The Beginner‘s Guide to Using Midjourney AI

Hey there! Welcome to your beginner‘s guide to Midjourney AI. If you‘re new to AI art generators, you‘re in for a real treat. Midjourney is an incredible tool that can create stunning images from just a text prompt.

In this guide, I‘ll walk you step-by-step through everything you need to know to start using Midjourney like a pro. From joining the Discord to unlocking the secrets of generating mesmerizing AI art, we‘ll explore it all. Get ready to have your mind blown by the creative potential of this futuristic technology!

Overview: What is Midjourney and How Does it Work?

Midjourney is an AI system that generates images and art from text descriptions. Under the hood, it uses deep learning techniques like generative adversarial networks (GANs) and diffusion models. But you don‘t need to worry about the complex algorithms!

Here‘s the basic idea:

You give Midjourney a text prompt describing what you want to create. The AI analyzes the text, extracts key visual concepts, and uses them to generate completely new images. The results often look like beautiful paintings, stunning photography, or elaborate digital art.

People are using Midjourney to create everything from landscapes and portraits to book covers and product concepts. Whatever scene or idea you imagine, Midjourney can illustrate it for you in seconds. It‘s like having a personal digital art studio in your pocket!

To show you how powerful Midjourney is, check out these mind-blowing AI-generated samples:

[Image 1] [Image 2]

[Image 3]

Hard to believe those images came totally from text, right? Now just think of the creative possibilities it unlocks, whether you‘re an artist, writer, game designer, or anyone who likes to visualize concepts.

Let‘s get into the details of how you can start using Midjourney‘s magical AI art generator.

Step 1: Join the Midjourney Discord Server

Since it‘s currently in beta testing, Midjourney is only available through its Discord server. Discord is a free chat and community platform. You‘ll need to join the Midjourney server to gain access to the AI.

Here‘s how simple it is to join:

Download the Discord app on your desktop or mobile device. You can get it here: discord.com
Create a free Discord account if you don‘t already have one.
Click this invite link to join the Midjourney server: https://discord.com/invite/midjourney
Introduce yourself in the #introductions channel!

And that‘s it – you‘ll now see the Midjourney server on your Discord with over 1 million other members. The community is super friendly and helpful for Midjourney newcomers.

Step 2: Navigate to the Newbie Channels

Now that you‘re on the Midjourney Discord server, it‘s time to find the text channels where you can actually use the AI.

On the left sidebar of the Discord, look for the "newbies" category. Open any channel from #newbies-1 to #newbies-91.

I recommend joining one of the higher numbered newbie channels like #newbies-71. The lower channels have long queues of thousands of people waiting. But #newbies-71 usually has no more than a 1-2 minute wait between prompts.

The newbie channels are the only place you can use Midjourney for free. This is where the magic happens!

Step 3: Use the /imagine Command

You‘re in a newbie channel, so it‘s finally time to generate your first Midjourney creation!

To activate the AI, you‘ll use the /imagine command. This tells Midjourney you want to create an image.

The basic format is:

/imagine prompt: [your text prompt here]

So for example, let‘s say you want to generate a cute puppy. You would type:

/imagine prompt: a sleeping puppy curled up on a blanket

After you hit Enter, Midjourney will go to work creating an image based on your prompt.

Some tips for great prompts:

Use clear, simple language that Midjourney will easily understand
Add descriptive details – colors, textures, styles, lighting, etc.
You can include emotions, poses, compositions, and more
Avoid pronouns like "he" "she" "they" since the AI has no context
Limit prompts to 1 line to keep the concept focused

Here are a few more fun examples of prompts to try:

/imagine prompt: an astronaut playing a guitar on the moon, detailed oil painting

/imagine prompt: a bowl of ramen noodles and chopsticks, cinematic lighting

/imagine prompt: a meadow of wildflowers in Tuscany, idyllic golden hour lighting

Let your imagination run wild! part of the creativity is coming up with unique prompt ideas to feed the AI.

Step 4: Generate and View the Images

After you submit your prompt, you‘ll have to wait about 30 seconds for Midjourney to work its magic.

Then suddenly 4 image variations will appear in the channel based on your text!

The AI drawings are rarely perfect on the very first try. But you can refine the output through upscaling and generating variations.

Step 5: Upscale Images with "U"

See an image you like but want it larger and higher quality? Use the "U" command.

Simply type U1 to upscale image 1, U2 to upscale image 2, etc. This sharpens details and resolution.

For example:

/imagine prompt: an astronaut playing guitar on the moon

U3

I like to upscale at least 2-3 times on images I want to finish and download. It really enhances the details.

Step 6: Create Variations with "V"

You can also generate new variations of an image using the "V" command.

So if you want fresh variations on image 2, you would type:

/imagine prompt: a cute sleepy puppy

V2

Midjourney will output 4 new versions starting from image 2‘s "DNA" but with tweaks and changes.

Playing around with upscaling and variations is key to getting that perfect Midjourney creation dialed in.

7 Tips and Tricks for Using Midjourney

As you explore Midjourney, keep these top tips in mind to level up your AI art skills:

1. Join a later newbie channel like #newbies-71 or higher to skip the queues.

2. Use detailed, descriptive prompts – the more visual info the better.

3. Try different art styles like retro, pixel art, stained glass, vector graphics.

4. Describe lighting, atmosphere, textures for incredibly immersive scenes.

5. Set a specific color palette like sunset oranges and pinks.

6. Add emotional qualities like happiness, serenity, chaos.

7. Save images you love by right clicking and "Save Image As".

Follow these tips and soon you‘ll be creating jaw-dropping worlds!

Accessing Midjourney: Free vs. Paid

Now for the question – how much does this AI magic cost?

Midjourney currently has a free tier and paid tiers:

Free Tier:

25 prompts per month
Access to Discord newbie channels
768×768 resolution

Midjourney Patron Tiers:

$10/mo: Unlimited prompts, 1024×1024 resolution
$20/mo: Unlimited prompts, 1280×1280 resolution
$100/mo: Researcher tier with special features

So you can definitely get a feel for Midjourney with the 25 free monthly prompts. But for limitless generation power, you‘ll want to become a paying patron. Midjourney uses patron funds to cover server costs and to further develop the AI technology.

In my opinion, Midjourney is by far the most accessible and affordable AI art generator out there right now. For $10/month you get unlimited mind-blowing creations!

Next Steps After Getting Started

Once you‘ve mastered the basics, here are some cool ways to take your Midjourney skills to the next level:

Browse the Midjourney and Discord community for inspiration and prompt ideas
Experiment with chaining prompts together to tell stories
Get creative with compositions, perspectives, and styles
Try using Midjourney outputs as input prompts for a recursive effect
Use Midjourney outputs as concept art for 3D modeling, game design, etc.
Convert Midjourney images into vector graphics for crisp upscaling
Share your best creations on social media and portfolio sites
Sell Midjourney-generated digital art as NFTs if you choose

The possibilities here are endless. Midjourney can unleash anybody‘s inner artist and accelerator creative workflows.

Get involved in the Discord community to learn from top Midjourney users. Study how the pros are using advanced prompt techniques to control every aspect of the AI art.

Soon you‘ll be wowing all your friends with your own jaw-dropping AI-generated art museum!

The Future of AI Art Tools

Midjourney represents just the beginning of a new era of creative AI. Tools like DALL-E 2, Stable Diffusion, and Google Imagen show how rapidly these algorithms are evolving.

Research firm MarketsandMarkets projects the global AI art market will grow at a 36% CAGR to reach $19.8 billion by 2027.

And early numbers show there is huge demand for AI image generators:

Midjourney hit 1 million Discord members in 8 months
DALL-E 2 has a waitlist of over 2 million people
Over 1.5 million images were created with DALL-E in the first month

As AI art matures, expect the systems to become exponentially more customizable with higher resolution outputs. We‘ll soon have virtual paintbrushes that can realize any vision or concept at the touch of a button.

Midjourney offers an exciting sneak peek at that creative future today. Anybody can start experimenting with AI-generated art for free.

So jump into Midjourney‘s Discord and see what this inventive technology can envision for you. With some thoughtfully crafted prompts and a little practice, you‘ll be designs stunning scenes straight from your imagination!

Let me know if you have any other questions. I‘m always happy to help fellow Midjourney newcomers get started. Now go unleash your creativity – I can‘t wait to see what you dream up!