How To Recreate Stock Photos with Midjourney in 2026

As designers, we often rely on stock photos to make our websites look appealing.

However, we face a predicament where premium stock photos (like AdobeStock or Shutterstock) come with a hefty price tag.

While free stock photos from websites like Pexels or Unsplash are often overused and less unique (we can spot them all over the internet!).

Fortunately, there's a solution - recreating stock photos using Midjourney.

Table of Contents

1. Problems with Stock Photos
2. How to Write Great Prompts
3. Generating a Custom Photo
4. How to Enhance the Photo
5. Can You Sell AI Art?
6. Conclusion

PS. You can also consume this content in video form on my YouTube channel.

1. Problems with Stock Photos

For instance, this is the photo (from Pexels) that my client is using on their website peritidigital.com

A quick search on Google reveals this same photo is extensively used on numerous other websites, causing a lack of uniqueness.

2. How to Write Great Prompts

To generate new, unique, and custom photos similar to the original ones, we need to learn how to write great prompts.

The starting point is "imagine", followed by the URL of the photo you want to replicate and a description of the photo.

There are basically three effective ways to write prompts.

First, you can use Mid Journey's "describe" command.

Second, you can use the original description of the photo from the stock photo website.

Third, you can use ChatGPT to generate your own prompts.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to use Midjourney's new "describe" command:

1. Type /describe and hit enter.
2. Upload the original photo you want to replicate and hit enter again.
3. After a short wait, Midjourney generates four different prompt ideas.
4. Run these prompts by clicking the numbered buttons below.

Alternatively, you can use an image prompt by clicking on the photo, copying the image address, and using it as an image prompt.

3. Generating a Custom Photo

When generating a custom photo based on your stock photo, remember to pay attention to the description.

A good description captures the essence of the original photo and helps to guide the AI.

For instance, "smiling black woman looking at the camera in front of her laptop" is a succinct description.

You can also create variations of this photo by modifying your prompt.

For example, changing the prompt to "a black woman with curly hair sitting at a table with a laptop" can yield different results.

The beauty of Midjourney is it allows you to generate variations of a photo, which is almost like having your own photoshoot without the associated expenses of hiring models or booking a studio.

4. How to Enhance the Photo

If you need your photo in a larger size, AI upscalers like Smart Upscaler or Topaz Labz Upscaler can help.

While some of these tools may require a subscription, there are affordable or even free options available.

Other Photo Enhancing tools:

• Smart Upscaler
• Let's Enhance
• Gigapixel AI

After considering different photo enhancing tools (speed, quality, and user experience) I settled on using Gigapixel AI.

Despite seemingly a hefty price tag of 99,99$, it's just a one time payment and you can use it forever and on your own computer.

5. Where Can I Sell My AI Photos?

A frequent question is whether you can sell the AI-generated art on stock websites.

The answer is yes, more and more stock photos like Adobe Stock accepts AI-generated images.

You can use tools like Wirestock to automatically upscale and send your AI Art to all stock photo websites that accept them

All you need to do is tag them as AI-generated when uploading on Adobe Stock.

Here's the full list of popular stock websites that accept AI generated art:

• Shutterstock
• Adobe Stock
• Alamy
• Dreamstime
• Depositphotos
• Pond5
• iStock

Conclusion

AI generators like Midjourney provide a fantastic alternative to traditional stock photography.

You can replicate and customize stock photos at your will, adding a personal touch and making them truly unique.

As the technology advances, the results will only get better and better.