After Discord’s updates on new mobile features last week, this week they’ve continued to bring in new stuff to better benefit their users. The generative AI Midjourney, which was built on Discord had just revealed a new update on Wednesday with an Alpha version of the platform — Midjourney Alpha. This new update may prompt many to wonder as it is one of the most popular image-generating AI services, and let’s take a look at what this new update is all about.
What Is Midjourney?
Although Midjourney is one of the most popular platforms that most of us know, there might be some who do not clearly know the app Midjourney. Thus, here’s a quick one: Midjourney is an AI program that employs generative technology to interpret user prompts, generating highly realistic and lifelike images. Utilising natural language descriptions, termed prompts, it operates similarly to OpenAI’s DALL-E and Stability AI’s Stable Diffusion. The generative AI has many exciting features that make it stand out from the crowd, and you can discover the exciting features in this article if you opt to know more about the platform.
Diving Into Midjourney Alpha: How Does It Work?
After the brief explanation, let’s dive back to the main topic: The new Midjourney Alpha. This new Midjourney Alpha brings users new and improved functionality, in which the website boasts a sleek interface featuring an “Explore” tab showcasing real user-generated content. At the top, a plus sign and a labelled “Imagine” text bar invite users to input prompts. On the right side, the “Dials” symbol opens a visual interface for prompt customisation, a significant improvement from the text command-based Discord version.
Users can now easily adjust image orientation, size, and stylisation. The left-hand rail houses a “Photo” icon for sorting past creations chronologically and viewing ongoing projects. A “Thumbs up” button facilitates voting in a crowdsourced image ranking project, while the “Likes” tab compiles images users have previously favoured on Discord. Exciting upcoming features include an iOS app, folders, and collections.
When Will It Be Released?
The independent research lab based in San Francisco had revealed their plan to test Midjourney.com, the successor to its Discord-based platform. Initially, access is limited to users who have generated over 10,000 images on Discord. However, the company assured that the website will become available to a wider audience in the coming month, which is January 2024, bringing relief to the 17.5 million-plus users in their Discord server.
Undermining the Competition
Midjourney bears a notable resemblance to Visual Electric, a competing image generation web service launched last week based on the open-source Stable Diffusion model, catering to professional designers. Nevertheless, Midjourney holds an advantage with its widely regarded superior image generation model.
However, an observed limitation is that images generated via the web interface do not repopulate in the Midjourney Discord Bot chat. Despite this, this Midjourney Alpha’s release is impressive and signifies improved accessibility, with the need for Discord sign-in still in place. It’s worth noting that Midjourney, like other AI companies, faces legal challenges from creators alleging copyright infringement in its use of public-facing imagery for model training.
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How Does Midjourney Benefit Us?
Now that you’re acquainted with the workings and the new features, namely Midjourney Alpha, let’s explore Midjourney’s utility. AI image generation holds significant value across various professional applications, especially in today’s visually driven landscape.
For small businesses lacking design capabilities, Midjourney empowers them to effortlessly produce promotional content and engaging social media posts at scale.
Content marketers stand to benefit by saving both time and money on image sourcing. Instead of navigating creative commons, purchasing expensive stock images, or collaborating with photographers and graphic designers, they can craft customised imagery tailored to their specific needs.
Creative teams and graphic designers can leverage the tool for inspiration and streamline their design workflow, accelerating the creation process.
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Final Say
In summary, the upcoming Midjourney Alpha represents an enhanced generative AI compared to its predecessor, Midjourney. Its advancements are expected to provide valuable support across diverse industries, aiding professionals in generating images and translating ideas into reality. Stay tuned for the release of Midjourney Alpha, and in the meantime, explore more AI news updates. Keep following us for the latest developments in the world of AI.