How to Use Negative Parameter in Midjourney

How to Use Negative Parameter in Midjourney

Midjourney is invaluable for creating stunning and realistic images for almost anything. As long as you can describe it, the AI bot can produce a fitting image and allow for additional enhancement using tools like inpainting and style tuning.

Nonetheless, Midjourney may sometimes generate images with elements or features you want to remove. Sometimes, you may want greater control over the final results or to save considerable time while using Midjourney.

In any of these cases, the negative parameter in Midjourney comes to the rescue. This article will discuss the negative parameter in Midjourney and how to implement negative prompt weightings on the AI bot. Readers will also learn the limitations of the negative parameter in Midjourney and additional tips to get the most out of this feature.

What is the Negative Parameter in Midjourney?

The negative parameter in Midjourney is a command that tells the AI bot to exclude certain elements from a generated image. You can implement the negative parameter by adding --no to the prompt used to generate the original image. Alternatively, you can add the parameter while creating an image to exclude certain elements the bot may want to add. 

Here are two quick examples showing generated images and the output after using the --no parameter to eliminate certain items in the original prompt.

Example 1

Prompt: a doctor in the laboratory

Prompt: a doctor in the laboratory --no hand gloves

Example 2

Prompt: birthday cake

Prompt: birthday cake --no candles

Moving beyond the example of removing a single item with the negative parameter, it is worth mentioning that you can add other arguments to the prompt to remove additional elements. Let’s consider an example of how we can do this in a seemingly complex image.

Prompt: A chef in the kitchen

Prompt: a chef in the kitchen --no apron, uniform

In the second image, the bot eliminates the apron but retains a sort of uniform for the chef. This result reveals one limitation of a negative parameter in Midjourney, which we’ll discuss in more detail in another section. In the meantime, let’s take a look at another way of implementing negative prompts in Midjourney. 

Negative Weights On Midjourney

Assigning weight to elements is another useful feature for implementing negative prompts in Midjourney. Basically, this feature tells the Midjourney bot to emphasize certain elements of the image and give less attention to others.

Midjourney requires that you apply negative weights alongside positive weights, with the total sum of all prompt weights being positive. Positive weights fall between 0.5 to 1, while negative weights fall between -0.5 to -1.

You can assign weights by including a double colon and a number for the element you wish to reduce or improve its output. For instance, if you want to generate an image of a chef that has fewer pots and more fruits on the table, then you can modify the prompt as follows:

Prompt: a chef in the kitchen, include details like fruits::1 pots::-0.3

In our result, Midjourney places more emphasis on the fruits, with less importance on pots. We can achieve similar results by modifying the number assigned to both objects. The higher the number, the higher the emphasis on the picture. Similarly, the lower the number, the less emphasis Midjourney places on the element while generating the picture.

Here are two other examples of how to use negative weights on Midjourney. In the first example, we combine the --no parameter with negative weights.

Example 1

First prompt: A portrait of Lionel Messi

Second prompt: a portrait of Lionel Messi, include details like smile::1 --no beards

Example 2

First prompt: A German shepherd dog sitting on the sofa

Second prompt: a German shepherd dog sitting on the sofa --no shelf

Limitations of Negative Parameter in Midjourney

• The negative parameter in Midjourney does not always work. In certain cases, Midjourney may return an image with the elements you want to be removed or replace the element with another item. Do not get tired of iterating until you find something that works for you. 
• The Midjourney bot does not allow the use of certain words in negatively weighted prompts. For instance, we tried generating a wardrobe with the --no clothes parameter and received the below warning:

Evidently, the bot assumed we were trying to create some form of nude content, hence the warning.

• Keep your negative prompts as simple as possible. Complicated prompts may confuse the Midjourney bot, leading to the generation of completely out-of-context images.

Rounding up

The negative parameter in Midjourney is an excellent feature for modifying the final output. You can use the --no parameter to remove unwanted elements or employ negative weighting to have greater control over elements within the image.

Granted, the solution is not completely perfect, as it can occasionally return undesirable results. However, it is an overall helpful tool that can raise your Midjourney game and help you get the most out of the AI tool.