Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4

 Thanks to constant developments in algorithms that enhance realism and dynamic range, along with many other features and features, Midjourney continues to amaze users with each new update.

Midjourney v5 is now officially launched

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 1

Midjourney v5 was released in beta on March 16, 2023. You can access the service through Discord, a voice and video chat platform popular with gamers. You will then be able to access the Midjourney server in Discord and start creating AI artworks.

 Current Midjourney users can access v5 by entering /Settings and then clicking MJ version 5 in the menu as shown below.

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 2

It's worth noting that if you're new and have never used Midjourney before, you get a free trial, limited to 25 image creations. Use wisely because it's easy to run out in just a few minutes.

If you want to continue with Midjourney on a subscription basis, there are 3 levels. Visit Midjourney's account page to purchase a plan. The article recommends the Standard package for serious users who intend to use the platform regularly.

What changes are there in Midjourney v5 compared to Midjourney v4?

The feature improvement that received the most buzz was about the hands.

Let's see how v4 handles hands in a portrait situation using the text "a portrait of an old man with folded hands on lap". femoral):

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 3

 Here's how Midjourney v5 outputs results from the same content:

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 4

It took 4 passes in v5 to achieve a realistic looking folded hand (bottom right image). Ironically, you'll often see enhancements to the hand in images created from content that doesn't specifically mention it. Now, let's compare the prompt "full-length portrait of an old man" between Midjourney v4 and v5.

Midjourney v4:

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 5

 Midjourney v5:

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 6

In cases like this, the hands in Midjourney v5 look much more natural than in v4.

There are some other big differences between Midjourney v4 and Midjourney v5:

Create realistic and unique people images from scratch

One of the main attractions for Midjourney users is the ability to create realistic-looking personas based on plain text content. For these types of requests, the difference between Midjourney v4 and v5 is quite large. Here's another direct comparison, using the prompt "the artist in her studio."

Midjourney v4:

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 7

Midjourney v5:

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 8

 Create celebrity images

Likewise, Midjourney v5 outperforms its predecessor v4 in this regard. The next example reads "a color portrait of Tom Cruise, studio strobe lighting".

Midjourney v4:

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 9

Midjourney v5:

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 10

Resolution and upgrade speed

Two more notable changes between Midjourney v4 and v5 are increased resolution and faster upgrade processing times. The increase in resolution can be seen in both detail (especially fabric) and file size. Here are two of the images Tom created earlier.

Midjourney v4:

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 11

 PNG file size is 1.22 MB.

Midjourney v5:

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 12

PNG file size is 1.30 MB.

Midjourney v5's increase in upgrade speed is due to the fact that Midjourney appears to generate upgraded versions concurrently with processing the initial prompt. So when you click on one of the images to upgrade, the results usually appear immediately if you don't have too many jobs in the queue. In all previous versions, you had to wait for the upgrade prompt to be processed from the beginning.

This change alone could save some Midjourney v5 users hours each month on upgrade tasks.

Everyday items

Objects are also given enhanced realism, if that is the goal. Let's look at two renderings of "a basketball".

Midjourney v4:

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 13

Midjourney v5:

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 14

Everyday objects actually act as "Achilles' heels" at times for Midjourney, similar to hands. Both versions don't do too well with something as simple as "hammer".

Midjourney v4:

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 15

 Midjourney v5:

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 16

Judging which version is better in this case is subjective, depending on the creator's goals. But Midjourney v5 shines brighter than v4 when you apply more detailed prompts. Details will be mentioned in the next section.

Complex reminders

The best results in Midjourney are often generated when users enter detailed and carefully crafted content. In addition to adding weights and append modifiers to help build the image, including multiple comma-separated descriptions seems to be a best practice that many experienced Midjourney users will implement. presently.

Midjourney v5 handles this content even better than previous versions. The following text will be used to test each version, "A lone man facing a lake, birds flying overhead, a mountain glisten against the sky in the distance, a partly cloudy sky, a fishing boat in the middle of the lake , in the style of Marc Chagall" (A lone man facing a lake, birds flying overhead, mountains sparkling in the sky in the distance, cloudy sky, a fishing boat in the middle of the lake , in the style of Marc Chagall).

Midjourney v4:

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 17

Midjourney v5:

Differences between Midjourney v5 and v4 Picture 18

In this example, Midjourney v4 doesn't do its job well. In fact, v4 shines at creating creative landscapes and handling abstract queries. But Midjourney v5 does a much better job at both relating details and imitating the famous artist's style.

The complex prompts in v5 can be put to use to create portrait backgrounds with Midjourney.

Midjourney v4 vs. Midjourney v5: The former meets the new

Midjourney v5 outperforms v4 in terms of overall visual experience. The new v5 could easily be considered another universe, both in terms of realism and detail.

One of the key factors is the huge increase in dynamic range in Midjourney v5's images. The difference between the Midjourney v5 and v4 is like taking photos of a mountain landscape with an old camera and a "genuine" $10,000 camera. The two versions are so far apart!

Midjourney is being improved with each version with great strides. It's very possible that Midjourney and similar companies will completely revolutionize the way we create and interact with art if the next versions are as great as v5.

Jessica Tanner

Update 24 March 2024