Midjourney is a generative artificial intelligence (ai)-powered platform that allows users to generate unique works of art, such as characters, images, and renderings, through short text messages.
A generative ai platform is an artificial intelligence system that can generate new and unique content, often in the form of images, text, or other creative outputs. Unlike traditional rule-based ai systems designed for specific tasks, generative ai platforms use advanced algorithms, typically based on deep learning techniques, to autonomously produce novel and contextually relevant results.
Midjourney ai is one such innovative generative ai platform that opens up new possibilities for creative expression and can produce results that go beyond what was explicitly programmed, introducing an element of unpredictability and creativity into the ai landscape. This can be applied to various artistic domains to create realistic images that do not exist in the real world.
This article discusses what Midjourney ai is, how Midjourney works, effective prompts, how Midjourney is different from Dall-E 2, and the benefits of Midjourney art. It will also raise the outstanding question: Is it ethical to use ai generated art? There is also a step-by-step guide on how to use Midjourney for artists to create unique ai-generated artwork.
Related: The ABCD of ai: automation, big data, computer vision and deep learning
What is middle-of-the-road ai?
Midjourney is a generative artificial intelligence program and service from research laboratory Midjourney, Inc. The Midjourney team is led by David Holz, co-founder of Leap Motion. Like OpenAI's DALL-E and Stability ai's Stable Diffusion, Midjourney creates images using natural language descriptions called prompts.
Midjourney's website describes itself as “an independent research laboratory exploring new means of thinking and expanding the imaginative powers of the human species.”
It has been in open beta since July 12, 2022, and users can create high-quality artwork with Midjourney using simple text-based prompts in Discord bot commands. No specialized hardware or software is required to use Midjourney. However, to access the service you need to have a Discord account.
How does Midjourney work?
Midjourney operates through the sophisticated interaction of two machine learning technologies: large language models and diffusion models. When users enter prompts, a large language model deciphers the meaning of the words and transforms it into a numerical vector.
This vector is instrumental in guiding the diffusion process, where Midjourney uses a diffusion model to transform random noise into visually appealing art. Diffusion models involve gradually adding random noise to a set of training data images. The model becomes adept at generating entirely new images by learning to reverse this noise over time.
For example, if a user enters a text message like “bitcoin mining with bright colors and animated appearance,” Midjourney starts with a visual noise field. Through latent diffusion, a trained ai model systematically subtracts noise, progressively revealing an image that embodies the essence of the objects and themes specified in the original message.
The synergy of broadcast modeling and language understanding allows Midjourney to create captivating and diverse ai-generated artwork based on user suggestions or input.
How to get started with Midjourney: a step-by-step guide
Midjourney beta can only be accessed through a Discord account. Here's a step-by-step tutorial on using Midjourney to create unique ai-generated images:
Step 1: Join the discord mid-journey
Existing Discord users can visit Midjourney.com, click the “Join Beta” button, or go directly to the Discord mid-journey. For those who do not have a Discord account, first register for a free Discord account and then join the Midjourney Discord server. You can access Midjourney Discord from anywhere: web, mobile, and desktop apps.
Step 2 – Select a subscription plan
When the service first launched in July 2022, anyone could use it to generate 25 images for free. However, this changed in April 2023, when Midjourney discontinued the free trial program. Midjourney is no longer available for free, except during short promotional periods. The pricing plan can be found in the table below.
Step 3: Use the “/imagine” command to generate illustrations
To get started, you can go to the “#newbies” channel, followed by a number on the Midjourney Discord server. There are many such channels and you can choose any of them. In the beginner channel, enter “/” followed by “imagine” and the prompt to have Midjourney generate the required images.
For example, the message /imagine: “bitcoin mining in bright colors with an animated appearance.”
Another example of a /imagine message, “Elements of the ethereum blockchain in a modern technological environment”, returned the following output:
How long does it take for Midjourney to generate an image?
On average, Midjourney takes about a minute to generate four art options. However, this is not fixed and the time may increase if an enhanced image or output with a non-square aspect ratio is desired.
Midjourney subscription plans have fast and relaxed modes, which will change the build speed depending on the subscribed plan. In fast mode, there is no need to queue behind others. However, even the most expensive paid plans have a monthly limit on the number of images generated in quick mode.
In relaxed mode, image requests are sent to a queue. The generation may take between one and 10 minutes to complete. Additionally, Midjourney has an expensive “Turbo” mode that can be activated with the “/turbo” command. Turbo mode generates new images four times faster but consumes twice the time of the subscription plan's monthly allotment.
How do I save Midjourney images and who do they belong to?
To save the generated image to Midjourney, click on the image to open it in full size, then right-click and choose the “Save Image” option. On mobile, long-press the image and then tap the download icon in the top right corner.
Midjourney allows users to view all previously created images, including the prompts used to generate them. To access previously created Midjourney images in Discord, go to the “Mention” tab of your Discord inbox and download previous images.
The mid-trip images are in the public domain and the property is open source. Halfway through the trip describe itself as an open community that allows others to use and remix images and prompts when posted in a public environment. By default, all Midjourney images can be viewed and remixed publicly. Therefore, anyone can access and modify them. This makes it questionable to sell Midjourney artwork.
What is the difference between Midjourney and Dall-E 2?
Dall-E 2 is a text-to-image conversion model and the successor to Dall-E created by the OpenAI research lab that launched ChatGPT. In 2019, OpenAI received over $1 billion in funding from Microsoft and Khosla Ventures, and in January 2023, following the release of Dall-E 2 and ChatGPT, it received an additional $10 billion in funding from Microsoft. Midjourney is self-funded and built by an independent laboratory, Midjourney Inc.
While Dall-E 2 and Midjourney rely on natural language descriptions that generate images from prompts, usage depends on specific requirements and preferences. Some of the differences are the following:
- Access: Midjourney can be accessed through Discord, while Dall-E 2 is only available through the OpenAI website.
- Image resolution: Midjourney can output an image with a resolution of 1792×1024, while Dall-E 2 outputs a resolution of 1024×1024.
- Subscription: Both have subscription plans and users can check the updated rates on the respective websites to see which one suits them best.
Benefits and use of Midjourney
Midjourney has allowed artists to explore diverse artistic styles, themes and concepts, encouraging creativity and pushing the boundaries of traditional art forms. Artists can experiment with multiple parameters and techniques, resulting in versatile results ranging from abstract compositions to realistic renderings. Save time due to the fast response of ai to generate images.
Additionally, integration with platforms like Discord enhances the collaborative aspects of Midjourney, allowing artists to share ideas, techniques, and creations within a community of like-minded people.
In addition to artistic expression, Midjourney is beneficial for creating product images, illustrations, social media creatives, marketing materials, non-fungible token (nft) art projects, architectural visualizations, and more.
Is the art of ai legal and ethical?
While the art of ai is legal, its ethical implications are multifaceted and involve considerations related to creativity, ownership, bias, and social impact. The common argument is that although ai tools contribute to the creation, the input and guidance comes from humans. Clear guidelines on attribution and ownership are essential to address these issues.
Commercial use of ai-generated art raises questions about fair compensation and the potential for plagiarism. Artists should be aware of the ethical implications of selling ai-generated works and how it aligns with established norms in the art world.
ai models are trained with data sets that may contain biases present in the data: gender, racial or cultural biases. This can inadvertently lead to biased results, reinforcing existing stereotypes or prejudices. Artists and developers should be aware of these biases and work to mitigate them.
The computational resources required to train and run advanced ai models such as Midjourney and Dall-E 2 raise environmental concerns. Ethical discourse should consider the carbon footprint associated with large-scale ai operations.
