MidJourney V5 Is Live! Here's EVERYTHING You Need To Know

Matt Wolfe
15 Mar 202320:13

TLDRMidJourney V5 has been launched with significant improvements and new features. The update was announced during a three-and-a-half-hour live office hours on Discord, which was attended by nearly 2,000 people. The new version is exclusively available to paying subscribers due to computational limitations. MidJourney V5 offers enhanced resolution, improved photorealism, better hand and skin texture generation, and upgraded teeth rendering. The prompting system has been overhauled to require more detailed and natural language prompts, moving away from single-word or comma-separated prompts. The remix feature has been improved for better blending of images, and image weights have been reintroduced to balance the influence of text and image inputs. Additionally, broader aspect ratio options and the ability to create tiling images have been added. Despite these advancements, text generation remains a weak point for the software. The company hinted at a possible API release and clarified that they do not use stable diffusion, but their own proprietary model. MidJourney V6 is expected within the next two months, indicating a rapid pace of development.

Takeaways

  • 🚀 MidJourney V5 has been released, offering significant improvements over its predecessor.
  • 🎨 The launch of MidJourney Magazine, a platform to showcase the community's diverse creativity, is available at mag.midjourney.com.
  • 💰 MidJourney V5 is currently available only to paying subscribers, as the computational power required is too high for free access.
  • 🔍 Access to V5 can be achieved by adding '--v 5' to any prompt or by setting it as the default version in the settings.
  • 📸 V5 provides improved resolution and photorealism, with better depiction of hands, skin texture, and teeth.
  • 📝 Prompting has changed; it now requires more detailed and natural language, similar to writing a sentence, rather than just listing keywords.
  • 🔄 The Remix feature has been improved to blend images more effectively, and image weights have been reintroduced for blending images with text prompts.
  • 📐 Users can now generate images with virtually any aspect ratio, including very long and thin ones.
  • 🧩 A new tiling feature allows for the creation of seamless, tileable images, which can be useful for game design and backgrounds.
  • 🖌 However, V5 still struggles with generating text, suggesting the need for external software like Photoshop or Canva for text enhancements.
  • 🔮 The one-word prompt 'imagination' is highlighted as a creative way to generate compelling images with V5.

Q & A

  • What was the main topic of discussion during the MidJourney's live office hours?

    -The main topic of discussion was the launch of MidJourney version 5, which included various improvements and new features.

  • How can one access MidJourney version 5?

    -To access MidJourney version 5, you need to be a paying subscriber member. You can either add '--v 5' to the end of any prompt or set it as your default version in the settings.

  • What is the purpose of the MidJourney Magazine?

    -MidJourney Magazine is designed to showcase the diverse creativity of the MidJourney community, featuring a selection of artwork and interviews with community members.

  • How has the photo quality improved in MidJourney version 5?

    -The photo quality has improved significantly, with prompts designed to look like photographs now appearing more realistic, better hand generation, more realistic skin texture with imperfections, and improved teeth rendering.

  • What changes have been made to the prompting system in MidJourney version 5?

    -Prompting now requires more detail and structure, similar to writing a sentence. Single-word prompts and random keywords separated by commas are less effective. The system has improved natural language processing.

  • What is the significance of using words like 'Unreal Engine' in version 5 prompts?

    -Using words like 'Unreal Engine' in prompts will not yield super realistic results as it did in previous versions. Instead, it will produce images that resemble video game graphics.

  • How has the remix feature improved in MidJourney version 5?

    -The remix feature now works better, allowing for a more sensible blend of two images to create a composite image. It can also blend an image with a text prompt, with the ability to adjust the image weight in the final result.

  • What new aspect ratio options are available in MidJourney version 5?

    -MidJourney version 5 offers broader aspect ratio options, allowing users to create images with virtually any aspect ratio they desire.

  • What is the new tiling feature in MidJourney version 5?

    -The tiling feature allows users to create images that can tile seamlessly, which is particularly useful for game designers or for creating backgrounds.

  • What is the current status of MidJourney's ability to generate text?

    -As of MidJourney version 5, the system is still not proficient at generating text and it is recommended to use external tools like Photoshop or Canva for adding text to images.

  • What future developments were hinted at during the live stream?

    -The live stream hinted at a possible API release for MidJourney, clarification that MidJourney does not use stable diffusion and is based on their proprietary model, and an expected release of MidJourney version 6 within the next two months.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Mid-Journey Version 5 Launch and Announcements

The paragraph discusses the launch of Mid-Journey version 5, including the introduction of the Mid-Journey magazine, which showcases the creativity of the community. The magazine can be accessed for free using a coupon code. Additionally, the paragraph details the live office hours held on Discord, which revealed that version 5 is currently exclusive to paying subscribers due to computational limitations. The speaker shares their experience of testing version 5 and provides tips on how to access and use it, highlighting its improved resolution, more realistic hand and skin textures, and better teeth rendering.

05:01

📝 Changes in Prompting for Mid-Journey Version 5

This paragraph emphasizes the changes in prompting for Mid-Journey version 5, noting that single-word prompts and random keywords are less effective. Instead, users are encouraged to use more detailed, sentence-like prompts for better results. The speaker also mentions that mentioning specific technologies like Unreal Engine in prompts will yield less realistic images. The paragraph further discusses the improved remix feature, which allows for better blending of images, and the reintroduction of image weights, which control the influence of an image on the final result.

10:03

🌟 New Features and Aspect Ratios in Mid-Journey Version 5

The speaker explores new features in Mid-Journey version 5, such as the ability to create images with any aspect ratio and the tile function, which generates images that can seamlessly tile together. Examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of these features. The paragraph also touches on the limitations of the AI in generating text and the potential use cases for tiling images in game design and background creation.

15:03

🔍 Testing and Comparing Mid-Journey Version 4 and 5

The speaker conducts a series of tests to compare the output of Mid-Journey version 4 and 5 using various prompts. They find that while version 5 offers improved realism and detail, version 4 sometimes provides better interpretations with simpler prompts. The speaker also confirms the developers' note that Mid-Journey is not built on stable diffusion and shares some insights about the potential release of an API and the upcoming version 6. The paragraph concludes with the speaker's overview and thoughts on the new features and improvements in Mid-Journey version 5.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡MidJourney V5

MidJourney V5 refers to the fifth version of the MidJourney software, which is a tool used for AI-generated image creation. In the video, it is the central topic as the host discusses the new features and improvements of this version over its predecessors. It is related to the theme as it is the main product being reviewed and demonstrated.

💡AI

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is the technology that enables machines to learn from experience and perform tasks that would typically require human intelligence. In the context of the video, AI is the driving force behind MidJourney V5's capabilities, allowing it to generate images based on textual prompts.

💡Discord

Discord is a communication platform that combines elements of text messaging, video calls, and community forums. In the script, it is mentioned as the platform where MidJourney held their live office hours to announce the new version of their software, making it a key part of their promotional and community engagement strategy.

💡Photorealism

Photorealism is a style of art that attempts to closely imitate the appearance of a photograph. In the video, photorealism is a quality that has been improved in MidJourney V5, with the host noting that images prompted to look like photographs in this version look more realistic than before.

💡Upscaling

Upscaling refers to the process of increasing the resolution of an image or video. In the context of the video, upscaling is a feature of MidJourney V5 that allows users to enhance the resolution of generated images, making them clearer and more detailed.

💡Prompts

Prompts are the textual instructions or descriptions given to AI to guide the generation of an image. The video emphasizes that in MidJourney V5, prompts have become more powerful and require more detailed and natural language input to achieve the desired image outcomes.

💡Remix Feature

The Remix Feature in MidJourney V5 allows users to blend two images together to create a composite image. The video demonstrates how this feature has been improved to produce more coherent and sensible blends compared to previous versions.

💡Image Weights

Image Weights is a new functionality in MidJourney V5 that lets users specify the influence of an image when blending it with a text prompt. This allows for greater control over the final composition, ensuring that certain aspects of the image are prioritized over the textual description.

💡Tiling

Tiling in the context of MidJourney V5 refers to the ability to create images that can be repeated without visible seams, making them suitable for use as patterns or in applications like game design. The video shows how the software can generate tiling images when prompted with the '--tile' directive.

💡Text Generation

Text Generation is the AI's ability to create textual content. The video mentions that MidJourney V5 is still not proficient at generating text within images, indicating that users may need to use external tools for adding text to their AI-generated images.

💡MidJourney Magazine

MidJourney Magazine is a new initiative announced in the video, which aims to showcase the creativity of the MidJourney community through a curated selection of artwork and interviews. It represents an extension of the company's engagement with its user base and a platform for highlighting the best work produced by the community.

Highlights

MidJourney version 5 has been launched with significant improvements and is only available to paying subscribers.

The launch was accompanied by a 3.5-hour live office hours session on Discord with nearly 2,000 attendees.

MidJourney Magazine was announced, showcasing the creativity of the MidJourney community with a free first issue available at mag.midjourney.com.

MidJourney version 5 images are upscaled by default, offering nearly instantaneous high-resolution results.

The new version has notably enhanced the quality of photographs, hands, skin textures, and teeth in generated images.

Prompting in version 5 requires more detail and natural language processing, moving away from single-word or comma-separated prompts.

Using terms like 'Unreal Engine' or '8K' will result in less realistic images; instead, 'cinematic lighting' and detailed descriptions are recommended.

The Remix feature has been improved to better blend two images into a composite.

Image weights have been reintroduced, allowing users to control the influence of an image over a text prompt during blending.

Broader aspect ratio options have been added, enabling the creation of images with virtually any aspect ratio.

A new tiling feature allows for the creation of images that can line up seamlessly, side by side.

MidJourney version 5 still struggles with generating text, suggesting the need for external editing software for text inclusion.

The live stream hinted at a potential API release for MidJourney and clarified that it does not use stable diffusion technology.

MidJourney version 6 is expected to be released within the next two months, indicating a rapid pace of development.

Emojis can still be used effectively as prompts in version 5, generating creative and unpredictable images.

The one-word prompt 'imagination' is reported to yield impressive results in version 5, as shared by a developer during the live stream.

The video provides a comprehensive overview of the new features and improvements in MidJourney version 5 after a detailed analysis of the live stream.