Wondering what Midjourney is, how much does it cost and how to use it? In this complete file, we offer you an overview of the subject, from prices to registration, including the use of the image generation model.
Article written by Steven Flare
At the moment, AI is clearly a refrain that comes up almost every week on specialized sites. It must be said that the prowess of certain models is indeed breathtaking. We recently told you about GPT-4, the OpenAI wide language model (LLM) in a detailed file.
However, it is time to move on to image generation, by focusing on Midjourney. This AI dedicated to the generation of images and visuals is one of the first to have really impressed its world as soon as it was made available to the public in 2022. It is published by a firm of the same name (Midjourney, Inc) based in San Francisco in the United States.
Unlike other models, the instigators of the project have chosen to offer Midjourney in the form of a Discord bot. This can confuse those who do not necessarily know how to use this social network and the commands to interact with this kind of automatic accounts.
Do not panic : We explain in detail how everything works and even how to progress to write prompts that lead to more predictable and satisfying results.
What is the price of Midjourney?
Midjourney is a paid service, which works with a quota system. Several packages are available:
- An offer Basic Plan at $10 per month: 3.3h of fast image generation per month
- An offer Standard Map at $30 per month: 15h of fast image generation per month and slow image generation without limits
- An offer Corporate at $60 per month: 30h of fast image generation per month and slow image generation without limits
- An offer Mega Map at $120 per month: 60h of fast image generation per month and slow image generation without limits
Note that in fast generation, the result appears in less than a minute. Which gives you an idea of how many images you will be able to generate with each plan. It is also possible to buy more GPU quota, from 4 dollars per additional hour. The most expensive packages allow you to launch more generations of concurrent images, and to place the rest in a more or less long waiting list.
You should know that all these packages are non-binding and can be canceled at any time. However, it is also possible to pay for the whole year at once in exchange for a 20% reduction.
And the free trial offer?
Those who have known the service from the start remember a free trial offer. Unfortunately, we have bad news: the free version of Midjourney no longer exists, the tool being quite simply a victim of its own success.
To subscribe, you must follow the instructions detailed in the following section (how to subscribe?), then, at your choice:
- Go to your Midjourney account
- Type /subscribe once in Midjourney on Discord
- Click on Manage sub in the sidebar, once connected from the Midjourney site
If you don’t want to subscribe to Midjourney, be aware that a particularly convincing free alternative has been available for a few weeks via Bing Chat. This is DALL-E. To try it out, go into a conversation with Bing’s AI (Creative mode) and ask in English something like “generate the image of a smartphone that can fold in four”.
To use Midjourney, you must join a group on Discord. Discord is an online communication platform that allows you to create and join communities around different interests. The official Midjourney group has over 16 million members and offers different types of channels to use the AI, chat with fellow creators, ask questions, and receive updates.
The steps to follow to register on Midjourney are as follows:
- Meeting on Midjourney’s website
- Click on the button Join the Betain order to join the dedicated Discord server
Once on the Discord server, you won’t be able to do much without a subscription. This is why it is necessary to take out a subscription before continuing:
- Go to the Bot Midjourney in the left sidebar
- In the input field, type /subscribe Then Entrance
- Click on the unique link to access your account then choose and subscribe to your plan
Once this step is done, it’s time to use the service!
Midjourney allows images to be created from descriptive text, called prompt. The prompt can contain keywords, colors, shapes, emotions, or anything else that can help the AI understand your intent. You can enter this prompt into the text input field of many channels on the Midjourney Discord server.
All you have to do is go to a channel (if you are new to it, it will necessarily be one of the “Newbie” channels), click on the input field and type the command /conceived. From there the cursor will move to an additional input field in which you can type your prompt. For example :
- /imagine “an Android smartphone with shark teeth, ready to fight”
From there, 4 small variations of the image are generated after a minute or two. You have to stay in the conversation, because the notification once the image is generated can quickly get lost in the stream. This notification contains buttons like V1, V2, V3, V4 and U1, U2, U3, U4 (among others). V stands for variation, and U for upscale. The numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 designate the image to affect (1 is top left, 2 top right, 3 bottom left, and 4 bottom right).
You can write your prompt in completely natural language. The prompt can also contain visual references, such as a link to an existing image, the name of an artist, or the title of a movie. For example : /imagine “a train in the style of a painting by Piet Mondrian”. The prompt can also contain special commands, which allow you to modify the behavior of the AI according to your needs (see the section “Mastering the art of prompts”).
Read also: AI Midjourney is sued by artists
English, essential for the prompts?
It should be noted that Midjourney understands, like ChatGPT, many languages including French. However, this AI (based on a technology similar to ChatGPT-3) is, you will notice, a little more capricious than what models like GPT-4 (ChatGPT / Bing Chat) may have gotten you used to. It should be noted that the model was mainly trained on descriptions in English – trying to formulate your prompt in this language is therefore often a better idea than using French.
Once you like an image, you can enlarge it, and once that’s done, download it.
What is forbidden in the prompts?
Midjourney does not generate images that contain gore violence or explicit sexual content. These requests are prohibited and may result in a server ban. Midjourney also does not allow the generation of images that infringe the copyright or privacy of others. For example, you may not ask Midjourney to reproduce a copyrighted work, create a portrait of a real person without their consent, or disclose personal or confidential information.
What is the copyright for these images?
Since subscription is mandatory, Midjourney allows you to use your images without constraints. You may cite Midjourney, and those who reuse your images must credit you. However, if you use these images on behalf of a company that generates more than 1 million dollars in turnover per year, you must subscribe to a Corporate or Mega Plan account to be entitled to take advantage of these conditions.
Some tips to master the art of prompts on Midjourney
Midjourney always leads to surprising results. But it is possible to control the result of each request much more finely, with a little experience and some knowledge of the switches that this AI includes.
By default, all generated images default to squares. To change the ratio, add to the end of your prompt -ar followed by the ratio of your choice. For example, –ar 16:9 to output a 16:9 aspect ratio image.
Avoid overly long prompts of more than 40 words, as in general the textual model tends to get muddled beyond that. In short, in some cases you can add details without linking them naturally: colors, textures, shapes, emotions…
Do not hesitate to reference a known artist, for example say in your prompt: /imagine a little girl in the style of Picasso, in front of the hyperloop –ar 16:9. It also works with references to books, video games, and more.
Specify in your prompt if you want the result to be more creative, more photorealistic, etc. Finally, do not hesitate to consult the prompt of more experienced users while browsing the more “professional” channels of Midjourney – just for the pleasure of the eyes, it is clearly worth the detour!
