picture"
Good: "overhead photo of a white ceramic coffee cup on a concrete counter, morning window light, shallow depth of field, minimal, muted earth tones"
Why: subject, surface, light, lens and palette.
Official facts
Midjourney's plans are subscriptions that auto-renew: Basic $10, Standard $30, Pro $60, Mega $120 per month, with 20% off if you pay annually. Extra fast GPU time costs $4/hr. Stealth Mode, which keeps your images private, is only on Pro and Mega. Companies making over $1M a year in gross revenue need Pro or Mega.
Steps: 1) Subscribe. 2) Describe the image: the subject, style and lighting. 3) Make variations of the one you like best.
Source: https://docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/27870484040333-Comparing-Midjourney-Plans. Checked Oct 28, 2026 against the official pages linked here. Plans change, so confirm on the official page before you pay.