How to Use AI to Create Stunning Designs - Midjourney Tutorial

uxpeak
28 Jun 202314:35

TLDRThis tutorial guides viewers on how to use AI to create stunning designs for a meditation mobile app using Midjourney, an AI tool. Starting with Figma, three iPhone 14 frames are created for different screens of the app. Inspiration is gathered from platforms like Pinterest or Google, and images are used as references. Midjourney generates images based on prompts and the desired style, which can be adjusted and upscaled for better quality. The upscaled images are then enhanced using Nightmare AI from replicate.com. The design process includes adding a splash screen, home screen, and meditation screen with custom graphics, text, and interactive elements like a bottom navigation bar and audio waveform visualization. The tutorial also covers adding player controls and a status bar to complete the mobile app design.

Takeaways

  • 🎨 Use AI tools like Midjourney to create unique, custom graphics for designs, offering a personal touch and aesthetic beauty.
  • 📱 Start your design process in a tool like Figma by creating frames for different app screens, such as the splash, home, and meditation screens.
  • 🌅 Gather inspiration from platforms like Pinterest or Google Images, downloading images that resonate with your desired theme.
  • 🔗 Sign up for Midjourney using Discord for account management, and upload your chosen image to set the style for your AI-generated visuals.
  • 📝 Write a clear prompt for Midjourney to generate images, adjusting the aspect ratio parameter if needed for different screen dimensions.
  • ⏱️ Allow time for Midjourney to generate images and refine your prompt for better results if the initial output isn't as expected.
  • 🔍 Use Nightmare AI from replicate.com to enhance the quality of your images, making them sharper and higher in resolution.
  • 🖌️ Integrate the upscaled images into your Figma design, adjusting colors and sizing to fit the frames appropriately.
  • 📜 Add content such as app names, taglines, logos, and category names to the screens, ensuring a cohesive and professional look.
  • 🔍 Create a search bar with a magnifying glass icon and make elements subtle to indicate inactivity, using auto layout frames for structure.
  • 📊 Use Midjourney to generate images for specific sections of the app, like mindfulness sessions, and enhance them with Nightmare AI for quality.
  • ⚙️ Add interactive elements like player controls and a status bar to complete the app design, sourcing icons from platforms like Google Icons.

Q & A

  • What is Midjourney and how does it help in the design process?

    -Midjourney is a tool that utilizes artificial intelligence to create unique, custom graphics. It offers a way to break free from the constraints of stock images and infuse personal touch and aesthetic beauty into design, essentially acting as an artist in your pocket ready to generate visuals at your command.

  • How does the Midjourney platform work?

    -Midjourney operates through Discord for account management. Users sign up, upload an image for style reference, and then write a prompt for the kind of image they want. Midjourney generates images based on the prompt and allows users to adjust parameters like aspect ratio. If users are not satisfied with the results, they can refine their prompt and regenerate images.

  • What is the role of Nightmare AI in enhancing image quality?

    -Nightmare AI is a tool from replicate.com that can significantly enhance the quality of images. It takes the generated image from Midjourney, upscales it to increase the image size, and improves the details for a smoother look.

  • How does one gather inspiration for Midjourney?

    -One can gather inspiration by looking around platforms like Pinterest or Google to find images or illustrations that resonate with the desired theme, such as peaceful sunsets with soft orange or purple hues. These images are then downloaded and used as a reference in Midjourney.

  • What is the significance of aspect ratio in image generation with Midjourney?

    -The aspect ratio in Midjourney determines the shape of the generated images. By default, Midjourney generates images with a 1:1 aspect ratio, but users can specify a different aspect ratio, such as 3:2 or 2:3, in their prompt to get images of the desired shape.

  • How does one integrate the generated images into a design tool like Figma?

    -After generating and enhancing an image with Midjourney and Nightmare AI, users download the image and insert it into the appropriate frame in Figma. They can then adjust the size and color of the frames to fit the image and the overall design.

  • What is the purpose of a splash screen in app design?

    -A splash screen is the first screen seen when an app is opened. It is typically used to showcase the app's logo and branding while the app loads. It sets the tone for the user experience and introduces the app's identity.

  • How can one create a search bar within an app using Figma?

    -To create a search bar, one can use a magnifying glass icon, which is a universal symbol for search. This icon is placed within an auto layout frame with fill and stroke to form the basic structure of the search bar. The elements inside can be made subtle to indicate inactivity, and a placeholder text can be added for user guidance.

  • What is the purpose of categories in a meditation app's home screen?

    -Categories in a meditation app's home screen help users navigate and choose different types of meditation sessions or music. They are represented by icons and names, allowing users to quickly find and select the content they are interested in.

  • How does one add player controls to a mindfulness session or meditation music screen?

    -Player controls can be sourced from icon libraries like Google Icons. Once selected, they are added to the screen and can be customized in terms of color and layout to match the app's design. Typical controls include play, pause, skip, and volume adjustment options.

  • What is the final touch added to the mobile app design in the tutorial?

    -The final touch added to the mobile app design is a status bar at the top of the screens. This provides users with information such as time, battery life, and network connection status, enhancing the overall user interface.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Introduction to Mid-Journey and Design Process

This paragraph introduces the audience to the world of meditation, mobile apps, and the AI tool Mid-Journey. Mid-Journey is described as an AI-powered tool that helps create custom graphics, offering a personalized and aesthetic touch to design. The paragraph also mentions an ebook on AI for UX/UI design and suggests checking it out for a deeper understanding of AI in design. The process begins in Figma, where three iPhone 14 frames are created for different screens of a meditation app. Inspiration is gathered from platforms like Pinterest or Google, and images are used as references in Mid-Journey. The platform's sign-up process is briefly touched upon, emphasizing the need for a Discord account. The paragraph concludes with instructions on how to use Mid-Journey to generate images, including adjusting the aspect ratio and upscaling images for better quality.

05:01

🖼️ Designing the App Screens with Mid-Journey

The second paragraph delves into the specifics of designing the meditation app's screens using Mid-Journey. It guides the user through the process of creating a splash screen, home screen, and meditation screen, starting with naming and organizing the frames in Figma. The user is encouraged to find inspirational images and use them as references for Mid-Journey to generate custom graphics. The paragraph explains how to write prompts for Mid-Journey, adjust aspect ratios, and upscale images for higher quality. It also introduces the use of Nightmare AI from replicate.com to further enhance image quality. The process includes downloading the enhanced image and incorporating it into the Figma design, adjusting frame colors to match the visuals, and resizing images to fit the frames. The paragraph concludes with the steps to design the home screen, including adding a search bar, categories with icons, and category names.

10:01

📱 Finalizing the App Design and Adding Interactive Elements

The final paragraph focuses on completing the app design and adding interactive elements. It starts with generating images for the home screen using Mid-Journey and enhancing them with Nightmare AI. The user is then guided to add text layers for information and duplicate frames with updated text. The paragraph explains how to create a bottom navigation bar with icons representing different app screens, adjusting the pass-through property to indicate the active screen. It also covers the creation of an audio waveform visualization to represent music intensity and playback progress, suggesting the use of lines and colors to illustrate this. Player controls are added next, sourced from Google Icons or the provided Figma file, and the user is given creative freedom to adjust the colors. Lastly, a status bar is added to the top of the screens to finalize the mobile app design. The paragraph ends with a call to action, encouraging viewers to subscribe to the channel for more content on leveraging technology in the design process.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. In the context of the video, AI is used to create unique and custom graphics through a tool called Midjourney, which aids in the design process by generating visuals based on user prompts.

💡Midjourney

Midjourney is a platform that utilizes AI to assist in the creation of custom graphics. It is described as an 'artist in your pocket,' allowing users to generate unique visuals on command. In the video, Midjourney is central to the process of designing a meditation app, helping to produce images that break free from the constraints of stock imagery.

💡Figma

Figma is a collaborative interface design tool that allows for the creation and manipulation of designs in a web-based environment. In the video, Figma is used as the starting point to create frames for different screens of the meditation app, showcasing its utility in organizing and structuring the app's user interface.

💡Stock Images

Stock images are pre-created images that are licensed for specific uses. They are often used in design to save time and resources. However, the video emphasizes moving beyond stock images by using AI to infuse a personal touch and aesthetic beauty into the design, thus making the end product more unique and tailored.

💡Aspect Ratio

The aspect ratio is the proportional relationship between the width and the height of an image or screen. In the video, the default aspect ratio used by Midjourney is one to one, but it is adjusted to three to two for specific images to fit the dimensions required for the app's screens.

💡Prompt

In the context of AI and creative tools like Midjourney, a prompt is a set of instructions or a description given to the AI to guide the generation of an image. The video demonstrates how adjusting the prompt can influence the style and outcome of the generated graphics.

💡Upscaling

Upscaling refers to the process of increasing the size of a digital image or visual element while maintaining or enhancing its quality. In the video, upscaling is used to improve the details of the generated images, making them suitable for use in the app design.

💡Nightmare AI

Nightmare AI is a tool from replicate.com that is used to enhance the quality of images. It is mentioned in the video as a way to improve the sharpness and overall quality of the images generated by Midjourney, making them more suitable for professional design work.

💡Auto Layout

Auto Layout is a feature in design tools like Figma that allows for the automatic arrangement and sizing of interface elements based on a set of constraints. In the video, Auto Layout is used to organize and space the category icons and names uniformly within the app's design.

💡Search Bar

A search bar is a user interface element commonly used to allow users to search for specific content within an application. In the video, creating a search bar involves adding a magnifying glass icon, which is a universal symbol for search, and styling it to match the app's aesthetic.

💡Bottom Navigation

Bottom navigation refers to a user interface pattern where clickable icons are placed at the bottom of a screen to navigate between different sections or screens within an app. In the video, setting up bottom navigation involves choosing appropriate icons and adjusting their visual properties to indicate the active screen.

💡Audio Waveform Visualization

An audio waveform visualization is a graphical representation of the audio signal's amplitude over time. In the context of the video, it is used as an interactive component in the meditation app to show users the intensity of the music and their progress through a mindfulness session or audio track.

Highlights

Midjourney is a tool that uses artificial intelligence to create unique, custom graphics.

It breaks free from stock images and allows for personal touch and aesthetic beauty in design.

The tutorial recommends checking out a chat GPT for UX UI design ebook for further AI integration.

The starting point is Figma, where three iPhone 14 frames are created for the meditation app.

Inspiration is gathered from platforms like Pinterest or Google for peaceful images or illustrations.

Midjourney generates images with a default aspect ratio of one to one, which can be changed with a parameter.

If initial images are not satisfactory, prompts can be adjusted for more specificity.

Upscaling in Midjourney increases image size and improves details.

Nightmare AI from replicate.com is used to significantly enhance the quality of images.

The enhanced image is then inserted into the Figma design for the meditation app.

The process is repeated for the meditation music screen with a new image or illustration.

The color of the frames in Figma is adjusted to match the image for a seamless transition.

For the splash screen, a name and tagline for the meditation app are created.

A logo is added to the splash screen, either created new or downloaded from a provided source.

A search bar is created with a magnifying glass icon and an auto layout frame.

Five different icons represent categories within the app, sourced from Google Icons or Figma file.

Auto layout is used to ensure even spacing and alignment of category icons and names.

Three images are generated for the home screen using Midjourney and Nightmare AI for enhancement.

Player controls are added, sourced from Google Icons or the Figma file, with adjustable colors.

A status bar is added at the top of the screens to complete the mobile app design.