2023-07-16 17:10:02
News JVTech I tested MidJourney, the AI that scares all graphic designers
Published on 07/16/2023 at 19:10
Share :
An essential tool for some, but problematic for others, Midjourney is the star of artificial intelligence that can generate photos and images in just a few seconds. As part of my work at Jeuxvideo.com, I use it regularly: here’s what I think.
When it comes to illustrating a news item or an article, the same question always arises: which visual to use? It is necessary to find a relevant illustration, adapted to the situation and free of rights. Some free image banks can do the jobbut at some point, we end up going around in circles and not finding exactly what you are looking for.
It is mainly for this reason that I decided to give Midjourney a chance. I am not a particular client of artificial intelligences, but their rapid development and their potential all the same tend to sharpen my curiosity. So I wondered if Midjourney might help me with my regular illustration needs for my content. Here is my opinion.
Midjourney, what is it?
Midjourney is an artificial intelligence created by David Holz, who is also the co-founder of Leap Motiona start-up specializing in motion capture for virtual reality. AI is a recent creation since its first appearance on the Web dates from July 2022, almost a year ago to the day. However, his progress has been meteoric since version 5.2 is already available today.
The use of Midjourney is rather original, since this artificial intelligence does not have its own dedicated platform. To use it, you have to go through Discord software, on which to send a prompt via a message on a channel, using the /imagine command. By providing a lot of details on the desired visual, and optionally adding certain information such as the format of the image or the version of the AI to be used, results are obtained in just a few minutes. It is then possible to refine it at leisure, or to request iterations from the program.
Midjourney’s proposals to illustrate the metaverse.
Without mastery, the power of Midjourney is nothing
Midjourney is simple to use, but I quickly realized that mastering it perfectly might be complex. At first, I was content to ask for simple renderings with prompts not exceeding two lines, where some users write blocks of 15 lines to obtain the most detailed result possible.
Car going through a Discord chat channel to use Midjourney allows you to see the prompts and results of dozens of other users. It is even possible to recover or personalize them. Nothing is secret when using Midjourney: it is an advantage, but it can also be a disadvantagesince a good illustration idea can quickly fall into the hands of other users.
More this original mode of use allowed me to quickly improve my way of writing my prompts inspired by the methods of other users. There are also plenty of tutorials online that provide a better understanding of how this powerful tool works.
Midjourney can offer photorealistic renders, like these solar panel images.
Can Midjourney replace a professional graphic designer?
Professional artists and graphic designers are extremely concerned regarding the impact Midjourney may have on their professions. It must be said that AIs of this kind tend to be strongly inspired by works that already exist to make new ones, generated by an algorithm that is certainly powerful, but without any real imagination or artistic spirit.
Personally, I categorically refuse to use, in my prompts, commands that suggest the AI to draw inspiration from the style of a known artist. But it’s a fact, many users doand this is a real ethical problem.
In my opinion, even if Midjourney is efficient, the AI is not able to completely replace the artists, and this for many reasons. The first is that even with a detailed prompt, Midjourney sometimes struggles to clearly understand what is being asked of him, especially when it comes to subtly acting out a situation. After a few attempts which give an unsatisfactory result with a misinterpretation, I decide either to opt for a real photo, or to simplify my request. A real graphic designer can, for his part, identify the subtlety of a request.
For the purposes of a news, I asked Midjourney to illustrate a marriage celebrated by a robot. Despite numerous prompts, he never managed to respond to my request.
Then, the result is never really perfect. There are always details that annoy, or that require editing, even quickly. To illustrate a news, it may be appropriate. But when it comes to putting the illustration at the heart of the subject, it remains difficult to do without a professional in the flesh in my opinion.
Midjourney stays for me an interesting tool to use, which represents a small challenge in mastery. It’s useful when it comes to having artwork available very quickly for content that has a limited shelf life, such as a news item. But I can’t see myself adopting it for anything else. That being said, this is my personal opinion and I know it is not shared by everyone. But that kind of AI is now part of the picture, and it’s impossible to ignore…
1689566645
#tested #MidJourney #scares #graphic #designers
