What does --quality control in Midjourney?

It controls how much GPU time Midjourney spends rendering, which translates into how much detail and texture the image gets. Lower values render faster and cheaper but with less fine detail; --q 1 is the default full-quality render.

Does higher --quality mean a better image?

Not always. Higher quality adds detail and texture, which helps complex, busy scenes, but it does not improve composition or prompt adherence. For simple subjects, --q 0.5 often looks nearly identical to --q 1 at half the cost.

How much does --q 0.25 save?

Roughly a quarter of the GPU time of the default, so about four times more images for the same compute budget. It is ideal for rapidly exploring compositions before committing to a full-quality final.

Is there a --q value above 1?

On current Midjourney models the usable range is 0.25, 0.5, and 1, with 1 being the maximum and default. Older models exposed a 2 setting, but it has been deprecated in favor of better default rendering.

Midjourney --quality (--q) Parameter Guide

Midjourney —quality (—q)

The --quality parameter (short form --q) tells Midjourney how much GPU time to spend on a render. More time means more fine detail and texture — and a larger draw on your subscription’s compute budget. Used well, it lets you explore cheaply and spend your full quality only on the images that earn it.

How it works

Midjourney offers three usable values: 0.25, 0.5, and 1 (the default). The number is roughly proportional to render time, so --q 0.25 costs about a quarter of a default render and lets you generate about four times as many images for the same compute. Critically, quality only affects detail and texture — it does not change composition, color choices, or how closely the image follows your prompt. That’s why low quality is perfect for fast exploration: the layout you’ll get at --q 1 is already visible at --q 0.25.

Tips and examples

Explore at 0.25, finalize at 1. Burn through many cheap drafts to find the composition you want, then re-run that exact prompt and seed at full quality.
Simple subjects don’t need full quality. A flat icon or minimalist logo often looks identical at --q 0.5 — save the credits.
Busy, detailed scenes benefit most from —q 1. Foliage, crowds, intricate textures, and fine patterns are where the extra render time shows.
Quality is independent of composition. If a draft’s layout is wrong, a higher quality won’t fix it — change the prompt instead.