Navigators AI School: We test Midjourney

Have you been thinking about trying AI but don't know where to start? Don't worry, in our AI School we explore and evaluate the industry's leading AI tools. In today's article, we're testing Midjourney, a program that lets you create images in no time.

To make it easier for you as a marketer to navigate the AI jungle, we have developed Navigators AI School. A series of articles where we examine the industry's leading AI tools. How do they work? What should they be used for? And above all, are they worth learning?

In the first article of the AI School, the copywriting program Jasper explored AI and next up is the image program Midjourney.

This is Midjourney

Midjourney is a program that uses generative AI to create images based on users' instructions. Midjourney is run by an independent research lab in San Francisco and the first beta version of the program was launched in July 2022. The program has received a lot of attention and is today one of the most popular AI services for images.

In this article, our copywriter Klara and our art director Fredrik test the program and share their impressions. Stay tuned!

Our first impression

When we visit midjourney.com, we are greeted by a large black box that soon starts to fill with code. After a while, the text Midjourney appears and the code forms an eye. In the bottom right corner we find a button that says "Join the Beta". We click the button and end up on a page that asks us to log in with our Discord account. Since none of us have a Discord account, we start by creating one before we can finally join Midjourney.

Start-up and registration

Once inside, we realize that we have fallen straight into the chat program Discord, which we are both completely unfamiliar with. The environment is pitch black and to the left we find entrances to a variety of chat rooms. We feel completely lost and do what all confused people do in 2023, ask Google.

After a 10-minute YouTube video, things slowly start to make sense. We are informed that Midjourney is controlled entirely through Discord and that the various functions are accessed via chat. When Midjourney was launched, some features could be used for free, but due to high demand, everything is now behind a paywall. We sign up for the cheapest monthly subscription for 8 dollars that gives us 200 image generations a month.

Test 1: Product image

After paying for the service, we have the opportunity to communicate with Midjourney's bot in a private chat window without seeing everyone else's prompts and pictures. We open up the private chat with Midjourney and think of a picture idea. We toy with the idea that we are launching a new laptop and need a picture of the laptop with a lizard. We write:

A photorealistic image of a laptop with a green lizzard laying on top sleeping

Nice Midjourney! The lizard looks really realistic and so does the laptop. However, we don't like the lizard coming out of the screen in the two pictures, that's not what we asked for.

Below the images, Midjourney now gives us three choices; to save the images, to create new versions of any of the images or to create four completely new images. We choose to create four brand new images.

Wow what happened here? A laptop with no screen and then a lizard going through a screen? No this was a bit too crazy. However, this time Midjourney has managed to capture the word "sleeping". In the second picture, which is actually really nice, the lizard is sleeping on top of the laptop just as we wrote. Simply one right out of four!

Test 2: Portrait image

After two tests with animals, we feel ready to create images with people. We write in the chat:

Portrait of a senior man sitting on a bus wearing a golden crown, blurred background

Wow, this looks really nice and realistic. We like the pictures but we think they feel a bit dark while the man looks like he is straight out of Lord of the Rings. How can we make these pictures even better?

We decide to write a new prompt and this time we are even more specific in what the man should look like and include the word daylight to get a better light. We write:

Portrait of a contemporary man without beard and dressed in suit, sitting on a bus wearing a golden crown, blurred background, daylight

But look, this turned out really well! The fairytale ring look is gone and the man definitely looks more ordinary. The light is also better and the image doesn't feel nearly as dark. This is certainly an image we could use in a campaign or ad. Great job, Midjourney!

Test 3: Watercolor painting

After creating only photorealistic images, we want to try something else as a final test. We've read in the past that Midjourney is good at different types of art styles, so this time we decide to focus on watercolor. We think of a good prompt and write:

A watercolored painting of a portrait of woman using her smartphone, blurred urban landscape background

That's nice! It feels like Midjourney knows a thing or two about art. It really looks like a real watercolor painting and we like that the water drops are visible. Unfortunately, in picture two, the girl is holding two cell phones instead of one, but the other three pictures look good. We like what we see!

Reputation

Midjourney is a great program for creating images in different styles and themes. However, what spoils the experience is the ease of use of the program. If you're new to Discord and haven't worked in this type of environment before, it's very difficult to understand what to do.

Then once you get going, it gets easier, and you understand how to twist and turn your prompts to create different results. However, we would have liked to be able to prompt directly on existing images without having to start from scratch. The program seems to be best at creating images in particular styles and themes, especially fantasy and surrealism.

Benefits and advantages

• Cool and realistic results
• Good at creating images in different themes and styles
• Can create icons and illustrations
• Good price (from 1000 kr/year)

Disadvantages

• Not very user-friendly
• Difficult to learn
• Slowly
• Limited functionality

Final rating

Midjourney is a program where you as a marketer can really explore your creativity and create cool images quickly. However, the program takes a while to learn and if you want to create really good images, you need to spend time understanding how to design your prompts.

For us, Midjourney works best as an idea generation tool where we can quickly explore different thoughts and ideas. We think the program needs a bit more time to really work well and for now it sometimes feels a bit like a lottery.

Rating: 3/5

Want to learn more about AI?
Read the other parts of our AI school here.