What can you create with Midjourney?
In 2008, the movie "Inkheart", starring Brendan Fraser, tells the story of Mortimer, a father with the gift of bringing the words of the books he reads to life. By inadvertently bringing villains into the real world, Mo faces the challenge of imprisoning them once again in the pages of books.
Nowadays, with artificial intelligence, it's not necessary to have the same power as the character to bring words to life, and it's possible to create texts, images, videos and audio transcripts with just a few commands in a matter of seconds.
Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz has named Midjourney as the eighth most popular generative AI tool worldwide by June 2023. In this article, we'll explore what Midjourney is, why it has become one of the most widely used AIs and provide comparisons with other platforms.
What is Midjourney?
Midjourney is an AI that creates images from text commands. But what makes this model innovative is the integration with the Discord messaging application.
To generate an image, the user has to write a message in a Discord room with the commands. The application then knows which image to generate and offers four options to choose from.
This interaction experience with language models is designed to provide a personalized journey. This is what makes Midjourney richer, since other generative models that use the chat format only produce text.
Is Midjourney Free?
Not anymore. Midjourney used to have a free plan, but it has now been discontinued. The developers explained that there was an overload in the provision of services and that an episode involving Pope Francis reinforced the decision.
In March 2023, a photo of Pope Francis wearing a puffer jacket took over social media. The stylish outfit caught the attention of internet users, who were used to the Catholic leader's more sober outfits.
However, the image was generated on Midjourney. With such repercussions and the controversies surrounding the use of the Pope's photo, the free plan ceased to exist.
Midjourney operates on a subscription model with different price levels, ranging from US$10 per month for the basic plan to US$120 per month for the mega plan, depending on the amount of use.
How can I use Midjourney?
As stated above, Midjourney must be used via the Discord platform. Using the unofficial Midjourney application is a bad idea because it can expose user data and compromise security.
Discord
Before we go any further, we need to clarify what Discord is. Launched in 2015, Discord is a text, voice and video messaging application. It is used by gamers all over the world who want to communicate with their friends during online matches.
However, the use of Discord has grown progressively. In 2019, around 56 million users were already registered, but in 2021, the number jumped to 150 million. In Brazil alone, 3 million people are connected to Discord.
And to use Midjourney, the first step is to access Discord. The messaging application uses personalized commands to control the content generated, meeting users' individual needs.
How to Access Midjourney on Discord?
Access to Midjourney is simple. Check out the steps below:
1. To log in, the first step is to create a Discord account;
2. Then go to the Midjourney website and click on the "Sign In With Discord" button;
3. Finally, the user must enter their login and password to enter Discord and grant permission for the AI to see their registration and personal information.
The process is simple and ensures that anyone interested, from technology enthusiasts to professionals in various fields, can access and use Midjouney intuitively.
Midjourney Alpha website
Recently, the Alpha site was launched, where users who have generated 10,000 or more images gain access to new features. Three significant improvements have been introduced: simplified controls for instant creation, the ability to explore public requests in the "Explore" tab and the convenience of centralizing all previous prompts on the site.
Are the commands the same as in ChatGPT?
Although Midjourney has a similar technological base to ChatGPT, the engineering of the prompts is not the same.
Within Discord, the user must enter one of the chat rooms and, in the dialog bar, activate AI. with the code "/imagine". They then build the command to generate the images.
These prompts do not follow the same logic as ChatGPT, although they use the same chat format to work. In Midjourney, the user has to type short phrases and words separated by commas. And in English. For example:
- Blue car, road, racing.
In this command, the machine should create a blue car (blue car) on a road (road), racing (racing). If you want the image to have a certain style, you can also add this indication in the prompt.
- Lion, growing, savannah, realistic.
At the prompt, the prompt is a lion (lion) roaring (growling), on the African savannah (savannah). Finally, the style is determined by the word realistic, which translates into Portuguese as realistic.
How do I adjust the image size in Midjourney?
One of Midjourney's most interesting features is the ability to scale the generated images. This is something that other generative AIs may not offer.
All generated images are square (1:1), but to adjust the image size in the promptprompt, the user must add the code with the new dimension. For example: "-ar 16:9" to generate images in stories.
Can I Choose the Image Quality in Midjourney?
Yes, users can choose the image quality in Midjourney. This option gives additional control over the result of commands, so if it's a relevant question, take note of this tip.
When you type the terms into the promptprompt, include the words 4K or HD to direct the production towards high-quality images. Especially when changing the file size, as distortions can occur.
Are there any risks in using Midjourney?
Yes, but they are hidden. Think of the following example: In the savannah, during some months of the year, drought is a problem for animals that depend on lakes and rivers to survive.
Crocodiles have developed strategies to avoid suffering from the lack of water, sinking into the icy mud and remaining absolutely still. The inattentive prey, who comes close to the mud looking for some water, doesn't notice the huge predator standing right next to him and ends up becoming dinner.
Similarly, the dangers of generative AI are not obvious to users. The most imminent danger is the use of false images to spread misinformation, as in the case of the Pope wearing the puffer jacket. The image of the religious leader was harmless, but in other situations, it could lead people to the wrong conclusions.
Midjourney versus Tess AI
Midjourney came along with a large wave of other generative AIs, but each one has its own particularities. Knowing what each AI can offer is the key to selecting the one that will meet your needs.
While Midjourney requires a Discord account, Tess AI, Pareto's AI platform, offers access with a simple registration directly in the browser, regardless of device or location. The notable advantage of Tess AI is the wide variety of image generation templates available on the platform.
If you're looking for a Pixar-like style, it's available. Prefer something more realistic, inspired by Unsplash photos? It's there too. Or maybe you're interested in illustrations? Tess AI offers templates for a variety of artistic styles.
Therefore, for those who choose to invest in Tess AI - as both it and Midjourney are paid platforms - they can create diverse images with a more extensive range of editing options than other generative AIs.
Below are some examples of images generated in different styles by Tess AI.
Tips for Using Midjourney at Work
The use of a generative image AI like Midjourney in marketing can offer a number of products that are a real godsend. Below, we'll list three ways to integrate a generative image AI into your work.
1. Create Personalized Visual Content
You can use Midjourney to create customized, visually appealing images to build your company's marketing.
This can include generating illustrations, or even specific images for segmented target audiences. The ability to create unique and tailored visual content can increase audience engagement.
From a management point of view, reducing the effort your designers have to put into searching for images in free or paid databases, or making edits to obtain what satisfies a need.
2. Developing Creative Ads
Have you ever thought of using Midjourney to create original commercials?
This technology can generate unique layouts and designs, with tests for different ad variations to optimize performance. With Midjourney, you can create more variations, faster and without any gimmicks.
With generative AI, you can even create images that specifically align with the preferences and characteristics of your target audience.
3. Enhancing Product Images in E-commerce
When a company needs to launch new products, it invests in creating the best advertising campaigns. However, there are limits to what can be done in studios and there are budgets for getting these images onto e-commerce.
To improve the way products are presented, ensuring high visual quality and aesthetic consistency across the platform, using a generative AI like Midjourney can be a way of producing elements that will be used in ads.
Conclusion
Now that you have a comprehensive understanding of the Midjourney platform, you can make a more informed decision about investing in this tool. Evaluate each aspect carefully, considering your specific needs.
On the other hand, on Pareto's AI platform, Tess AI, you'll find numerous templates for creating realistic and illustrative high-resolution images in any format you like.
Another highlight is that with Tess AI you can also edit images and produce variations in less time. We therefore invite you to get to know Tess AI for free and be amazed by the future of AI.
