Midjourney Explained

Midjourney was born out of the growing need for more intuitive, accessible tools for digital art.

The start of Midjourney coincided with a broader surge in AI applications. Many of these applications were especially relevant to creative sectors. It was a time when technologies formerly limited academic research became of practical use.

What is Midjourney?

Midjourney is an AI-based program that specializes in generating digital art. It interpret text and use that understanding to build digital art.

In other words, you describe what you want (known as "prompt"), and Midjourney creates related images. This text-to-image conversion is driven by Generative Adversarial Network (GAN).

How GAN Model Works?

GAN is a Machine Learning (ML) model that uses two different neural networks: the generator and discriminator networks.

The generator network accepts your prompts and creates samples. It then passes the samples to the discriminator network. The discriminator network tries to assess if the sample is correct or incorrect.

If the sample is correct, it is passed on to the user. If not, the discriminator tells the generator that it's wrong. By passing this information back, it "teaches" the generator, which "learns" and "improves" future processes.

Images Generated With Midjourney

Tens of thousands of sample images have been generated by Midjourney users. While some are private, there are many samples available on their Discord server. Below are a few image styles that you can see from those samples.

(All images are expandable, click to enlarge.)

How Much Does Midjourney Cost?

Midjourney offers a variety of subscription plans to cater to different user needs. Its four clearly defined plans are labeled Basic Plan, Standard Plan, Pro Plan, and Mega Plan. 

Features	Basic	Standard	Pro	Mega
Monthly Subscription	$10	$30	$60	$120
Annual Subscription	$8/mo	$24/mo	$48/mo	$96/mo
Fast GPU Time	3.3 hr/month	15 hr/month	30 hr/month	60 hr/month
Relax GPU Time	-	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Extra GPU Time	$4/hr	$4/hr	$4/hr	$4/hr
Work Solo In Your DMs	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Stealth Mode	-	-	Yes	Yes
Max Concurrent Jobs	3 Jobs, 10 Jobs waiting in queue	3 Jobs, 10 Jobs waiting in queue	12 Fast Jobs, 3 Relaxed Jobs, 10 Jobs in queue	12 Fast Jobs, 3 Relaxed Jobs, 10 Jobs in queue
Usage Rights	General Commercial Terms*	General Commercial Terms*	General Commercial Terms*	General Commercial Terms*

Prices for Midjourney plans range from $10/mo to $120/mo. Prices for each tier will drop if you subscribe annually. However, that means you'll need to pay the entire sum upfront. The main differentiator between the plans is the amount of fast GPU time and the maximum number of concurrent jobs. 

If you don't fully utilize the allocated resources each month, they do not roll over to the following month.

Who Should Use Midjourney?

MidJourney can appeal to a diverse range of individuals and professionals. If you still need to figure out if it's right for you, consider your needs. I believe that even casual users can benefit from this platform. For examples:

• Those With Limited Art Skills: If you have a wealth of creative ideas but need more technical skills to bring them to life, MidJourney is an ideal solution.
• Digital Artists and Designers: It can serve as a tool for inspiration and a means to quickly visualize concepts.
• Digital Marketers: MidJourney can be a powerful tool for generating unique visuals for campaigns, social media posts, or digital content. 
• Educators and Students: Use MidJourney as a learning tool. It provides hands-on experience with AI technology and its applications.
• Small Businesses or Startups: MidJourney is a cost-effective way to produce professional-looking visuals for products, services, or promotional materials.

The Evolution of Midjourney

The development of Midjourney involved significant technical innovations. The team trained the AI on diverse images and textual description datasets. That enabled them to create a semi-intelligent system to understand and visualize artistic concepts and styles.

Since its launch, Midjourney has attracted a vibrant community of artists, designers, and enthusiasts. The platform provided a new medium for experienced artists and opened the doors of art creation to those who had never ventured into it.

Development Timeline

Midjourney was formally established in San Francisco by David Holz. Holz, a co-founder of Leap Motion, has been making strides in AI image generation. The company's platform, Midjourney, began its open beta in July 2022.

However, initial groundwork started earlier, in March 2022. At that time, Midjourney launched its Discord server and called for high-quality photo submissions on Twitter and Reddit for training.

Since then, Midjourney has come a long way:

• Midjourney version 1 - February 2022
• Midjourney version 2 - April 2022
• Midjourney version 3 - July 2022
• Midjourney version 4 - November 2022 
• Midjourney version 5 - March 2023
• Midjourney version 5.1 - May 2023
• Midjourney version 5.2 - June 2023

AI Generators Like Midjourney

One of the things I dislike the most about Midjouney is that we have to use it through Discord. If you're like me and prefer a more traditional tool, here are some Midjourney alternatives to consider;

Dall-E

Developed by OpenAI, Dall-E is famous for its ability to create detailed and precise images from textual descriptions. It's known for generating highly realistic and sometimes surrealistic images.

DeepArt

Focused on transforming photos into artwork, DeepArt uses a technique known as style transfer. It applies the styles of famous paintings to user-uploaded images.

DeepArt is excellent for those who want to see their photos reimagined in the styles of iconic artists like Van Gogh or Picasso. It's more about re-styling existing images than generating new ones from scratch.

Artbreeder

Popular for its collaborative and interactive approach to AI art, Artbreeder allows users to 'breed' images, combining different elements to create new artworks. Its collaborative platform enables users to merge and modify existing images easily.

Stable Diffusion

Stable Diffusion is an advanced AI model that excels in generating high-quality images and art from textual descriptions. It stands out for its ability to blend diverse visual elements seamlessly, creating unique and imaginative compositions.

Controversy Around Midjourney and Other AI Generators

AI art generators like Midjourney have stirred up quite a buzz. Some pretty big debates are going on about whether these tools are crossing some lines. Let's consider what's happened so far:

Concern Over Job Losses

Artists, the people who make art for a living, are worried. They're thinking, "Will these AI programs take our jobs?" It's like how some workers feel about robots in factories. After all, AI can make a cool picture in just a few clicks.

A gaming industry recruiter in Hangzhou, China, highlighted one such example. In an interview, the recruiter mentioned that illustrator jobs dropped by a staggering 70% over the past year in China.

Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights Infringement Claims

Imagine you drew pictures, and someone else used them to create their artwork without asking you. That's the heart of the copyright issue with AI art generators. These programs learn by looking at loads of art people make, but they don't always get permission. 

AI art generation may be pretty new, but the lawsuits have started flying. A US district judge dismissed copyright infringement claims against MidJournet and DeviantArt. He concluded that there was doubt about whether the AI systems used copyrighted images.

Is It Real, or Is It AI?

Sure, these AI tools can whip up some pretty neat pictures. But can they honestly capture what it feels like to see a sunset or the emotion in someone's face? Some people argue that there's more to art than just looking good; it's about feeling something, too.

Some studies have shown that AI-generated art can invoke emotion. However, since this is relatively new, that's another point still on the fence.

Final Thoughts: Are We Mid-Journey?

Many of us have become enthralled by AI tools like Midjourney. However, it's only been a relatively short time since the AI wave hit the masses. We're just beginning to see the horizon. 

That places us far from mid-journey. There's a long way to go. As AI models evolve and develop, we will likely see more impressive things from AI, image creation, or otherwise.

Frequently Asked Questions