In the world of AI image generation, Midjourney is legendary. Launched in July 2022, the platform quickly established itself as a market leader.
The service relies on its own homemade diffusion model based on stable diffusion, and has skyrocketed in popularity to become the best AI image generator we've reviewed. This is despite, or maybe because of, its quirky user interface choice: instead of a Flash-like dashboard, you're forced to go into Discord to enter the image prompts behind the /imagine motif and a lengthy, indeterminate queuing system. It's truly a work of art.
You can check out Midjourney by clicking here.
On the road: Prices and offers
Midjourney offers a basic plan starting at $10 per month, which gives you three hours of “public” fast image generation via the member gallery. This is the basic plan with fewer bells and whistles, but it's still got plenty of functionality. The other three plans range from $30 to $120 per month and offer faster generation, private images, and more concurrent generation.
All plans come with handy editing options. For example, the platform offers the ability to outpaint (zoom out) in two clicks and the ability to enlarge images. These features allow users to enlarge images or increase their resolution as needed, making it easy to create high-quality images without requiring advanced graphic design skills.
If you need even more control over your image, you can fine-tune your prompts with custom zoom, and use the image remix and canvas variation buttons. Using these features can be a bit clunky due to the Discord interface, but Midjourney users seem to be forgiving.
On the Journey: Art Style
(Image courtesy of Midjourney)
One of the best AI art generators we've tested, Midjourney's defining feature is its distinct artistic style. The platform excels at delivering images with a unique flair and attention to lighting and texture, among other things. The results are not just good, they're often stunning. For example, entering a prompt like “A beautiful tiger sitting on a deserted beach at sunset” produces a visually striking and detailed image.
What sets Midjourney apart from other AI image generators is its ability to add artistry to any image. Midjourney's work is recognizable from afar, which is either a good or bad thing depending on your religion. But Midjourney is especially appealing to artists and designers who need an AI's help but don't want to admit it.
Along the way: User interface and experience
(Image courtesy of Midjourney)
To use the service, you'll need to sign up to the Midjourney Discord chat channel. Once logged in, you can start generating images by typing the phrase “/imagine” followed by the text prompt. It's not a very user-friendly process and feels a bit clunky, but it works.
This slightly unusual interface brings both challenges and opportunities. On the one hand, it limits access to the platform for users who are familiar with or willing to learn how to navigate Discord. On the other hand, it fosters a user community that is compelled to share prompts and images, creating a collaborative environment where users can learn from each other. This community aspect is actually pretty cool and sometimes inspiring.
This interface is currently the only way to interact with Midjourney, but a new dashboard is coming soon, as highlighted on the Showcase homepage: We expect this new upgrade will also include an easier way to access and manage user accounts.
Interface and Experience: 3.5/5
Along the way: community and collaboration
(Image courtesy of Midjourney)
One of Midjourney's lesser known features is the strong community aspect it offers through its Discord channel. Users share prompts and generated images in the chat, enabling a collaborative environment where users can learn from each other's successes and failures. This is a great way for beginners to learn through feedback and for experts to act as mentors and help improve their skills.
Of course, this is a double-edged sword: on lower plans, generated images are public by default, which could be a disadvantage for those who value privacy or create images for sensitive commercial purposes. The more you pay, the more privacy you get.
The Discord community is also a frontline for technical support, where users can ask questions, share tips, and solve common issues. This peer group model is convenient, but it's not as reliable as a dedicated customer support team. Direct support is available, but it's limited. Thankfully, there are some helpful tutorials and help FAQs.
Midjourney produces excellent images, despite its quirks. However, like any image generator, it requires trial and error and a fair bit of patience to get the best results. I found that it usually took a few tries to produce the final image, using the variation buttons (v1, v2, etc.) and the upscale option that allows for outpainting (zoom out) functionality. Surprisingly, that's the extent of the editing, aside from limited image variation and crude inpainting options.
Learning which prompts produce the best results is like digital gardening: you sow a prompt, observe the results, and adjust or harvest accordingly. This iterative process is time-consuming, but also rewarding. Over time, you'll gain a better understanding of how to create prompts that produce the best images in the shortest amount of time.
Two years is a long time in the world of AI. In 2022, Midjourney was leading a small percentage of image generation tools, but now, bigger rivals are emerging almost monthly. The latest, Flux AI, is a great image service that seems to have won the quality crown, at least for now. That means that for Midjourney to catch up, it will have to improve its interface, offer more flexible editing features, or offer other meaningful changes. As many other image generation services have learned to their cost, this is an unforgiving market. Will the best AI tool for images be able to maintain its top spot? It will be interesting to see where this service goes next.
Community and Collaboration: 5/5
On the road: final verdict
Midjourney is a great veteran in the field of AI image generation, producing images that are not just good, but artistic. The interface is admittedly outdated and a bit clunky, but if you're willing to navigate Discord to access the platform's features, you won't have to worry about that. Patience and practice go a long way to get the best results from this powerful tool. However, it remains to be seen how long this market dominance will last.
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