17 Creative Ideas for Knolling Photography in Midjourney – Free Knolling Prompt Set
Learn the basics of Knolling Photography in Midjourney and explore 17 creative ideas + prompts for inspiration!
Would you like to know how to make these beautiful images of neatly arranged objects? This photo design trend is called Knolling and is super popular right now!
In this guide, I explain the difference between knolling and flat-lay photography and how to create your own AI knolling photography in Midjourney!
What is Knolling photography?
Knolling is a word that’s used to describe neatly arranging objects at 90º angles, creating clean and captivating photography. The photos are taken from above, which is also known as flat-lay photography.
Knolling was first coined in 1987 by Andrew Kromelow, a janitor at a furniture fabrication shop that designed chairs for Knoll, a brand known for its angular designs.
Inspired by this design, Kromelow kept his tools tidy and organized rather than jumbled together, and with that, introduced the world to the concept of Knolling.
Knolling photography is often used for marketing and branding purposes to make viewers easily link and recognize several items within one series or product line.
What is Flat lay photography?
Flat lay photography is a term for images shot directly from above, giving a bird’s eye view of the arranged objects in an aesthetically pleasing way.
This style of top-down photography is mainly used for food and fashion photography but can easily be applied to other subjects.
What is the difference between Knolling and Flat Lay photography?
Both knolling and flat-lay photography are about arranging items in an aesthetically pleasing manner.
The main difference is that flat-lay isn’t so much focused on arranging multiple objects at a 90º angle, allowing for more creative displays.
How to do Knolling photography in Midjourney?
Knolling photography in Midjourney is very simple and only requires a short prompt.
To ensure all my knolling photos are photographed directly from above, I use the keywords knolling and flatlay photography in my Midjourney prompts.
I always add the word Minimalist or Minimalism to prevent the images from being overcrowded with too many objects, although this isn’t always successful.
Tips for knolling photography in Midjourney
Midjourney isn’t the best (yet) in making knolling photos of broader concepts like travel, gardening, or photography gear and will often add many strange items to your images.
Therefore, limiting your prompt to one simple idea or object like flowers or sunglasses works best.
You can add different background colors or art styles to your prompts to give your knolling photos a different look.
When you love the arrangement in the image but not the colors, hit the Variation button to mix it up and try again!
Learn more about Midjourney
If you want to learn more about Midjourney, you can check out my free Midjourney AI Art for Beginners Guide.
You can follow me on Instagram @sprinkleofai for daily inspiration, artist shout-outs, and handy Midjourney tips!
Knolling photography inspiration
Need some inspiration for items that you can use for Knolling photography in Midjourney? Here are 17 knolling prompts to get you started!
The images in this post are made with Midjourney v5.1. I recommend using Aspect Ratio (AR) 2:3, 4:3, 3:4, 16:9, or the default square setting for the best results. Adjust the AR to your liking when you copy my prompt.
#1 Flowers Knolling Photography
I had the most fun making these cute floral knolling photos in Midjourney and definitely recommend giving this one a try!
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knolling flowers, pastel colors, minimalist, peachy Wes Anderson colors, flatlay photography, hyperrealistic photography --ar 2:3#2 Travel Accessories Knolling Photography
I love the colors and strange random objects in this photo, but I don’t think these items will be very useful on my travels 😉
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knolling Wes Anderson travel accessories, pastel colors, minimalist, lavender Wes Anderson colors, flatlay photography, hyperrealistic photography --ar 2:3 #3 Crystals and gemstones Knolling Photography
This result really blew me away, and I love the gorgeous crystals and gemstones in these images.
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knolling crystals and geodes, pastel colors, minimalist, peachy and lavender colors, flatlay photography, hyperrealistic photography --ar 2:3#4 Insects Knolling Photography
How about neatly arranging insects? This one is fun!
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knolling insects, flatlay photography, white background, hyperrealistic photography --ar 2:3 #5 Butterflies Knolling Photography
Such pretty butterflies! Use this prompt and experiment with different colors for the best results!
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knolling butterflies, minimalist, lavender Wes Anderson colors, flatlay photography, hyperrealistic photography --ar 2:3#6 Soap Bars Knolling Photography
It turns out you can do knolling photography with soap bars too!
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knolling natural soap bars, pastel pink colors, minimalist, flatlay photography, hyperrealistic photography --ar 4:3#7 Bathbombs Knolling Photography
I wondered what Midjourney would make of knolling bathbombs and it didn’t disappoint!
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knolling galaxy bathbombs, pastel colors, flatlay photography, minimalist, hyperrealistic photography --ar 2:3#8 Botanical Dried Flowers Knolling Photography
LOVE these results! Botanical dried flowers will almost always give you brilliant images in Midjourney!
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knolling dried botanical flowers, pastel colors, flatlay photography, minimalist, hyperrealistic photography --ar 2:3#9 Donuts Knolling Photography
This photo is making me hungry! Not happy with the colors in the arrangement? Simply hit the Variation button to mix it up!
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knolling donuts, minimalist, pastel colors, hyperrealistic photography --ar 3:4#10 Male Fashion Accessories Knolling Photography
I love the color combination and the beautiful tie, but I’m not sure about the rest of these interesting objects though!
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knolling make fashion accessories, tie, sunglasses, bow tie, aftershave, watch, minimalist, navy colors, white background, flatlay photography, hyperrealistic photography --ar 2:3#11 Succulents Knolling Photography
I love succulents! And thankfully, Midjourney didn’t have any issues generating pretty images on this topic.
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knolling succulents, pastel colors, minimalist, flatlay photography, hyperrealistic photography --ar 2:3#12 Nail polish bottles Knolling Photography
One of my favorite results when experimenting with knolling was this cute collection of nail polish bottles!
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knolling nailpolish bottles, pastel colors, minimalist, flatlay photography, hyperrealistic photography --ar 2:3#13 Camping Gear Knolling Photography
Let’s go camping! I love the results for this one, although it will be an interesting adventure with all this camping gear 😉
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knolling camping gear, natural colors, minimalist, flatlay photography, hyperrealistic photography --ar 2:3#14 Shells Knolling Photography
Knolling shells gives all kinds of amazing results! You can also try knolling sea stars or coral for fun, colorful images.
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knolling seashells, tropical shells, big ocean shells, minimalist, pastel colors, hyperrealistic photography --ar 3:4 #15 Makeup Knolling Photography
Love the colors and arrangement of these neatly organized brushes and makeup pallets!
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knolling makeup, minimalist, flatlay photography, hyperrealistic photography --ar 2:3#16 Fruity Knolling Photography
Knolling fruit is super fun! Add your favorites to the prompt to make sure they are included!
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knolling fruit, minimalist, flatlay photography, hyperrealistic photography --ar 2:3#17 Wool Skeins Knolling Photography
Last but not least, I wondered what it would make of knolling wool skeins, and I love the end result!
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knolling wool skeins, minimalist, pastel colors, flatlay photography, hyperrealistic photography --ar 2:3That’s a wrap!
I hope this style guide has inspired you to experiment with knolling photography in Midjourney, and I can’t wait to see your creations!
Add me on Instagram @sprinkleofai for more daily tips, inspiration, and artist shout-outs!
NEXT GUIDE: How to make Seamless Patterns in Midjourney
Learn how to make beautiful seamless repeating patterns in Midjourney and check out my guide with 15+ Gorgeous Midjourney seamless pattern examples + prompts!
How Does Midjourney Work?
Midjourney is an AI tool that can generate original high-quality images based on simple text inputs. It creates these images through Machine Learning and is continuously trained with countless amounts of data to improve the output.
How to Use Midjourney
Midjourney works within the Discord app. You can create a free account on Discord and sign up for the beta on Midjourney.com to get an invite and start generating images.
You can learn how to set up Midjourney with my free Midjourney AI Art for Beginners Guide!
About the author
My name is Marloes Ratten, and I love to make things. During the day, I’m a Macrame teacher, and at night I love to go a little crazy in Midjourney.
If you would like to see more of my AI artwork, follow Sprinkle of AI on Instagram or check out more posts on my blog sprinkleofai.com!
For more info about me or my handmade items, check my blog macrameforbeginners.com, or browse my Etsy Shop for beginner-friendly step-by-step patterns.
This website features a collection of fictional characters and products crafted with Midjourney. All images are purely imaginative, and any resemblance to actual persons or products is entirely coincidental.
