Digital avatars have been evolving in recent years. Aside from a few social media platforms like Instagram where users usually create profiles under their real names and post real photos of themselves, people usually have an interesting avatar on other platforms that represents their character or at least one of their traits.
Some people also seek avatars that simply look cool or memorable.
One of the trends that definitely helped push the whole space of digital avatars forward included services provided by apps that allow you to easily create a digital version of yourself. Memojis on iOS devices are a great example of this.
Another trend that emerged quite recently is the NFT space, where people often buy and sell digital avatars or profile pictures. Some people love NFTs, others hate them. We're not going to talk about that now, but I will say that it's interesting to see how much some people are prepared to pay for a particular digital avatar.
The way you present yourself online is becoming more important than ever. I often try to imagine how important avatars will be 10-20 years from now, especially if the metaverse really kicks off and changes the way we interact with each other in the digital realm.
I'm quite interested in this topic in general and could write about it all day, but I know that you're not here for that. That's why today I'm going to show you how you can make avatars in Midjourney, and share some great prompt examples.
How To Write Midjourney Prompts for Avatars
There isn't a specific framework that you can follow to create digital avatars in Midjourney, but I will share some useful tips for you to follow.
Here is what I pay attention to when I'm writing Midjourney prompts for avatars:
- Mention a specific aesthetic in the prompt if you think it will enhance the image
- Use keywords relevant to avatars, such as 'avatar', 'close-up shot' and 'portrait'
- Experiment with different parameters like stylization and the weird parameter for better results
- Mention a specific art style because it can heavily influence the generated results
- Describe features of the character in the avatar, including what they're wearing or their mood
These are the five rules that I think are most important when it comes to writing Midjourney prompts for avatars. You don't have to follow all five for each prompt, but it's useful to have them in mind when you're creating digital avatars because they can help you get better results.
Now that you've learned the basics, it's time that you see what type of avatars you can make in Midjourney.
15 Midjourney Prompts for Avatars
If you thought about creating an avatar in Midjourney but lack the inspiration, I'm here to help you. Today, I'll share 15 prompts for avatars that I hope will inspire you to create an image that you can use to represent your online persona.
Here are some of the Midjourney prompts for avatars I wrote for this article.
/imagine digital avatar, 2D artwork, flat, art inspired by neural networks, portrait of a man in his 30s, nerdy, cute --v 5.2
Here's a great example of a digital avatar that you can make for yourself to showcase the fact that you're an AI enthusiast. I've definitely seen some big accounts in the AI space on Twitter (still not used to calling it X) that have a profile picture that looks similar to the one I wrote above.
Of course, you can feel free to customize the prompt so that it fits your description. Also, I wanted to show you what type of result you get when you create a female avatar with the same prompt.
This one is absolutely gorgeous! I've read recently that the Midjourney team analyzed data and saw that 80% of Midjourney users are men. I would like to see more women starting to use this text-to-image AI tool.
/imagine memoji style digital avatar, young woman with red hair and glasses, smiling --v 5.2
This looks really cute. This is the type of simple prompt you can write to create a memoji-style digital avatar of yourself. One thing that I haven't mentioned so far but probably should - when you're writing Midjourney prompts for avatars, you should stick with the default 1:1 aspect ratio.
/imagine digital avatar for social media, skilled hacker with a lot of experience, smart, brilliant, matrix aesthetic --niji 5
People who have a passion for anime usually use an image of an anime character as their digital avatar online. If you want to create a profile picture in an anime style, you should use the Niji model. Just look at the image that was produced from the prompt above. There are many intricate details in the image, and they all fit perfectly.
/imagine digital avatar for social media, person achieving a state of bliss, tranquility, meditation, peacefulness, calm, relaxing, bright colored background --niji 5 --v 5.2
Whenever I use the Niji model, I find it hard to go back to the normal mode because I want to keep making anime-style images. I have to be honest that I'm not really too big of an anime fan, but I do like the art style. I also love what this model can produce with the right prompt. This is without a doubt one of my favorite avatars that I created.
/imagine digital avatar, close-up shot, excited 3D animated bunny holding a sword and a shield, cute animation, Unreal Engine 5, polished --stylize 250 --v 5.2
I know that there are many people who like to use animals as digital avatars. These animals are usually anthropomorphized with certain features. I will include more animal-themed avatars in this article, but they won't be 3D animated.
/imagine digital avatar, futuristic dystopian military general, close-up shot, scars on the face, wearing high-tech AR glasses, beam generator in the background --stylize 350 --v 5.2
Welcome to the future. If you're looking for a cool digital avatar that you can use within the gaming community, this one might be right for you. You'll likely be especially interested in making something like this if you like to play first-person shooters.
/imagine memoji style digital avatar, man with dark hair wearing a green baseball jacket, slight smile --v 5.2
I had to include another prompt inspired by memojis because I know how popular they are. Some people consider them to be the perfect digital avatar. But I honestly think that you can make even better avatars in Midjourney while keeping the same aesthetic.
/imagine 2D drawn digital avatar, friendly yeti looking at the camera, friendly monster, cute, profile picture --v 5.2
The design is really simple but it works great. I also like the background because I think it adds a lot to the image. This is the style I personally go for when I'm using avatars on social media.
/imagine digital avatar, 2D flat design, lucky giraffe gambler holding two cards, cool, cute --stylize 250 --v 5.2
Now, this is a real character. Let's say that you want to lean into one of your hobbies and highlight it to present yourself online to a certain community. For example, if you're a poker player and are interested in connecting with other players on the internet, you could use an image like this as your avatar.
/imagine social media profile picture, quirky gamer girl wearing pink headphones, looking straight at the camera, 2D hand drawn, subtle shading, colorful --stylize 450 --v 5.2
When I saw this image generated, I immediately thought that it would be the perfect Discord avatar for a young woman who enjoys playing video games. I really like how this image turned out. It immediately captures your attention.
/imagine social media avatar, bohemian aesthetic, 2D digital art portrait of a Caribbean man, colorful, summer vibes --stylize 250 --chaos 25 --v 5.2
When you use the chaos parameter in your prompts, it can significantly affect the generated results. That's why I usually set a relatively low chaos value. Nevertheless, it definitely helps add interesting details to an image, as you can see from this wonderful example.
/imagine digital avatar, modern 2D video game art style, cute happy penguin, smiling, spreading love and kindness --v 5.2
This is an image that instantly made me smile when I saw it, which is exactly what I wanted to achieve with the prompt above. If you're a person who doesn't engage in negativity online and wants to spread only positive vibes, then this could be a great avatar for you.
/imagine digital avatar, close-up shot of a metaverse character that's a construction worker, polished, 3D design --v 5.2
I personally don't know what to think of the metaverse. Will we get to experience it in a way that's being promoted to people right now? I don't have the answers but I will say that I can't wait to see how technology and the internet continue evolving.
/imagine close-up shot, the chosen one looking directly into the camera with full confidence, a bright green light is shining in the background, inspirational, motivational --niji 5
You didn't really think that I was going to finish this article before making another image using the Niji model? This one is brilliant. I love the bright green eye that goes well with the light we see coming from the background.
/imagine digital avatar, psychedelic art style, young man seeking truth and achieving a higher state of consciousness --v 5.2
As I mentioned in the previous section of the article, you should mention a specific art style in your prompt when you feel like it would improve the quality of the image. When you choose a specific style, try to write the rest of the prompt in a way that pairs well with it.
Final Thoughts
It's never been easier to get a digital avatar tailored to your specific preferences. In the past, people mostly used images of existent fictional characters as digital avatars. But then you risk many other people having the exact same image set as their profile picture.
People who are skilled at creating digital art often create their own digital avatars. Some of them even make avatars for others on commission.
There has never been a time before generative AI where you could create an amazing avatar without knowing how to use software programs like Photoshop and Illustrator. Thanks to Midjourney, you can create what you want in less than a minute and have a banger digital avatar that you can use across multiple online platforms.
