In recent years, there has been a lot of excitement surrounding AI image generators. These tools are excellent for sparking creativity and quickly turning your imaginative ideas into detailed and accurate visuals.
Midjourney, an AI art generator that has been in the spotlight since 2022, stands out for its superior image quality and a thriving community of artists who engage in sharing their creations. It was one of the pioneering AI image generators to emerge during the AI Boom.
Having evaluated several top AI image generators in the industry, I was curious to see if Midjourney lived up to its reputation in 2024. In this detailed review of Midjourney, I will delve into its functionality, target audience, and main attributes.
Midjourney created this image quickly, showing impressive quality and attention to detail. After that, I’ll share my best tips for maximizing your use of Midjourney. I’ll also discuss some of its advanced features and the top alternatives to Midjourney that I have tested. Ultimately, the aim is for you to have a comprehensive understanding of Midjourney, its capabilities, and whether it lives up to the hype.
Verdict
The judgment on Midjourney is that it continues to live up to its reputation with an active community, ongoing enhancements, top-notch image creations, and detailed tutorials. Additionally, a new web version has been released for a smoother user experience, although users must have created over 100 images with Midjourney.
Pros
- Midjourney is one of the top AI image generators that can create high-quality and unique images in various artistic styles.
- Users who have made at least 100 images with Midjourney can access Midjourney Alpha for a smoother experience.
- The platform can be easily accessed through Discord, making it convenient for current users.
- It can mimic specific artistic styles and produce images that appear to be created by well-known artists.
- Users have the option to refine images with features like variations, upscaling, and outpainting.
- The platform is constantly improving with the introduction of new features.
- A quick start guide and other resources are available for users.
- There is also a strong Discord community for support and collaboration.
Cons
- This AI image generator is more intricate than others.
- It does not allow you to select the quantity of images it produces and is not suitable for creating text.
- A Discord account is necessary to use it and it comes with a cost.
What is Midjourney?
Midjourney is a research lab that operates independently and is committed to delving into fresh avenues of thought and broadening the boundaries of human creativity. Under the leadership of David Holz, a small team of 11 full-time employees and a notable group of advisors, this self-funded entity concentrates on design, human systems, and artificial intelligence.
Midjourney employs machine learning algorithms to create top-notch images in different styles based on text prompts. It only requires a few moments to produce four images! Following that, you can generate diverse versions and enhance the quality of your pictures. With training on millions of images, Midjourney is capable of generating a wide range of highly detailed images.
One distinctive feature of Midjourney is its utilization of Discord. Discord proves to be handy for users who already have an account and is perfect for working together, as you can observe others creating images in the moment.
One of the disadvantages of Discord is that it can be perplexing and intimidating for individuals who are new to the platform. Fortunately, Midjourney has recently introduced a new Web App that provides a smoother user interface. While you will still need to establish a Discord account to utilize the Web App, the layout is significantly neater, allowing you to engage and participate in various community rooms.
Ever since its introduction in July 2022, Midjourney has experienced substantial growth and remains innovative in integrating AI with human ingenuity. This distinctive platform serves as a valuable tool for digital artists, content creators, and companies seeking to enhance their visual content.
Who would benefit most from Midjourney?
Midjourney is a valuable tool for individuals ranging from experts to enthusiasts who aim to stay at the forefront of producing top-notch images.
- Midjourney provides digital artists with a space to play around and try out different art styles.
- Midjourney can be utilized by graphic designers to produce impressive images for website development, brand identity, and promotional materials.
- Companies have the opportunity to improve their branding and marketing efforts using Midjourney by incorporating visually striking images that grab attention. They can produce captivating visuals for social media, eye-catching website graphics, and top-notch marketing materials that align with their creative vision!
- Midjourney allows content creators to create distinctive and eye-catching images to complement their written content and social media posts.
- Writers have the option to create visuals for their stories using Midjourney, such as designing book covers, creating illustrations, and depicting scenes. The platform’s capability to imitate different art styles guarantees that the visuals will enhance the mood and tone of the story.
- Midjoruney provides game developers with the ability to craft engaging characters, settings, and visual effects. This tool encourages creativity and aids in building immersive virtual environments and stages.
- Enthusiasts have the opportunity to unleash their artistic talents and work on personal projects using Midjourney. This website enables individuals to freely explore various artistic styles and offers a range of tools for crafting one-of-a-kind images for websites, blogs, social media, or simply for enjoyment!
Unique Characteristics
Midjourney distinguishes itself from other AI image generators due to several distinct features.
- AI Image Generator: The core feature of Midjourney is its capability to transform basic text prompts into unique, top-notch images. Simply convey your desired creation to Midjourney in plain language, and within moments, it will produce four images that match your description! You don’t need any artistic skills or external assistance to instantly generate striking photos.
- Mimic Art Styles: Imitate Artistic Techniques: Midjourney simplifies the process of replicating art styles. For instance, if you desire to create visuals similar to those of Van Gogh, you may specify this in your text input. To imitate any desired style, you can utilize the Style Reference feature (-sref) in conjunction with the web address of an image that is publicly available.
- Refinement Options: After your images have been created, you have the option to use Midjourney to produce different versions and enhance them easily. Once enhanced, Midjourney will offer a variety of choices to make minor or significant changes, modify a particular area, zoom in or out, or expand the image in various ways.
- Discord-Based: The features of Midjourney on Discord are excellent for engaging with the community and for collaborating on, enhancing, and sharing images from popular chat apps.
- Web Application: Midjourney has recently launched a web application tailored for beginners in image generation who are looking for a smoother user experience. This tool simplifies the process of creating images for those who prefer not to delve into complex parameters.
- Ongoing enhancements: Midjourney continues to enhance its intelligence through machine learning, ensuring that users are at the forefront of AI technology.
Instructions for Utilizing Midjourney for Creating Images
- Join the Midjourney Discord community
- Sign up for your Discord Account
- Acquire your Midjourney Membership
- Go to a “Newbie” Bot Channel
- Include your text prompt
- Create Image
- Enhance the quality of images
- Make additional improvements
Step 1: Join the Midjourney Discord community
I started by going to the Midjourney homepage and selecting “Sign Up” on the bottom right.
Afterwards, I chose to “Proceed with Discord.” The images created with Midjourney can only be viewed through the Discord bot, meaning you need a Discord account in order to utilize Midjourney.
Joining Discord is simple and doesn’t cost a thing! Just register with your email address and set up a password.
After that, I came up with a username to be used as my nickname on Discord and clicked on “Continue.”
Step 2 : Verify Your Discord Account
Upon setting up my Midjourney account, I needed to verify it by clicking on the “Claim Account” button and registering with my email and password. Verifying my account took just a minute, and I was then able to send messages to the server.
Once I had set up and verified my Discord account, Midjourney directed me to the “#getting-started” channel. I was thankful for the warm message from the Midjourney community and the detailed instructions provided.
Step 3: Obtain Your Midjourney Membership
In order to access image generation on Midjourney, a membership is required. I obtained mine by clicking on the link “Get your Midjourney membership” in the “#getting-started” channel.
Upon clicking the link, I was directed by Midjourney to the showcase, where I proceeded to log in to my account by clicking on the account icon located in the bottom left.
Upon accessing my Discord account, I clicked on the account icon once more and selected “Manage Subscriptions.”
If Discord doesn’t appeal to you for creating images with Midjourney, you can opt for the new Midjourney Web App for a smoother user experience.
Step 4: Go to a “Newbie” Bot Channel
Step 5: Add Your Text Prompt
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Create Image
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Upscale Images
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Make Further Refinements
Strategies for Maximizing Your Experience During the Midjourney
Here are my tips for getting the most out of Midjourney:
- When providing guidance, strive for clarity and thoroughness. The more specific your instructions are, the more accurate the end result will be. Be sure to include all essential details to ensure a better outcome.
- Try out different art styles instead of sticking to one. Midjourney has the ability to mimic a range of artistic techniques, so trying out various prompts can help you uncover new visual directions for your artwork.
- Once you have created an image, continue refining it with Midjourney’s customization features to tailor and enhance them even more. Explore different options and alterations to fine-tune their look to your liking.
- Check out the various channels available on Midjourney Discord. You have the opportunity to engage with over one to two million active users who are ready to offer support and advice. By sharing your work and receiving feedback, you will be inspired and motivated by viewing other users’ projects, leading to enhanced creativity within yourself.
- Midjourney frequently introduces fresh features and regular updates every few months, making it important to stay vigilant of these changes in order to stay informed. Stay tuned to the Midjourney “announcements” channel on Discord for the most up-to-date information!
Advanced features available during the Midjourney
Midjourney offers amazing tools that enhance the process of creating images, making it more enjoyable and unique. Come explore what these tools are and learn how to utilize them:
- Activate remix mode by entering the “/prefer remix” command to adjust your prompt after viewing each set of variations. This feature allows you to modify the setting or lighting of a picture, make changes to subjects, or produce more complex compositions.
- UBy using the zoom-in and zoom-out functions, as well as the directional pan buttons, you have the ability to focus in on specific elements of an image or provide additional context. This feature is extremely helpful for ensuring that every aspect of the image is perfect!
- The diverse buttons provide the opportunity to explore various iterations of the image. This unlocks a plethora of creative possibilities tailored to your artistic vision!
- After filling your image grid with various options, you can press the “U” button to select an image to enlarge in better quality. Then, simply right-click on the image and choose “Save Image” to download it to your device.
Best Alternatives for the Midjourney
If you’re curious about other options available, these are the top alternatives to Midjourney that I have tested. I suggest giving them a thought!
GetIMG
I suggest trying GetIMG as an alternative to Midjourney. Both platforms utilize sophisticated AI technology to produce top-notch images and provide options for editing and personalizing them. Additionally, they encourage community participation and offer support and materials to help you unleash your creativity to the fullest.
By registering with GetIMG, you can receive 100 free credits every month with no need for a Discord account.
Before, you could create up to 25 images for free with Midjourney. But now, the Midjourney free trial is no longer an option due to its increased popularity. To generate images with Midjourney, you must now pay a minimum of $8 per month (with annual billing).
On the topic of community, Midjourney has a clear advantage. Both GetIMG and Midjourney provide Discord communities for interacting with others, seeking advice, and showcasing your work. However, Midjourney boasts a significantly larger active community of around one to two million members. In contrast, GetIMG has a much smaller community of approximately 2,000 members.
To have a more convenient experience without the need for a Discord account, opt for GetIMG, which also has a free plan and diverse features. If you prefer using Discord and need robust community support along with image generation flexibility, then Midjourney is the way to go. Both options produce beautiful images with intricate details, so you can’t make a wrong choice!
ArtSmart
I would suggest Art Smart as the top choice for an alternative to Midjourney. It is a tool that can easily create high-quality digital art without the need for technical expertise.
In addition to its impressive AI image creator, ArtSmart offers a range of AI tools such as an avatar generator, background remover, and the ability to manipulate digital skeletons and imitate character poses. Unfortunately, there is no free trial available for ArtSmart.
On the other hand, Midjourney also excels in producing unique, top-notch images in various artistic styles and is ideal for Discord users. After generating your image, you can create different versions, upscale it, outpaint, and more. Similar to ArtSmart, Midjourney is not free but slightly more cost-effective.
ArtSmart is the top pick for a user-friendly platform equipped with numerous AI tools. It is perfect for both individuals and businesses looking to produce top-notch digital art efficiently without the need for technical knowledge, especially catering to fashion designers aiming to create precise poses for their figures.
On the other hand, Midjourney is a fantastic option for those who value a platform showcasing high-quality, artistically designed images, seeking to engage with a thriving community, and feeling at ease with utilizing Discord.
Dzine
The last alternative I suggest for Midjourney is Dzine, which was previously known as Stylar. Similar to Midjourney, Dzine provides fast creation of polished, premium images. Additionally, it simplifies recurring creative duties with its easy-to-use AI editing features.
Dzine not only produces impressive photos, but its extensive editing features are also of high quality and very user-friendly.
In the meantime, Midjourney specializes in creating top-notch, one-of-a-kind images. You can easily produce pictures that reflect the artistic styles of famous artists or input URLs of desired image styles.
Midjourney requires a Discord account and generating images on Discord is more challenging than on Dzine. However, Midjourney offers a new web app for easy use, as well as image enhancement options like upscaling and outpainting. Keep in mind that Midjourney is not free; you will need to pay a minimum of $8 per month (billed annually).
If you’re in need of a user-friendly platform with extensive editing tools and support resources, I suggest opting for Dzine. It is also ideal for photographers and businesses that sell physical products.
On the other hand, consider choosing Midjourney if you’re interested in high-quality, artistically styled images and are comfortable using a more complex platform. Midjourney is also a good option if you value community support and ongoing feature improvements.
Concluding
Even though Midjourney is more complex compared to other AI image generators, I found pleasure in creating images with it. It offers detailed instructions through Discord, writing prompts, and additional resources. Users have the opportunity to experiment with numerous styles indefinitely. The recent launch of Midjourney’s web version has simplified image generation and user engagement, particularly for beginners.
Midjourney is poised for exciting advancements that will enhance the platform further. The company is constantly improving its technology to enhance the intelligence of its AI and generate more precise and lifelike images.
I am also very impressed by the size and vibrancy of the Midjourney community. It is the biggest online community for AI art generation that I have come across, and I appreciate being able to witness the creations of others in real time for instant inspiration. The ability to provide feedback to Midjourney using the “/feedback” command at any time is a fantastic feature.
Midjourney continues to be highly praised today because of its thorough documentation, user-friendly tutorials, and recent introduction of a web version, which makes using the platform more straightforward. The continuous technological improvements ensure that the results produced are accurate and realistic. With an active community providing immediate inspiration and feedback, Midjourney is a leading option for creating AI-generated art.
If you have reached this point, I appreciate you taking the time to read my review of Midjourney AI! I trust it has assisted you in deciding if investing in Midjourney is a good choice. Give Midjourney a try and see if it suits your needs! If not, there are other alternatives worth exploring.
