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tofupixel · 3 months

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⭐ So you want to learn pixel art? ⭐

🔹 Part 1 of ??? - The Basics!

Hello, my name is Tofu and I'm a professional pixel artist. I have been supporting myself with freelance pixel art since 2020, when I was let go from my job during the pandemic.

My progress, from 2017 to 2024. IMO the only thing that really matters is time and effort, not some kind of natural talent for art.

This guide will not be comprehensive, as nobody should be expected to read allat. Instead I will lean heavily on my own experience, and share what worked for me, so take everything with a grain of salt. This is a guide, not a tutorial. Cheers!

🔹 Do I need money?

NO!!! Pixel art is one of the most accessible mediums out there.

I still use a mouse because I prefer it to a tablet! You won't be at any disadvantage here if you can't afford the best hardware or software.

Because our canvases are typically very small, you don't need a good PC to run a good brush engine or anything like that.

✨Did you know? One of the most skilled and beloved pixel artists uses MS PAINT! Wow!!

🔹 What software should I use?

Here are some of the most popular programs I see my friends and peers using. Stars show how much I recommend the software for beginners! ⭐

💰 Paid options:

⭐⭐⭐ Aseprite (for PC) - $19.99

This is what I and many other pixel artists use. You may find when applying to jobs that they require some knowledge of Aseprite. Since it has become so popular, companies like that you can swap raw files between artists.

Aseprite is amazingly customizable, with custom skins, scripts and extensions on Itch.io, both free and paid.

If you have ever used any art software before, it has most of the same features and should feel fairly familiar to use. It features a robust animation suite and a tilemap feature, which have saved me thousands of hours of labour in my work. The software is also being updated all the time, and the developers listen to the users. I really recommend Aseprite!

⭐ Photoshop (for PC) - Monthly $$

A decent option for those who already are used to the PS interface. Requires some setup to get it ready for pixel-perfect art, but there are plenty of tutorials for doing so.

Animation is also much more tedious on PS which you may want to consider before investing time!

⭐⭐ ProMotion NG (for PC) - $19.00

An advanced and powerful software which has many features Aseprite does not, including Colour Cycling and animated tiles.

⭐⭐⭐ Pixquare (for iOS) - $7.99 - $19.99 (30% off with code 'tofu'!!)

Probably the best app available for iPad users, in active development, with new features added all the time.

Look! My buddy Jon recommends it highly, and uses it often.

One cool thing about Pixquare is that it takes Aseprite raw files! Many of my friends use it to work on the same project, both in their office and on the go.

⭐ Procreate (for iOS) - $12.99

If you have access to Procreate already, it's a decent option to get used to doing pixel art. It does however require some setup. Artist Pixebo is famously using Procreate, and they have tutorials of their own if you want to learn.

⭐⭐ ReSprite iOS and Android. (free trial, but:) $19.99 premium or $$ monthly

ReSprite is VERY similar in terms of UI to Aseprite, so I can recommend it. They just launched their Android release!

🆓 Free options:

⭐⭐⭐ Libresprite (for PC)

Libresprite is an alternative to Aseprite. It is very, very similar, to the point where documentation for Aseprite will be helpful to Libresprite users.

⭐⭐ Pixilart (for PC and mobile)

A free in-browser app, and also a mobile app! It is tied to the website Pixilart, where artists upload and share their work. A good option for those also looking to get involved in a community.

⭐⭐ Dotpict (for mobile)

Dotpict is similar to Pixilart, with a mobile app tied to a website, but it's a Japanese service. Did you know that in Japanese, pixel art is called 'Dot Art'? Dotpict can be a great way to connect with a different community of pixel artists! They also have prompts and challenges often.

🔹 So I got my software, now what?

◽Nice! Now it's time for the basics of pixel art.

❗ WAIT ❗ Before this section, I want to add a little disclaimer. All of these rules/guidelines can be broken at will, and some 'no-nos' can look amazing when done intentionally.

The pixel-art fundamentals can be exceedingly helpful to new artists, who may feel lost or overwhelmed by choice. But if you feel they restrict you too harshly, don't force yourself! At the end of the day it's your art, and you shouldn't try to contort yourself into what people think a pixel artist 'should be'. What matters is your own artistic expression. 💕👍

◽Phew! With that out of the way...

🔸"The Rules"

There are few hard 'rules' of pixel art, mostly about scaling and exporting. Some of these things will frequently trip up newbies if they aren't aware, and are easy to overlook.

🔹Scaling method

There are a couple ways of scaling your art. The default in most art programs, and the entire internet, is Bi-linear scaling, which usually works out fine for most purposes. But as pixel artists, we need a different method.

Both are scaled up x10. See the difference?

On the left is scaled using Bilinear, and on the right is using Nearest-Neighbor. We love seeing those pixels stay crisp and clean, so we use nearest-neighbor.

(Most pixel-art programs have nearest-neighbor enabled by default! So this may not apply to you, but it's important to know.)

🔹Mixels

Mixels are when there are different (mixed) pixel sizes in the same image.

Here I have scaled up my art- the left is 200%, and the right is 150%. Yuck!

As we can see, the "pixel" sizes end up different. We generally try to scale our work by multiples of 100 - 200%, 300% etc. rather than 150%. At larger scales however, the minute differences in pixel sizes are hardly noticeable!

Mixels are also sometimes seen when an artist scales up their work, then continues drawing on it with a 1 pixel brush.

Many would say that this is not great looking! This type of pixels can be indicative of a beginner artist. But there are plenty of creative pixel artists out there who mixels intentionally, making something modern and cool.

🔹Saving Your Files

We usually save our still images as .PNGs as they don’t create any JPEG artifacts or loss of quality. It's a little hard to see here, but there are some artifacts, and it looks a little blurry. It also makes the art very hard to work with if we are importing a JPEG.

For animations .GIF is good, but be careful of the 256 colour limit. Try to avoid using too many blending mode layers or gradients when working with animations. If you aren’t careful, your animation could flash afterwards, as the .GIF tries to reduce colours wherever it can. It doesn’t look great!

Here's an old piece from 2021 where I experienced .GIF lossiness, because I used gradients and transparency, resulting in way too many colours.

🔹Pixel Art Fundamentals - Techniques and Jargon

❗❗Confused about Jaggies? Anti-Aliasing? Banding? Dithering? THIS THREAD is for you❗❗

As far as I'm concerned, this is THE tutorial of all time for understanding pixel art. These are techniques created and named by the community of people who actually put the list together, some of the best pixel artists alive currently. Please read it!!

🔸How To Learn

Okay, so you have your software, and you're all ready to start. But maybe you need some more guidance? Try these tutorials and resources! It can be helpful to work along with a tutorial until you build your confidence up.

⭐⭐ Pixel Logic (A Digital Book) - $10 A very comprehensive visual guide book by a very skilled and established artist in the industry. I own a copy myself.

⭐⭐⭐ StudioMiniBoss - free A collection of visual tutorials, by the artist that worked on Celeste! When starting out, if I got stuck, I would go and scour his tutorials and see how he did it.

⭐ Lospec Tutorials - free A very large collection of various tutorials from all over the internet. There is a lot to sift through here if you have the time.

⭐⭐⭐ Cyangmou's Tutorials - free (tipping optional) Cyangmou is one of the most respected and accomplished modern pixel artists, and he has amassed a HUGE collection of free and incredibly well-educated visual tutorials. He also hosts an educational stream every week on Twitch called 'pixelart for beginners'.

⭐⭐⭐ Youtube Tutorials - free There are hundreds, if not thousands of tutorials on YouTube, but it can be tricky to find the good ones. My personal recommendations are MortMort, Brandon, and AdamCYounis- these guys really know what they're talking about!

🔸 How to choose a canvas size

When looking at pixel art turorials, we may see people suggest things like 16x16, 32x32 and 64x64. These are standard sizes for pixel art games with tiles. However, if you're just making a drawing, you don't necessarily need to use a standard canvas size like that.

What I like to think about when choosing a canvas size for my illustrations is 'what features do I think it is important to represent?' And make my canvas as small as possible, while still leaving room for my most important elements.

Imagine I have characters in a scene like this:

I made my canvas as small as possible (232 x 314), but just big enough to represent the features and have them be recognizable (it's Good Omens fanart 😤)!! If I had made it any bigger, I would be working on it for ever, due to how much more foliage I would have to render.

If you want to do an illustration and you're not sure, just start at somewhere around 100x100 - 200x200 and go from there.

It's perfectly okay to crop your canvas, or scale it up, or crunch your art down at any point if you think you need a different size. I do it all the time! It only takes a bit of cleanup to get you back to where you were.

🔸Where To Post

Outside of just regular socials, Twitter, Tumblr, Deviantart, Instagram etc, there are a few places that lean more towards pixel art that you might not have heard of.

⭐ Lospec Lospec is a low-res focused art website. Some pieces get given a 'monthly masterpiece' award. Not incredibly active, but I believe there are more features being added often.

⭐⭐ Pixilart Pixilart is a very popular pixel art community, with an app tied to it. The community tends to lean on the young side, so this is a low-pressure place to post with an relaxed vibe.

⭐⭐ Pixeljoint Pixeljoint is one of the big, old-school pixel art websites. You can only upload your art unscaled (1x) because there is a built-in zoom viewer. It has a bit of a reputation for being elitist (back in the 00s it was), but in my experience it's not like that any more. This is a fine place for a pixel artist to post if they are really interested in learning, and the history. The Hall of Fame has some of the most famous / impressive pixel art pieces that paved the way for the work we are doing today.

⭐⭐⭐ Cafe Dot Cafe Dot is my art server so I'm a little biased here. 🍵 It was created during the recent social media turbulence. We wanted a place to post art with no algorithms, and no NFT or AI chuds. We have a heavy no-self-promotion rule, and are more interested in community than skill or exclusivity. The other thing is that we have some kind of verification system- you must apply to be a Creator before you can post in the Art feed, or use voice. This helps combat the people who just want to self-promo and dip, or cause trouble, as well as weed out AI/NFT people. Until then, you are still welcome to post in any of the threads or channels. There is a lot to do in Cafe Dot. I host events weekly, so check the threads!

⭐⭐/r/pixelart The pixel art subreddit is pretty active! I've also heard some of my friends found work through posting here, so it's worth a try if you're looking. However, it is still Reddit- so if you're sensitive to rude people, or criticism you didn't ask for, you may want to avoid this one. Lol

🔸 Where To Find Work

You need money? I got you! As someone who mostly gets scouted on social media, I can share a few tips with you:

Put your email / portfolio in your bio Recruiters don't have all that much time to find artists, make it as easy as possible for someone to find your important information!

Clean up your profile If your profile feed is all full of memes, most people will just tab out rather than sift through. Doesn't apply as much to Tumblr if you have an art tag people can look at.

Post regularly, and repost Activity beats everything in the social media game. It's like rolling the dice, and the more you post the more chances you have. You have to have no shame, it's all business baby

Outside of just posting regularly and hoping people reach out to you, it can be hard to know where to look. Here are a few places you can sign up to and post around on.

/r/INAT INAT (I Need A Team) is a subreddit for finding a team to work with. You can post your portfolio here, or browse for people who need artists.

/r/GameDevClassifieds Same as above, but specifically for game-related projects.

Remote Game Jobs / Work With Indies Like Indeed but for game jobs. Browse them often, or get email notifications.

VGen VGen is a website specifically for commissions. You need a code from another verified artist before you can upgrade your account and sell, so ask around on social media or ask your friends. Once your account is upgraded, you can make a 'menu' of services people can purchase, and they send you an offer which you are able to accept, decline, or counter.

The evil websites of doom: Fiverr and Upwork I don't recommend them!! They take a big cut of your profit, and the sites are teeming with NFT and AI people hoping to make a quick buck. The site is also extremely oversaturated and competitive, resulting in a race to the bottom (the cheapest, the fastest, doing the most for the least). Imagine the kind of clients who go to these websites, looking for the cheapest option. But if you're really desperate...

🔸 Community

I do really recommend getting involved in a community. Finding like-minded friends can help you stay motivated to keep drawing. One day, those friends you met when you were just starting out may become your peers in the industry. Making friends is a game changer!

Discord servers Nowadays, the forums of old are mostly abandoned, and people split off into many different servers. Cafe Dot, Pixel Art Discord (PAD), and if you can stomach scrolling past all the AI slop, you can browse Discord servers here.

Twitch Streams Twitch has kind of a bad reputation for being home to some of the more edgy gamers online, but the pixel art community is extremely welcoming and inclusive. Some of the people I met on Twitch are my friends to this day, and we've even worked together on different projects! Browse pixel art streams here, or follow some I recommend: NickWoz, JDZombi, CupOhJoe, GrayLure, LumpyTouch, FrankiePixelShow, MortMort, Sodor, NateyCakes, NyuraKim, ShinySeabass, I could go on for ever really... There are a lot of good eggs on Pixel Art Twitch.

🔸 Other Helpful Websites

Palettes Lospec has a huge collection of user-made palettes, for any artist who has trouble choosing their colours, or just wants to try something fun. Rejected Palettes is full of palettes that didn't quite make it onto Lospec, ran by people who believe there are no bad colours.

The Spriters Resource TSR is an incredible website where users can upload spritesheets and tilesets from games. You can browse for your favourite childhood game, and see how they made it! This website has helped me so much in understanding how game assets come together in a scene.

VGMaps Similar to the above, except there are entire maps laid out how they would be played. This is incredible if you have to do level design, or for mocking up a scene for fun.

Game UI Database Not pixel-art specific, but UI is a very challenging part of graphics, so this site can be a game-changer for finding good references!

Retronator A digital newspaper for pixel-art lovers! New game releases, tutorials, and artworks!

Itch.io A website where people can upload, games, assets, tools... An amazing hub for game devs and game fans alike. A few of my favourite tools: Tiled, PICO-8, Pixel Composer, Juice FX, Magic Pencil for Aseprite

🔸 The End?

This is just part 1 for now, so please drop me a follow to see any more guides I release in the future. I plan on doing some writeups on how I choose colours, how to practise, and more!

I'm not an expert by any means, but everything I did to get to where I am is outlined in this guide. Pixel art is my passion, my job and my hobby! I want pixel art to be recognized everywhere as an art-form, a medium of its own outside of game-art or computer graphics!

This guide took me a long time, and took a lot of research and experience. Consider following me or supporting me if you are feeling generous.

And good luck to all the fledgling pixel artists, I hope you'll continue and have fun. I hope my guide helped you, and don't hesitate to send me an ask if you have any questions! 💕

My other tutorials (so far): How to draw Simple Grass for a game Hue Shifting

#so you want to learn pixel art #pixel art #tutorial #pixel art tutorial #art tutorial #guide #mine

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jcmarchi · 2 months

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Midjourney Review: Is It Still Worth the Hype in 2024?

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Midjourney Review: Is It Still Worth the Hype in 2024?

Over the past couple of years, AI image generators have created a lot of buzz. They’re great tools for inspiration and bring your wildest imaginations to life in seconds with high detail and accuracy.

One AI art generator that has been part of this conversation since 2022 has been Midjourney, and for good reason. It generates some of the highest-quality images I’ve seen, and it has an impressively large community of creatives who interact with each other and share their work. Midjourney was also one of the first AI image generators to appear on the scene as part of the AI Boom.

As someone who has reviewed some of the best AI image generators on the market, I wanted to test Midjourney and see if it was still worth the hype in 2024. So, in this comprehensive Midjourney review, I’ll discuss what it is, who it’s best for, and its key features.

From there, I’ll show you how I used Midjourney to generate and upscale this image of a whimsical cloud carnival:

Prompt: Whimsical cloud carnival with candy rides, pastel sky, fantastical costumes, and playful animals.

Midjourney generated this image in only a few seconds, which is impressive considering the quality and level of detail!

Following this, I’ll give you my top tips for getting the most out of Midjourney. I’ll also review some of Midjourney’s advanced features and the top three Midjourney alternatives I’ve tried.

The goal is that by the end, you’ll have a good understanding of Midjourney, its capabilities, and whether it’s worth the hype today!

Verdict

Midjourney remains worth the hype today due to its vibrant community, continuous improvements, high-quality image generations, and extensive easy-to-follow guides. It also recently launched a web version to simplify the user experience, but you’ll have to have made more than 100 images with Midjourney.

Pros and Cons

Midjourney is among the best AI image generators, producing high-quality and unique images in diverse artistic styles.

Midjourney Alpha (web app) for a more seamless user experience for those who have generated at least 100 images with Midjourney.

The platform is easily accessible via Discord, making it convenient for those already using it.

Mimicks specific artistic styles and creates images that seem like famous artists made them.

Image refinement options, including variations, upscaling, and outpainting.

Continuous improvements and new features are being released.

Quick start guide with other resources.

Strong Discord community.

It is more complicated than other AI image generators.

Unable to choose the number of images it generates.

Not ideal for text generation.

Requires a Discord account.

Not free.

What is Midjourney?

Midjourney is an independent research lab dedicated to exploring new mediums of thought and expanding human imagination. This small, self-funded team led by David Holz focuses on design, human infrastructure, and artificial intelligence (AI), with 11 full-time staff and an impressive set of advisors.

Midjourney uses machine learning algorithms to generate high-quality images in various styles from text prompts. It only takes a few seconds to generate four images! You can then generate different variations and upscale your pictures for better quality. Midjourney has also been trained on millions of images, enabling it to develop varied and highly detailed images.

Another unique aspect of Midjourney is that it uses Discord. Discord is convenient for those already with an account and great for collaboration, as you’ll see others generating images in real-time.

The downside to Discord is that it may be confusing and overwhelming for new users. Luckily, Midjourney recently released a new Web App that offers a more seamless user experience. The Web App still requires you to create a Discord account, but the interface is much cleaner, and you’ll still be able to interact and create with the community in the different rooms available.

Since its launch in July 2022, Midjourney has grown significantly and continues to break new ground in blending AI with human creativity. This unique platform is an excellent resource for digital artists, content creators, and businesses wanting their visuals to pop.

Who is Midjourney Best For?

Midjourney is a powerful tool for anyone from professionals to hobbyists who want to be on the cutting edge of generating high-quality images:

Digital artists can use Midjourney as a playground to explore and experiment with various art styles.

Graphic designers can use Midjourney to create stunning visuals for web design, branding, and marketing materials.

Businesses can use Midjourney to enhance branding and marketing with visually appealing images that stand out. For example, companies can create engaging images for social media, captivating website visuals, and high-quality marketing materials that match their imagination!

Content creators can use Midjourney to produce unique, striking images that enhance their written articles and social media posts.

Authors can use Midjourney to visualize their stories by generating book covers, illustrations, and scene depictions. The platform’s ability to emulate various art styles ensures the visuals complement the story’s tone and mood.

Game developers can use Midjoruney to create captivating characters, environments, and special effects. The platform sparks new ideas and helps in shaping virtual worlds and levels.

Hobbyists can use Midjourney to explore their artistic side and create personal projects. The platform allows experimentation with different art styles and provides tools for designing unique images for websites, blogs, social media, or just for fun!

Key Features

Midjourney stands out from other AI image generators for a few reasons.

AI Image Generator: At the heart of Midjourney is its ability to turn simple text prompts into original, high-quality images. Tell Midjourney what you want to create using natural language descriptions, and after a few seconds, Midjourney will generate four images that fit your description! No artistic talent or outsourcing is required to create stunning photos instantly.

Mimic Art Styles: Midjourney makes mimicking art styles easy. For example, if you want to generate images in Van Gogh’s style, you can include them in your text prompt. For any style you want to mimic, you can use the Style Reference parameter (–sref) along with the URL of a publicly accessible image following the text section of your prompt.

Refinement Options: Once your images have been generated, you can get Midjourney to create variations and upscale them with the click of a button. Once upscaled, Midjourney will present you with different options to create subtle or strong variations, change a specific region, zoom in or out, or extend the image in any direction.

Discord-Based: Midjourney’s functions on Discord, which is not only great for connecting with the community but allows you to create, improve, and share images from many people’s favorite chat applications.

Web Application: Midjourney recently released its web application for those new to image generation who want a more seamless user experience. This application makes image generation more straightforward for those who don’t want to learn the different parameters.

Continuous Improvements: Midjourney keeps getting smarter through machine learning, which means users know they are on the cutting edge of AI technology.

How to Use Midjourney to Generate Images

Here’s how I joined the Midjourney Discord community, generated four unique images from a text prompt, and upscaled one of the generated images:

Join the Midjourney Discord

Claim Your Discord Account

Get Your Midjourney Membership

Go to a “Newbie” Bot Channel

Add Your Text Prompt

Generate Images

Upscale Images

Make Further Refinements

Step 1: Join the Midjourney Discord

I started by going to the Midjourney homepage and selecting “Sign Up” on the bottom right.

Next, I selected “Continue with Discord.” Images generated with Midjourney are only accessible through the Discord bot, so you must have a Discord account to use Midjourney.

Signing up for Discord is easy and free! Just sign up using your email and create a password.

From there, I created a display name for what people should call me on Discord and hit “Continue.”

Step 2: Claim Your Discord Account

After creating my Midjourney account, I had to claim and verify it by clicking on “Claim Account” and signing up with my email and password. Claiming my account only took a minute, and I could send messages to the server!

After creating and claiming my Discord account, Midjourney took me to the “#getting-started” channel. I appreciated the welcoming message to the Midjourney community and step-by-step guidance.

Step 3: Get Your Midjourney Membership

Midjourney won’t generate images unless you have a membership. To get one, I selected the hyperlink “Get your Midjourney membership” in the “#getting-started” channel.

After clicking the link, Midjourney took me to the showcase, where I logged into my account by clicking the account icon on the bottom left.

After logging into my Discord account, I selected the account icon again and hit “Manage Subscriptions.”

Midjourney took me to the Pricing page, where I could choose between monthly and annual Midjourney subscriptions. Since I’m just trying things out, I subscribed to the most basic plan with monthly billing. You can always return to your account settings and cancel your plan, so there’s no risk!

If you’re not interested in using Discord to generate images with Midjourney, you can use the new Midjourney Web App for a more seamless user experience.

Step 4: Go to a “Newbie” Bot Channel

Back on Discord, I went to one of the “newbie” channels. I found a bunch by scrolling down on the left panel. These channels are all pretty much the same, so it doesn’t matter which one you choose.

Step 5: Add Your Text Prompt

In the blank message field, I typed in “/imagine” and described what I wanted Midjourney to create: “Whimsical cloud carnival with candy rides, pastel sky, fantastical costumes, and playful animals.” The more descriptive your text prompt, the more accurate your results will be!

Note that if you add “/” to the message field, you’ll get more options to explore in addition to image generation. I’d also highly recommend exploring Midjourney’s Quick Start Guide for more!

Step 6: Generate Images

After hitting “Enter” on my keyboard, Midjourney got to work and generated these four images in a matter of seconds based on my prompt:

I honestly couldn’t believe these images’ high level of detail and realism, especially after only taking a few seconds to generate!

By default, Midjourney generates images that are 1024×1024. To tell Midjourney the aspect ratio you’d like your image to have, include the “–ar” (or “–aspect”) parameter along with the aspect ratio at the end of your text prompt.

Step 7: Upscale Images

After generating my images, I noticed some buttons underneath them. I could get Midjourney to regenerate all the images, upscale them, or create variations of individual photos.

“U” indicated “Upscale,” while “V” indicated “Variation.” These letters also had numbers next to them, with “1” for the top left image and “4” for the bottom right.

I liked the image generated at the top left and wondered how Midjourney’s upscale tool would perform. I selected the “U1” button.

Midjourney successfully enlarged the first image it generated for me within seconds without affecting image quality! The quality and level of detail looked stunning.

Step 8: Make Further Refinements

After upscaling, I was presented with even more refinement options for making subtle or strong variations, creating variations on a specific image region, and zooming in or out. You can select one of the arrows to extend the image in any direction without changing the original content (outpainting).

I could save this image by right-clicking and selecting “Save Image.”

Top 5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Midjourney

Here’s my advice on how to make the most of Midjourney:

When giving instructions, be as clear and detailed as possible. The more precise your prompts are to Midjourney, the closer the images will be to what you imagine. Try to include all the crucial details that can help guide it better.

Don’t stick to just one style; experiment with different art styles! Midjourney can imitate various artistic expressions, so experimenting with diverse prompts lets you discover unique visual paths for your creations.

After creating an image, don’t stop there! Use Midjourney’s refinement options to tweak and personalize those images further. Try experimenting with variations and adjustments to perfect their appearance according to how you want them.

Explore the different Midjourney Discord channels. The Midjourney Discord has between one and two million active users you can connect with and confide in if you need help. By sharing your work and getting feedback, you’ll gain new insights to spark more creativity within yourself from seeing other people’s projects, too!

Midjourney is constantly coming out with new features and continuous updates every few months, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on these changes so that nothing slips past you. Check the Midjourney “announcements” channel on Discord for the latest!

Midjourney Advanced Features

Midjourney has fantastic tools that make generating images much more fun and personalized. Let’s dive into what these are and how you can use them:

Use remix mode by typing in the “/prefer remix” command to tweak your prompt after seeing each batch of variations. You can use this to adjust the setting or lighting of an image, edit subjects, or create more challenging compositions.

Using zoom-in or out and directional pan buttons, you can zero in or out on certain parts of a picture or create more context. It’s great for making sure everything looks just right!

The vary buttons allow you to experiment with different versions of that image. This opens up a whole world of creative possibilities based on your vision!

Once you’ve got an image grid full of options, hitting the “U” button lets you pick an image to enlarge to higher quality. From there, right-click on the image and hit “Save Image” to save it to your device.

Top 3 Midjourney Alternatives

If you’re wondering what else is out there, here are the best Midjourney alternatives I’ve tried. I recommend you consider them!

GetIMG

My first recommendation for Midjourney alternatives is GetIMG. Both GetIMG and Midjourney use advanced AI technology to generate high-quality images and offer tools for refining and customizing them. They also foster community engagement and provide guides and resources to help maximize your creative potential.

Here are the impressive image generations I made with GetIMG using the text prompt “Medium portrait shot of a golden retriever wearing a hat”:

I couldn’t believe how realistic these images looked!

Both platforms generate high-quality images and come with robust image editing features. However, GetIMG is more user-friendly than Midjourney. For example, the 80+ AI models GetIMG offers I could sift through made choosing a style that aligned with my vision easier.

GetIMG also offers 100 credits per month for free just for signing up! No Discord account is required.

You used to be able to generate up to 25 images with Midjourney for free. However, due to its surge in popularity, the Midjourney free trial is no longer available. You must now pay at least $8 monthly (billed annually) to generate images with Midjourney.

However, when it comes to community, Midjourney has an edge. While GetIMG and Midjourney offer Discord communities to collaborate with others, ask questions, and share your work, Midjourney has a much larger active community of one to two million members. Meanwhile, GetIMG has a community of roughly 2,000 members, which is much smaller.

For a more user-friendly experience that doesn’t require a Discord account, offers a free plan, and provides a wide range of features, choose GetIMG. If you’re comfortable using Discord and seek strong community support with flexibility in image generation, choose Midjourney. Both platforms generate stunning photos with lots of detail, so you can’t go wrong with either!

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ArtSmart

I recommend Art Smart as the best Midjourney alternative. It’s another tool that produces high-quality digital art quickly and easily without technical knowledge.

Here’s a cute photo of a bunny in the grass next to a dandelion I generated with ArtSmart:

Besides its impressive AI image generator, ArtSmart offers a variety of AI tools. These include an avatar generator, background remover, and the ability to manipulate digital skeletons and mimic character poses. Unfortunately, ArtSmart lacks a free trial.

Midjourney, on the other hand, also excels in generating unique, high-quality images across diverse artistic styles and is well-suited for those comfortable using Discord. Once your image is generated, you can create variations, upscale, outpaint, etc. Like ArtSmart, Midjourney is not free but slightly more affordable.

ArtSmart is the best choice for a more user-friendly platform with many AI tools. It’s ideal for individuals and businesses who want to create high-quality digital art quickly without technical expertise, particularly fashion designers who wish to generate figures with exact poses.

Alternatively, Midjourney is an excellent tool if you prefer a platform with high-quality, artistically styled images, want to interact with a large and active community, and are comfortable using Discord.

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Dzine

My final Midjourney alternative recommendation is called Dzine (formerly Stylar). Like Midjourney, Dzine offers a quick generation of professional, high-quality images. It also streamlines repetitive creative tasks with its user-friendly AI editing tools.

What stood out to me about Dzine compared to the other AI image generators was its impressive ability to generate high-quality photos, specifically product photos. I was able to create this photo of a perfume bottle in seconds and couldn’t believe how realistic it looked:

Once generated, I wanted to try one of Dzine’s image editing tools to replace the white flower with a red one. I did this by selecting the “Local Edit” tool, selecting the flower, and giving Dzine the text prompt, “Red flower”:

Not only does Dzine generate stunning photos, but its wide range of editing tools are also top-notch and incredibly easy to use.

Meanwhile, Midjourney also excels in producing high-quality, unique images. You can quickly create pictures mirroring the artistic styles of renowned artists or insert URLs of image styles you wish to generate.

You’ll need a Discord account to use Midjourney, and generating images on Discord is a bit more complicated than Dzine. However, Midjourney offers a new web app for seamless use, along with image refinement options like upscaling and outpainting. Midjourney also isn’t free; you’ll have to pay at least $8 monthly (billed annually).

I’d recommend choosing Dzine if you’re looking for an easy-to-use platform with comprehensive editing tools and support resources. It’s also a perfect choice for photographers and businesses selling physical products.

Choose Midjourney if you seek high-quality, artistically styled images and are comfortable navigating a more complex platform. Midjourney is also great if you value community support and continuous feature enhancements.

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Is Midjourney Worth It? Final Thoughts

Despite being more complicated than other AI image generators, I still enjoyed generating images with Midjourney. Midjourney provides excellent documents containing an easy-to-follow guide using Discord, writing prompts, and more. You can explore an endless number of styles. Plus, they recently launched the web version of Midjourney, making image generation and user interaction easier for new users.

Midjourney has exciting things on the horizon that’ll make the platform even better. They’re continuously upgrading their technology to make their AI smarter and create increasingly more accurate and photorealistic images.

I also really love how large and active the Midjourney community is. It’s the largest AI art generation community I’ve seen online, and I love how you can see what others are creating in real time for immediate inspiration. You can also give Midjourney feedback with the “/feedback” command at any time, which is excellent.

Midjourney remains worth the hype today due to its extensive documentation, easy-to-follow guides, and recent web version launch, simplifying the user experience. The platform’s ongoing technological advancements guarantee precise and lifelike results. With a vibrant community offering instant inspiration and feedback, it’s a top choice for AI art generation.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading my Midjourney AI review! I hope it helped you determine whether Midjourney is worth the investment. Try it for yourself and see how you like it! Otherwise, consider exploring the other alternatives.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Midjourney any good?

Midjourney is a widely popular AI-driven image generator that generates accurate images based on text inputs. It lets you bring your imagination to life, from realistic photos to dreamy sketches. Midjourney can generate artistic masterpieces!

What are the disadvantages of Midjourney?

Midjourney has many advantages, but it also has some drawbacks. Some results can be inaccurate, especially when attempting to generate text results. The other drawback is that the free trial no longer exists, meaning you must pay for Midjourney from the start. Despite these drawbacks, Midjourney is worth it for the quality of images it generates and the active community, among other things.

Can I trust Midjourney?

Midjourney is considered secure and reliable, as millions of daily active users trust it. Its robust data security system, including encryption, safeguards user data confidentiality.

Can I use Midjourney for free?

You used to be able to use Midjourney for free, but due to its surge in popularity, that’s no longer the case. Midjourney has different pricing options, starting at $8 monthly (billed annually) for around 200 generations, which is affordable for most people. Pick the best plan that fits your needs and wallet, as each has different features and perks.

How to use Midjourney AI?

To start with Midjourney AI, you must first create a Discord account. From there, join the Midjourney Discord server. After joining the server on Discord, all it takes is going to one of the “newbie” channels and typing “/imagine” followed by whatever you want your image to be about. Wait a few seconds, and Midjourney will generate four pictures based on your prompt! The platform makes it easy for anyone to figure out how things work, thanks to the helpful guides showing you how to use everything Midjourney offers.

What does Midjourney cost?

Midjourney has various pricing options to fit everyone’s budget, with plans starting at $10 monthly for roughly 200 generations. For those needing more advanced features like Stealth Mode to generate images privately and faster GPU times, pro plans can go up to $96 monthly for more enterprise-level needs. Each option has its perks and advantages, making it easy to pick one that matches your budget and requirements.

Can I use Midjourney on my phone?

Access the Midjourney Bot on Discord using a web browser, mobile app (available on iOS and Android), or desktop app. Ensure you have a verified Discord account before joining the Midjourney Discord server.

Which AI is Midjourney using?

Midjourney uses a machine learning method called diffusion, although it is uncertain whether it draws partially from the open-source Stable Diffusion model. Regardless, it uses advanced AI technology and smart algorithms to generate images. Using machine learning and deep learning, Midjourney creates one-of-a-kind photos based on simple text prompts.

Is there a better AI than Midjourney?

Midjourney is known for being one of the best AI image generators. It produces some of the most stunning images and has a vibrant community and excellent features. You can also generate images in a wide range of artistic styles, and the Midjourney team is constantly listening to user feedback and making improvements.

Is Midjourney basic plan enough?

The Midjourney Basic plan is a great starting point for anyone new to generative AI or experimenting with AI image generation. With this plan, you’ll get around 200 generations per month, which is plenty to start with! The more expensive plans come with faster generations and more features.

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