2.7 – The Prompt Settings Bar Part 1 Image Format Lesson

Lesson Overview

Image format plays a key role in how your final work appears, whether for social media, presentations, or creative portfolios. Until recently, Midjourney required users to add specific parameters at the end of each prompt to change settings like aspect ratio or model type. Now, the Prompt Settings Bar groups the most common options in one place for easier access.

This lesson covers how to use the Settings Bar to select image sizes—a critical step when designing for various outputs. You'll see how to switch from a default square (1:1) to portrait (3:4) for vertical formats or landscape (4:3) for wider images, and how to fine-tune your aspect ratio even further for special cases, like Instagram Stories or widescreen displays.

Switching between model options, such as Standard and Raw, directly affects the style and realism of your images. For example, Raw mode adheres more closely to your prompt details, making it especially useful for lifelike portraits. You also have the choice to explore different Midjourney model versions, giving you a range of visual outputs from the latest release or earlier styles.

These features are designed to help creators, marketers, and designers adapt their imagery to real-world project needs more smoothly.

Who This Is For

Anyone seeking more control over the look and feel of generated images will benefit from this lesson. It is especially relevant for:

• Content creators producing images for social media platforms
• Designers preparing visuals with specific dimensions
• Marketers adapting campaign images to various formats
• Educators or students who need flexibility in presentation visuals
• Anyone interested in exploring the creative possibilities of different model settings

Where This Fits in a Workflow

Choosing the right image format is an early—but essential—decision in any AI image creation workflow. For example, if you’re designing a banner for a website, you’ll want a widescreen aspect ratio, whereas a story post on Instagram requires a vertical (portrait) format. With the Prompt Settings Bar, making these adjustments is quick and integrated, eliminating the need to manually remember and type aspect ratio parameters every time.

After deciding on content and style, format selection ensures your images meet the technical requirements of their intended use. Refining format here saves time on post-processing and ensures consistency when working on a series of related images. Later steps in the workflow—such as fine-tuning or refining image details—are made smoother when the base format matches your goal from the start.

Technical & Workflow Benefits

Previously, adjusting image size, aspect ratio, or model required manual input at the end of each prompt, which could be both slow and error-prone. The new Settings Bar streamlines this process by offering quick toggles for the most-used options. For instance, switching from a square to a 16:9 widescreen image for a presentation slide now just takes a couple of clicks, rather than recalling and entering specific parameters like `--ar 16:9`.

Applying Raw mode with one action gives you greater control over output, especially with prompts needing more realism, saving experimentation time. Swapping between model versions or even selecting Niji for an anime style is also far simpler, supporting experimentation and iteration without extra friction.

This change leads to faster project turnaround, less room for mistakes, and consistent formatting across batches of images—key benefits for anyone producing visuals on a regular basis.

Practice Exercise

Try creating an image for a vertical social media post, such as an Instagram Story.

1. Open Midjourney and begin a new prompt with your desired subject.
2. Use the Prompt Settings Bar to set the image format to portrait (select 9:16 if available).
3. Generate the image, then try the same prompt in landscape (16:9) format.

After both images are generated, compare them:

• Which composition do you prefer for your use case?
• How did changing the format affect the original image’s impact and layout?

Reflect on how using the bar made these adjustments easier than entering manual parameters.

Course Context Recap

This lesson builds on earlier topics like prompt structuring and style referencing by introducing you to format and model controls for generated images. Here, you took a closer look at how image size, aspect ratio, and model selection set the foundation for your creative outputs. Upcoming lessons will explore advanced parameter options and further personalization features, equipping you with even more tools for creative control. Continue through the course to unlock new techniques and make the most of Midjourney’s evolving capabilities.