If your AI-generated images aren’t turning out right, the issue might not be what you’re asking for—but what you’re ‘not’ excluding.
AI image generators, including Midjourney, interpret prompts literally, so not specifying unwanted elements can lead to cluttered, unrealistic, or irrelevant results. While you specify what you want, you also need to tell the AI model what you ‘don’t’ want in the design.
When you add negative prompts, you gain more control over composition, style, and unwanted distortions.
In this blog post, we will discuss the power of negative prompting in Midjourney.
How To Use Midjourney Negative Prompts for Better Image Generation
- What Are Midjourney Negative Prompts?
- How Do Negative Prompts Work in Midjourney?
- How to Create Effective Midjourney Negative Prompts?
- 20+ Midjourney Negative Prompts for Different Use Cases
- Common Mistakes to Avoid With Midjourney Negative Prompts
- Limitations of Using Midjourney
- Midjourney Alternatives to Explore
Summarize this article for me please⏰ 60-Second Summary
Here’s a quick overview of Midjourney negative prompting:
- Negative prompts help refine AI-generated images by specifying what elements to exclude
- Using two hyphens followed by the word “no” removes unwanted elements, while negative weights reduce their presence without full elimination
- Negative prompts save time by reducing trial and error, ensuring style consistency, and refining backgrounds for cleaner visuals
- Negative prompts also have limitations—they may not always work as expected, depend largely on training, struggle with complexity, and have a steep learning curve. Fine-tuning is often needed
- Try not to overload the AI model with multi-prompts and provide clear instructions on style and more
- ClickUp enhances design processes by offering advanced features, enabling teams to brainstorm, plan, and execute projects efficiently.
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Are Midjourney Negative Prompts?
Negative prompts are instructions that specify what you don’t want in your image. Think of negative prompts as filters, telling AI specifically what elements to avoid in an image.
For instance, if your Midjourney prompt is—’vibrant college campus,’ it might include elements like students, pathways, and other relevant structures.
But you can generate an image with extreme precision through negative prompts. For instance, if you add two hyphens followed by the words “no students” to your prompt, like in the example below, you direct the AI to exclude student images, resulting in a cleaner, more focused visual of a college campus.
Why use Midjourney negative prompts?
Can’t you just write another prompt to create a new image? That would be simpler, but wouldn’t get you the same results as negative prompting. Here’s how negative prompting helps:
🎨 Better creative control
AI design models, including Midjourney, operate based on statistical probabilities, generating images by pulling from vast datasets. However, this means the AI sometimes introduces elements you didn’t explicitly request. A negative prompt tells Midjourney to steer away from unwanted details, refining your images.
🔁 Style consistency
Midjourney sometimes defaults to particular aesthetics, like anime or cyberpunk, depending on its training. If you want to establish a unique look, negative prompts help remove interfering styles. For example, typing out two hyphens followed by ‘no comic book style’ ensures your artwork doesn’t have comic book style illustrative elements.
⏳ Time efficiency
Without negative prompts, you may need to regenerate images multiple times to get the desired output. Negative prompts significantly reduce this trial-and-error process as you instruct the AI model to exclude specific elements, saving editing time.
🖼️ Refined backgrounds and compositions
Sometimes, AI-generated images include unnecessary background elements that clutter the composition. For instance, if you need a simple portrait, you might type out two hyphens followed by “no background” to focus solely on the subject. This is particularly useful for product photography, where a clean look is preferred.
Negative prompts in Midjourney unlock deeper levels of customization, but they aren’t magic bullets. Negative prompting requires careful prompt engineering and experimentation to achieve the desired results, just like you’d need to write a detailed ChatGPT prompt or Claude.ai prompt to generate meaningful text.
📖 Read More: Top AI Art Prompt Ideas to Spark Your Creativity
Summarize this article for me pleaseHow Do Negative Prompts Work in Midjourney?
While reading the sections above, you may have noted that we have used ‘–no.’ So, what does this mean in the context of negative prompts? Basically, there are two main ways to use negative prompts: the (–no parameter) and negative prompt weights. We break them down for you below:
1. The two hyphens followed by ‘no’ parameter
This is the easiest method for removing unwanted elements. You simply add two hyphens (without a space between them) and the word ‘no’, followed by the objects, styles, or colors you don’t want. See the example below.
📌 How it works: Midjourney scans its dataset, recognizes patterns associated with the unwanted elements, and makes an effort to exclude them from the final image.
🌻 Example: You want a serene lake scene, but you do not want boats or people in it. Your prompt and output would look like this:
However, it’s not always perfect—some elements might sneak in due to contextual associations. If that happens, try using additional synonyms or expanding the exclusion list.
2. Negative prompt weights
While the two hyphens and ‘no’ method eliminates an element completely, negative weights allow you to reduce the presence of an element rather than removing it entirely. This method is useful when you want to influence the image without forcing absolute exclusion.
📌 How it works: Midjourney allows you to assign positive weights or negative weights to different parts of your prompt using the ‘::’ syntax. A weight of 1 is neutral, a higher number increases importance, and a negative number reduces the element’s presence.
Basically, you are not removing an element entirely through weights but telling Midjourney to de-emphasize it.
🌻 Example: You want to generate a busy street image with cars, but the car shouldn’t be the main focus. Your prompt would look something like this:
Midjourney interprets this as: ‘Include a car, but make it half as important as the street.’ The result? A street setting where the cars appear smaller or blend into the background.
But what if you want to reduce the car’s presence even further, without removing it completely? Use a negative weight.
Here, Midjourney actively minimizes the cars in the image. It might make the cars barely visible by placing them in a shadowy corner or removing them entirely if they don’t fit in the composition (as you can see in the above image).
💡 Pro Tip: If you want something completely gone, negative weights alone may not be enough—you may need to combine them with ‘–no’ or tweak and adjust for desired results. If you want to use multi-prompting, use a double colon (::) to separate them.
You may have a doubt that ‘Hey, why can’t I just use ‘don’t’ and be done with it?’ Well, fair enough. But we have an explanation.
Why ‘don’t’ doesn’t work?
Many people assume that writing ‘don’t’ or ‘without’ in a prompt will make Midjourney avoid certain elements. But it doesn’t work that way. When you write “don’t include rain,” the AI doesn’t inherently understand “don’t” as a negation. Instead, it processes the entire phrase as a description that includes the word “rain.”
This can paradoxically lead to the AI focusing on the concept of rain, even if your intention was to exclude it.
How to fix this:
❌ Prompt: A fantasy castle, don’t include dragons.
✅ Prompt: A fantasy castle ⁃ ⁃ no dragons
✅ Prompt: A fantasy castle magical::1, dragons::-1
The second and third options ensure Midjourney properly understands what to avoid, while the first might actually create a castle with dragons.
🧠 Did you know? Midjourney is available on Discord and requires a paid subscription to generate AI-powered images! It’s also the most popular Discord server.
Summarize this article for me pleaseHow to Create Effective Midjourney Negative Prompts?
Here are a few tips on how to create effective Midjourney negative prompts:
- Identify unwanted elements: Figure out what you don’t want in the image. Is it a color, an object, or a style? Once you know, add ‘⁃ ⁃no’ followed by the unwanted element. For instance, ‘⁃ ⁃no blurry details’ or ‘⁃ ⁃no cartoonish style’ can sharpen your results
- Be specific: Instead of vague terms like ‘⁃ ⁃no bad stuff,’ use precise descriptions like ‘⁃ ⁃no oversaturated colors’ or ‘–no distorted faces.’ The clearer you are, the better Midjourney understands your intent
- Experiment with combinations and weights: If you’re generating a futuristic cityscape but keep getting trees, try ‘trees::-0.5, ⁃ ⁃ no greenery’ or something similar. This narrows the focus, ensuring the AI tool sticks to your vision
💡Pro Tip: Use negative prompts only when necessary and for precise exclusions rather than general restrictions. For example, instead of saying, ‘Avoid cluttered designs,’ opt for ‘A clean, minimalist layout with ample white space and a clear focal point’ to achieve the intended look.
Summarize this article for me please20+ Midjourney Negative Prompts for Different Use Cases
We have curated 20+ Midjourney negative prompt examples in different scenarios so you can avoid trial and error, fuel your creative ideas and techniques, and make the most of Midjourney.
Prompt 1: Clean beach sunset
Use case: Removing clutter or unnecessary elements to create a cleaner image
Prompt: ‘Sunset over a tranquil beach, golden hues reflecting on calm waves ⁃ ⁃ no people, trash, footprints, boats, buildings, driftwood’
Prompt 2: Minimalist city skyline
Use case: Avoiding distractions for a modern, clean aesthetic
Prompt: ‘Futuristic city skyline at night, glowing neon reflections on wet streets⁃ ⁃ no cars, pedestrians, billboards, graffiti, fog
Prompt 3: Serene mountain landscape
Use case: Enhancing natural beauty by removing artificial objects
Prompt: ‘Majestic snow-capped mountains, soft morning light, clear sky ⁃ ⁃ no power lines, houses, ski lifts, people, roads, sign boards’
Prompt 4: Peaceful forest trail
Use case: Keeping the focus on nature without human influence
Prompt: ‘Winding forest trail covered in autumn leaves, soft golden sunlight filtering through trees ⁃ ⁃ no benches, signs, trash cans, people, bikes’
Prompt 5: Dreamy night sky
Use case: Creating a stunning, distraction-free celestial scene
Prompt: ‘Galaxy with vivid nebulae and countless stars, deep purple and blue hues ⁃ ⁃ no satellites, airplanes, city lights, text, watermarks’
Prompt 6: Majestic waterfall
Use case: Keeping nature pristine and untouched
Prompt: ‘Cascading waterfall in a lush green jungle, mist rising from below ⁃ ⁃ no bridges, tourists, boats, signs, fences’
Prompt 7: Elegant product photography
Use case: Focused commercial product shots
Prompt: ‘Sleek black smartwatch on a reflective surface, dramatic lighting ⁃ ⁃ no text, logos, reflections, clutter, hands, people’
Prompt 8: Fantasy castle
Use case: Enhancing a magical setting without modern elements
Prompt: ‘Grand medieval castle on a misty hill, warm torches glowing ⁃ ⁃ no power lines, modern buildings, cars, antennas, roads’
Prompt 9: Zen garden
Use case: Keeping a peaceful and minimalist aesthetic
Prompt: ‘Japanese zen garden with raked sand and bonsai trees, soft ambient lighting ⁃ ⁃ no statues, signs, benches, people, tourists’
Prompt 10: Ancient ruins
Use case: Preserving historical beauty without modern elements
Prompt: ‘Overgrown ancient temple ruins in a dense jungle, vines creeping over stone ⁃ ⁃ no tourists, fences, signs, scaffolding, litter’
Prompt 11: Perfect food photography
Use case: Making food the main focus without distractions
Prompt: ‘Gourmet burger on a wooden board, soft lighting, steam rising ⁃ ⁃ no plates, hands, utensils, napkins, background clutter’
Prompt 12: Cosmic landscape
Use case: Focusing on space without earthly distractions
Prompt: ‘Alien planet with glowing bioluminescent plants, twin moons in the sky ⁃ ⁃ no spaceships, astronauts, satellites, text, watermarks’
Prompt 13: Vintage street photography
Use case: Capturing historical authenticity without modern distractions
Prompt: ‘1940s cobblestone street, warm sepia tones, soft evening lights ⁃ ⁃ no modern cars, people with phones, billboards, neon signs’
Prompt 14: Clean desk setup
Use case: Creating an aesthetically pleasing workspace without clutter
Prompt: ‘Modern minimalist desk setup, sleek laptop, warm ambient lighting ⁃ ⁃ no tangled cables, coffee cups, books, papers, clutter’
Prompt 15: Tranquil ocean scene
Use case: Enhancing a peaceful ocean view by removing distractions
Prompt: ‘Vast ocean horizon under a pink sunrise, gentle waves rolling ⁃ ⁃ no boats, people, buildings, trash, buoys’
Prompt 16: Dramatic storm clouds
Use case: Focusing on the power of nature without interference
Prompt: ‘Dark storm clouds over a vast empty field, lightning crackling ⁃ ⁃ no buildings, cars, people, signs, antennas’
Prompt 17: Isolated desert dunes
Use case: Keeping an untouched and raw desert landscape
Prompt: ‘Golden sand dunes stretching endlessly, soft light at sunset ⁃ ⁃ no footprints, vehicles, people, signs, buildings’
Prompt 18: Magical enchanted forest
Use case: Keeping a fantasy setting immersive and mysterious
Prompt: ‘Glowing mushrooms in a misty enchanted forest, soft fairy lights ⁃ ⁃ no people, modern buildings, fences, streetlights’
Prompt 19: Luxury car photography
Use case: Highlighting the car without unnecessary distractions
Prompt: ‘Sleek black sports car under soft studio lighting, polished reflections ⁃ ⁃ no logos, people, showroom background, text, watermarks’
Prompt 20: Aerial view of a tropical island
Use case: Keeping a pristine paradise setting
Prompt: ‘Crystal-clear turquoise waters surrounding a lush green island, golden sandy beaches ⁃ ⁃ no boats, docks, hotels, tourists, pollution’
📮ClickUp Insight: 11% of our AI Usage Survey respondents leverage AI primarily for brainstorming and ideation. But what happens to these brilliant ideas afterward? This is where you need an AI-powered whiteboard, like ClickUp Whiteboards, which helps you instantly turn ideas from the brainstorming session into tasks.
And if you can’t quite explain a concept, simply ask the AI image generator to create a visual based on your prompt. It’s the everything app for work that enables you to ideate, visualize, and execute faster!
Let’s look at a few negative prompt weights examples too:
Prompt 21: Enchanted forest
Use case: Creating a mystical woodland scene
Prompt: Ancient trees::2, glowing mushrooms::1.5, soft mist::-1
Prompt 22: Cyberpunk alley
Use case: Capturing a futuristic urban vibe
Prompt: Neon-lit alley::3, rain reflections::1.5 , distant skyline::-0.5
Prompt 23: Majestic tiger
Use case: Showcasing a powerful animal portrait
Prompt: White tiger::2 , piercing blue eyes::1.5 , soft fur texture::1
Prompt 24: Viking warrior
Use case: Depicting historical strength
Prompt: Viking warrior::2, battle-worn armor::1.5, misty background::1 –no sci-fi elements
Prompt 25: Cozy library
Use case: Creating a warm reading space
Prompt: Wooden bookshelves::2, warm lighting::1.5, antique books::1 ⁃ ⁃ no empty shelves:: -1
📖 Read More: Dall-E Alternatives to Create AI Images
Summarize this article for me pleaseCommon Mistakes to Avoid With Midjourney Negative Prompts
Negative prompts may feel like a superpower, but it’s easy to stumble if you’re not careful. Here are some mistakes to watch out for:
❗Prompt overload: One of the most common mistakes is overloading your prompt with too many exclusions. For example, adding ⁃ ⁃ no cars, trees, people, buildings, clouds, or animals might seem thorough, but it can confuse the AI, leading to unexpected or even unusable results. Instead, focus on the most critical elements you want to exclude, and keep your list concise
❗Randomness: Another pitfall is being too vague. Saying “⁃ ⁃ no objects” doesn’t give the AI enough direction. What kind of objects? Furniture? Vehicles? Always be specific. For instance, if you’re creating a minimalist landscape, use ⁃ ⁃ no cars, buildings, or power lines to ensure clarity
❗Ignoring style conflicts: Negative prompts don’t just remove objects; they can also alter style. For example, if you say “⁃ ⁃ no anime” and the AI still leans toward stylized art, it may be due to other prompt elements unintentionally influencing the output. Ensure your prompt is super clear on style
📖 Read More: AI Templates to Save Time and Improve Productivity
Summarize this article for me pleaseLimitations of Using Midjourney
When Midjourney launched, its capabilities caused uproar in the image generation market. While the AI platform largely altered the image-generation process, it has its fair share of limitations.
Struggles with complex scenes
Midjourney does well with single-subject images but has difficulty handling busy, multi-character scenes.
🌻 Example: If you try generating a crowded marketplace, a group of people interacting, or a detailed battle, things often go wrong. Characters might have missing limbs, odd facial expressions, or weirdly placed objects. Lighting and perspective can also feel off, making the image look unnatural.
While you can improve Midjourney images with better prompts, getting everything right takes a lot of trial and error.
Heavy dependence on prompt clarity
Midjourney takes everything you type literally, so vague or broad prompts can lead to completely different results than expected. As we mentioned earlier, AI’s creative process is different from ours.
🌻 Example: Asking for a ‘futuristic city’ without details could give you anything from a glowing cyberpunk skyline to a deserted, broken-down world. The AI doesn’t ‘guess’ what you mean, so if you leave out important details, it can change the entire look of the AI-generated image.
Difficulty interpreting abstract concepts
Midjourney is great at making things that exist in the real world or fantasy settings, but it struggles with deeper, emotional, or symbolic ideas.
🌻 Example: If you add the prompt ‘the feeling of loneliness,’ the AI will probably just generate a single person sitting alone—it likely won’t capture the subtleties of isolation, longing, or melancholy.
In other words, it cannot capture or read emotions fully to give desired outcomes.
Steep learning curve
Even though Midjourney is easy to use, getting accurate results can take time. Features like negative prompts and prompt weights require practice. Many beginners may struggle to remove unwanted elements, create consistent styles, or fine-tune images.
Also, unlike other design tools where you can adjust for mistakes, Midjourney does not have the option to ‘edit prompt.’ That means you have to keep testing and re-entering prompts to get the best results.
Limited training data
Midjourney can only generate images based on what it has trained on. If you try making something unique—like a specific cultural art style or an unusual historical setting—the AI might either create a very generic version or fail completely.
🌻 Example: If you ask for a rare type of ancient architecture, it might mix it up with something more common. This makes it less reliable when you need something very specific or culturally accurate.
So, while Midjourney is a remarkable tool, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution.
✨Fun Fact: In the latter half of 2024, during the U.S. election, Midjourney imposed restrictions on generating images of Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
Summarize this article for me pleaseMidjourney Alternatives to Explore
The AI art space is way bigger than just Midjourney. And if you want to take your creative process up a notch, ClickUp, a top Midjourney alternative, can make the whole experience smoother—from ideation to execution.
Make ideas come alive on ClickUp Whiteboards
ClickUp Whiteboards is more than a digital canvas. It can take your ideas from visualization to execution. Think of it as a partner for brainstorming, mapping out concepts, and planning creative workflows.
Need to sketch an AI art composition? Planning a multi-step visual project? With its drag-and-drop shapes, connectors, and sticky notes, you can organize your thoughts in real time. When you land on a solid idea, convert it into a trackable task right from your whiteboard.
Plus, the real-time collaboration features mean your team can work together, refining and iterating on designs without any problem. See more here. 👇🏼
Supercharge your visualization techniques with ClickUp AI
Wait—ClickUp? For AI-generated visuals? You bet. ClickUp Brain isn’t just for productivity; it’s also a powerful AI assistant that helps with creative workflows. Whether you’re brainstorming visuals or refining prompts, ClickUp Brain can help.
Simply ask ClickUp Brain within the Whiteboards to generate images, and you can visualize ideas in a jiffy. Just like that!
Master your AI prompts with ClickUp Docs
Crafting the perfect AI prompt is an art. It takes experimentation, refinement, and a structured approach. With multiple prompts in play, you need a dedicated space to organize and optimize your prompt creation process.
Enter ClickUp Docs: your centralized hub for building, storing, and perfecting AI prompts.
With ClickUp Docs, you can:
🎨 Capture initial prompt ideas, test variations, and fine-tune descriptions until your AI-generated visuals align perfectly with your vision
📚 Build a centralized prompt library by organizing your winning prompts for easy access and future inspiration
🤝 Collaborate seamlessly with your team by adding notes, suggesting edits, and tracking revisions, ensuring consistent results across all projects
🔗 Link your prompt documentation directly to ClickUp Whiteboards and Tasks for a streamlined project execution, from ideation to completion
Integrate AI into your design workflow with ClickUp
Cross-departmental design projects can be chaotic. Dispersed requests, scattered feedback, and shifting priorities create a frustrating experience. ClickUp’s Design Solution for Teams eliminates this chaos by centralizing your entire design workflow:
- Organize all incoming design requests in one place, ensuring nothing gets lost
- Instantly generate user journeys, personas, and design briefs with ClickUp Brain
- Share mockups, brainstorm on Whiteboards, and track project progress—all within a single platform
- Annotate designs, embed Figma and InVision files, and expedite sign-offs
- Integrate with 200+ tools (Slack, Miro, Figma, Google Suite, and more), simplifying your design workflow
ClickUp, the everything app for work, is a powerhouse for creatives in every sense, especially those who need structure without sacrificing flexibility.
📖 Read More: Best Creative Automation Tools to Boost Productivity
Summarize this article for me pleaseOptimize Your Design Processes With ClickUp
Creating high-quality visuals shouldn’t feel like wrestling with complicated software or wasting hours tweaking prompts. Whether you’re a designer juggling multiple projects or a marketer in need of fast, on-brand creatives, the struggle can be real—but not with ClickUp.
From organizing design requests to tracking revisions, ClickUp keeps everything in one place—no more lost files, scattered feedback, or endless email chains. With task automation, real-time proofing, and easy integrations with design tools, your workflow stays smooth and frustration-free.
Ready to take control of your creative process? Sign up for ClickUp today and redefine your creative processes.
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
