3.6 – The Prompt Settings Bar Part 1 Image Format Lesson

Lesson Overview

This lesson centers on the Prompt Settings Bar in Midjourney, highlighting its role in formatting your AI-generated images. The ability to choose image format—whether square, portrait, or landscape—is key when designing for social media, presentations, or any specific visual need. We’ll also cover the model options, including how to use standard for Midjourney’s default polished aesthetic or switch to raw mode for images that better reflect your exact prompt. Raw mode can be especially helpful when creating lifelike or cinematic images.

Previously, these kinds of settings were managed by memorizing and typing out manual parameters at the end of every prompt. Now, many common controls are available conveniently inside the settings bar, letting you focus more on creativity and less on technical details. This lesson is helpful for anyone wanting to optimize image outputs for different contexts—marketing graphics, personal art, product shots, or even experimental visuals. The skills covered here are relevant for solo creators, design teams, educators, and anyone exploring how to fine-tune their generative AI outputs for specific uses.

Real-world applications include preparing vertical images for mobile stories, adjusting images to fit widescreen presentations, or achieving a model-accurate visual style for branding materials.

Who This Is For

If you want greater control over the images you create with Midjourney, this lesson is for you. The strategies shared here are accessible to learners with any experience level and support a variety of creative and professional goals.

• Designers creating assets for websites, social media, or digital ads
• Marketers preparing visuals tailored to different platforms
• Content creators seeking precise image formats for stories or videos
• Educators building customized visuals for presentations or learning materials
• Artists aiming to experiment with unique sizes and styles
• Anyone interested in improving the accuracy of their AI-generated images

Where This Fits in a Workflow

Choosing the right image format is often one of the first steps when creating visuals with generative AI. Whether you’re preparing graphics for a brand campaign or building a portfolio, knowing how and when to adjust aspect ratio and style mode ensures that images fit the project requirements and look their best. For example, if you’re designing a series of Instagram Stories, you need vertical images sized at a 9:16 ratio—Midjourney’s prompt settings bar puts this adjustment at your fingertips. Or, if your client requests a cinematic, widescreen image, you can quickly generate the correct format.

This lesson builds on your basic ability to generate images and unlocks more precise outputs, easing the transition from inspiration to ready-to-use content. It’s a foundational step before moving on to more advanced prompt modifications.

Technical & Workflow Benefits

Previously, changing image format or model style involved memorizing and typing parameters such as `--AR 16:9` or `--style raw` at the end of every prompt. This could be slow and prone to error, especially for beginners or those generating many images at once. The updated Prompt Settings Bar streamlines this entire process—now, you select from preset options or adjust a slider, significantly speeding up your workflow.

For instance, marketers can output both square and vertical images for different social channels in seconds. Artists can swap between highly stylized and raw, detailed outputs to compare results quickly, without re-entering the entire prompt. This intuitive approach reduces the learning curve and saves time, allowing you to produce consistently formatted and styled images for any scenario, whether it’s a multi-platform campaign or a single, polished showcase piece.

Practice Exercise

To practice using the Prompt Settings Bar and manual parameters:

1. Open Midjourney and write a simple image prompt, such as “a futuristic city at sunset.”
2. Use the Prompt Settings Bar to change the aspect ratio: generate one image in square (1:1), one in portrait (9:16), and one in landscape (16:9).
3. Experiment with both standard and raw mode for each format to observe any differences in image details and style.

Which combination of aspect ratio and style mode most effectively matches the purpose you have in mind (e.g., social media story, presentation, or art print)? Reflect on how quickly you can produce consistent outputs versus doing it manually with parameters.

Course Context Recap

This lesson is the first in a series focused on the Prompt Settings Bar within The Ultimate Guide to Generative AI course. Having covered prompt structure and creative image reference techniques, you now have the tools to refine image formats for any need. Next, you’ll learn about additional prompt settings and personalization options, helping you shape Midjourney’s outputs even more closely to your vision. Continue through the course to fully unlock what’s possible with both automated and manual prompt settings.