Midjourney is an artificial intelligence image generator used by graphic designers, artists, or anyone interested in AI-generated art. Available as a text-to-image bot on Discord, a social platform popular with gamers, it’s useful whether you’re brainstorming a concept for a project, need some quick visual ideas, or just want to play around. Masu. Plus, it’s fun to see what the AI ​​tools come up with based on the ideas in your head.
You’ve probably heard of or tried competing products like Dall-E, Adobe Firefly, Stable Diffusion, and Leonardo. We tested Midjourney a few months ago before the latest update. You can read that review here. CNET’s verdict: “Midjourney’s images are fun, detailed, and vivid, even if they’re not always completely accurate.”
We also compared Midjourney to other AI image generation tools we tried in 2024. Although this tool has many great features, there are some things to consider. It is only available on Discord, requires a paid subscription, and may not work well with Discord. Display a prompt.
Still, it’s a great tool, especially for people who have a lot of imagination but don’t have much practical know-how. Based on Midjourney’s 20.77 million member count as of August 2024, there are certainly plenty of people giving it a try.
mid-journey version
Midjourney has had several version updates since its launch in July 2022, including the current default model, 6.1. Each new version improves the quality of the images it produces, adds more details, improves lighting, and provides more stylistic flexibility. Version 6.1 appears to have finally fixed the “weird hands and fingers” issue that occurs with most AI image generators.
One of the great features of Midjourney is that you can use the command –version or –v parameter to update any of the legacy models (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, or 6). It’s about being able to switch. model.
Different versions produce different styles of images. Starting with v5, Midjourney produces more photo-realistic images with more detailed accuracy and texture, while older versions are better suited for artistic and stylized images.
If you’re into anime, it’s time for Midjourney’s Niji Model 6 to shine. Developed in collaboration with Spellbrush, it’s specifically tailored for anime aesthetics, action shots, and character-focused compositions. To activate this mode, add –niji 6 to the prompt or select it from the settings using the /settings command.
How to use Midjourney: Set up
Midjourney doesn’t run on an app like other AI image generators, so you’ll need to have a Discord account first. Next, you need to subscribe to the Midjourney plan and join the Midjourney server on Discord. After that, you need to join the channel. If you’re just starting out, we recommend #General and #Newbie.
As with any AI tool, how the magic happens is that it’s all about creating the best prompts. Enter the image you want to see and the AI ​​will work.
Midjourney uses machine learning models trained on large amounts of data to understand what users want. And then create an image based on it. It’s important to note that any images you create will be in the public domain and will be visible to users on the Midjourney server unless you create them in stealth mode, which we’ll discuss later.
The results can be wild, from realistic landscapes and faces to more abstract and artistic ones.
Each action you send to the Midjoruney bot is called a “job.” This includes requesting images, upscaling, and creating variations of images based on user input after /imagine.
Midjourney lets you control your results with two key features: U for upscale and V for variation. After creating a series of images, you can select one and use the “U” option to enlarge the image. For example, you can increase the resolution for sharper, more detailed images.
If you’re not completely satisfied with the result, but you like the direction it’s going, press “V” for variation. This will cause the tool to create a new image based on the image you selected, keeping the style and feel but changing some details. This is a tedious process, so it’s a great way to adjust the output without having to start over.
These options give you more flexibility and allow you to fine-tune the image to your liking. Other options for enhancing or modifying images include specific prompting methods and rules for optimal results. These parameters include –no, –shorten, –remix, –remaster, and –stop. It may seem too complicated at first, but with some trial and error, you can easily get the hang of it.
prompt during the journey
A general recommendation for basic prompts is to keep them short and sweet with simple instructions rather than descriptive ones.
For example, don’t say something like, “Imagine a cozy cabin in the mountains, surrounded by pine trees, snow falling steadily, and smoke billowing from the chimney. Create a warm, peaceful atmosphere.” Please. Instead, write, “A cozy mountain cabin with snow and pine trees that creates a warm and peaceful atmosphere.”
Advanced prompts, on the other hand, can include one or more image URLs, multiple text phrases, and one or more parameters. Parameters adjust how the image is generated by changing the aspect ratio, model, upscaler, etc. Go to the end of the prompt.
Intermediate price setting
Unlike some free AI image generators, Midjourney requires a subscription to access, at least for model testing and partial capacity. Here’s the current price breakdown:
Basic Plan: $10/month (includes 3.3 hours of accelerated GPU time). Standard Plan: $30/month (includes 15 hours of accelerated GPU time and unlimited Relax Mode). Pro Plan: $60 per month (includes 30 hours of accelerated GPU time, unlimited Relax and Stealth modes). Mega Plan: $120/month (includes 60 hours of accelerated GPU time, unlimited Relax and Stealth modes).
Annual plans are also available at a 20% discount on all levels.
But here’s where things get more complicated. If your company generates more than $1 million in gross revenue per year, you should choose the Pro or Mega plans to access Midjourney’s full commercial usage rights.
Midjourney also has some other quirky payment options, including only accepting payment methods supported by Stripe.
Functions, modes, etc.
Midjourney utilizes a powerful graphics processing unit to process and create images based on your prompts. When you subscribe to Midjourney, you are essentially paying for access to these GPUs to generate your images.
Which of the following modes you choose to manage the speed of image generation depends on your level of patience:
Fast mode: Images are generated quickly, but consume allotted GPU time. Relaxed mode: Image generation is slower, but uses no GPU time and provides unlimited generation. Turbo mode: Fastest option, but consumes twice as much GPU time. Fast mode rate. Stealth Mode: An additional feature available on Midjourney’s Pro and Mega plans. This allows images to be generated privately. This means your work will not be visible to other users in the public gallery.
It’s worth mentioning that subscribers can also earn free fast GPU time every day by ranking their images. The top 2,000 participants each day will be rewarded with bonus fast hours.
style reference
In January 2024, Midjourney launched Style Reference (–sref). This feature allows you to take the visual style of any image and apply it to your own work. Each style has unique code that can be reused to achieve consistent results.
If you’re feeling adventurous, use the –sref random command and Midjourney will choose a random style from billions of possibilities.
There is also a dedicated website with thousands of SERF codes that you can use. /imagine prompt, etc.: Surreal Neon Dreamscapes –sref 698401885
As AI-generated art grows, platforms like this will become even more useful for artists, designers, and anyone looking to push the boundaries of creativity. But they still have a long way to go before they replace actual artists.
