Product Photography Prompt Formula for Midjourney
A fill-in prompt structure for clean, consistent product shots in Midjourney: subject, surface, lighting, camera and composition in the order the model weighs them, plus the parameters that keep a whole catalog looking like one shoot.
Tested on:
Midjourney
Midjourney
Fill in the variables
Prompt
A product photo of {{product}}, {{product_details}}, placed on {{surface}}, {{background}}, {{lighting}}, shot with {{camera}}, {{composition}}, {{style_notes}}, commercial product photography, sharp focus on the product, realistic materials and reflections, no text, no logo, no watermark --ar {{aspect_ratio}} --style raw --stylize {{stylize}} --no {{negative}}
Example input
A product photo of a matte black ceramic coffee mug, 350 ml, slightly tapered, satin glaze, thin natural-clay rim, placed on a light oak tabletop, soft off-white seamless backdrop, slightly out of focus, large softbox from the upper left, gentle fill from the right, soft natural shadow to the lower right, shot with a 100mm macro lens at f/8, eye-level, product centered, product fills 60% of the frame, generous negative space on the right for text, clean, minimal, editorial catalog look, neutral color grading, commercial product photography, sharp focus on the product, realistic materials and reflections, no text, no logo, no watermark --ar 4:5 --style raw --stylize 50 --no people, hands, text, extra objects, clutter, dramatic colors
Why this works & how to customize
Why it works: Midjourney weighs the start of a prompt most, so the subject and its material come first and the style notes come last. Naming the light source, its direction and the shadow is what makes the result look photographed rather than rendered; "studio lighting" alone gives flat, generic images. `--style raw` reduces Midjourney's default aesthetic so the product looks like itself, and a low `--stylize` value (30–80) keeps it from inventing decoration. The `--no` list removes the usual intrusions: hands, extra props, floating text.
How to customize: for lifestyle scenes replace the surface and background with a setting ("on a marble kitchen counter, morning light through a window, a folded linen napkin beside it") and keep everything else. For a catalog, keep every field identical except the product and product details; that is how you get twenty images that look like one shoot. Use `--ar 1:1` for marketplaces, `4:5` for Instagram, `16:9` for banners. To match an existing photo's look, add `--sref` with the image URL; to keep the same product across scenes, use `--cref` with a clean reference shot. Expect to generate 4–8 variations and keep one or two; reflective and transparent products need a plain surface stated explicitly ("on a plain white surface with no reflections nearby").
How to customize: for lifestyle scenes replace the surface and background with a setting ("on a marble kitchen counter, morning light through a window, a folded linen napkin beside it") and keep everything else. For a catalog, keep every field identical except the product and product details; that is how you get twenty images that look like one shoot. Use `--ar 1:1` for marketplaces, `4:5` for Instagram, `16:9` for banners. To match an existing photo's look, add `--sref` with the image URL; to keep the same product across scenes, use `--cref` with a clean reference shot. Expect to generate 4–8 variations and keep one or two; reflective and transparent products need a plain surface stated explicitly ("on a plain white surface with no reflections nearby").
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