Midjourney simply dropped V7, and the thrill round it’s loud. Quicker rendering, higher immediate understanding, fewer bizarre arms — the same old guarantees, however turned as much as eleven. If you happen to’ve been utilizing V6.1, you is likely to be questioning: is that this truly a leap ahead, or simply one other iteration wrapped in advertising and marketing sparkle?
In line with Midjourney, V7 isn’t simply an replace — it’s a rework of how the mannequin interprets prompts, textures, and even your private aesthetic preferences. Sounds nice on paper. However let’s face it, we’ve heard comparable issues earlier than.
So I made a decision to place it to the check. Similar prompts, side-by-side comparisons, throughout totally different classes like portraits, landscapes, product photographs, and extra.
Right here’s what I discovered once I let V7 go head-to-head with its predecessor.
What’s Midjourney?
Midjourney is an AI picture technology platform that transforms textual content prompts into gorgeous visible artwork. In contrast to primary picture mills, it makes a speciality of creating inventive, imaginative visuals with exceptional consideration to element and aesthetic high quality. Merely describe what you need, and Midjourney creates it into actuality inside seconds.
With over 15 million customers producing greater than a billion photographs, it’s protected to say that Midjourney has modified how we method AI artwork. If you wish to see the way it developed as much as V6, this text ought to cowl every thing.
What’s New With Midjourney?
In line with Midjourney, V7 is not simply one other replace — it is a full transformation that elevates AI picture technology to extraordinary new heights. Right here’s an outline of their guarantees with this mannequin:
V7 ought to be capable to present improved understanding of textual content prompts and create photographs with gorgeous coherence throughout particulars. If we’re taking every thing they’re saying at face worth, our bodies and arms (that long-time AI artwork problem) ought to now seem naturally proportioned, textures ought to look sensible, and objects ought to present logical relationships inside scenes.
Numerous “shoulds,” I do know.
V7 additionally introduces “Draft Mode” — a function that generates photographs at 10x the pace at half the fee. The brand new voice mode allows you to verbalize ideas whereas watching photographs materialize beneath your phrases like “liquid goals.” Whenever you create one thing promising, merely hit “improve” or “range” to render it in full high quality.
It additionally makes activates personalization by default. With only a 5-minute setup course of, Midjourney begins studying your aesthetic preferences, decoding your prompts by means of the lens of what you discover stunning. This personalization will be toggled on or off anytime, supplying you with final management over your inventive course of.
So, does it ship?
Midjourney V7 vs. V6.1: Similar Prompts In contrast
Portrait
Immediate: a lady working a marathon, sensible, cinematic, photograph, motion shot
The distinction is night time and day right here. The V6.1 picture screams “I am AI-generated” from a mile away. It is obtained that exaggerated movement blur that V6.1 generally slaps on something labeled as “motion.” You recognize the look — that nearly cartoonish try at dynamism that by no means fairly lands proper.
The V7 model, although? The realism is cranked as much as eleven — barely gritty, with the sort of imperfections you’d count on from an precise sports activities photographer catching somebody mid-run.
Panorama
Immediate: 1993 Polaroid, skilled panorama images, a fantastic seaside at sundown from a excessive vantage level
The seaside Polaroid comparability is not fairly as dramatic, however it reveals one thing necessary about V7’s evolution. Each fashions delivered strong, sensible photographs with that basic Polaroid vibe.
The V6.1 model was already spectacular, capturing most components convincingly — besides these waves. If you happen to’ve spent any time at precise seashores, you’d instantly discover how synthetic the water motion seems to be.
V7’s enchancment right here is refined however significant. The wave patterns and water textures look considerably extra pure, with the sort of random chaos that actual ocean waves have. It isn’t a jaw-dropping improve, however it exhibits that Midjourney’s builders have been fine-tuning their understanding of pure components.
All the pieces else — the sand texture, lighting, and that particular Polaroid coloration profile — stays equally sturdy in each variations.
Movie Stills
Immediate: movie nonetheless, 90s film directed by david lynch, golden hour, a sinister lady in a white gown is seen from afar as a person walks right into a forest, horror
The older mannequin truly outperformed the newer one on this comparability. Once I specified a David Lynch-inspired horror scene within the forest, V6.1 delivered precisely what I needed. There’s an unsettling high quality to the picture that captures that signature Lynch eeriness. The lighting, the composition, the facial expressions — all of it works collectively to create that pit-in-your-stomach feeling that nice horror delivers.
V7’s try is technically competent however misses the emotional mark. It is too clear, too completely composed to be genuinely unsettling. The characters look posed relatively than caught in a second of dread. It is the distinction between an precise horror film and a high-budget TV present making an attempt to do horror — all the weather are there, however the soul of it’s lacking.
Product Pictures
Immediate: industrial images, a hydroflask, centered, smooth lighting, waves of water crashing into the product
V6.1 already did an honest job right here, making a commercial-worthy picture of the water bottle with splashing water within the background. The splash impact was considerably exaggerated — a bit too good and dynamic in comparison with how water truly behaves — however general, it was convincing sufficient for many advertising and marketing functions.
V7’s model exhibits small enhancements within the realism of the water physics, however actually, the distinction is not dramatic. What’s fascinating is that the lighting truly took a step backward. V7’s try has barely darker lighting that does not showcase the product as successfully.
Illustrations
Immediate: extensive shot, comedian guide illustration of a supervillain that may management ice, clear line artwork painted by Ilya Kuvshinov, Ed Brubaker, Apollonia Saintclair, Jack Kirby, Brian Michael Bendis
V6.1 completely nailed the basic comedian guide aesthetic — restricted coloration palette dominated by blacks and blues, dramatic contrasts, and a genuinely menacing character design. It is precisely what you’d count on from a 90s/2000s comedian villain, full with that sinister design that claims “I am about to freeze this complete metropolis.”
V7’s interpretation feels prefer it’s making an attempt too exhausting to be inventive relatively than genuine to the supply materials. It is extra surreal, extra “post-modern” in its method, one thing you’d see in a 2010s reimagining relatively than a basic comedian. The technical high quality is there, however it’s just like the mannequin determined to place its personal spin on issues relatively than ship what was truly requested.
That is a type of instances the place the “improved” mannequin truly strikes additional away from what many customers may need.
Digital Artwork
Immediate: a person in a pink pastel shirt surrounded by flowers of various selection and colours, digital artwork, Brewstercolor
The V6.1 model is precisely what you’d count on — vibrant, eye-catching, and literal. It is the sort of picture that grabs your consideration instantly with its daring colours and simple interpretation of the immediate. There’s nothing incorrect with it — in actual fact, it is fairly stunning in its personal proper.
However V7’s method demonstrates a extra subtle understanding of inventive subtlety. It makes use of a extra muted coloration palette however employs it with better intentionality. The composition feels extra considerate, much less apparent. It is the distinction between artwork that shouts in your consideration and artwork that invitations you to look nearer..
Textual content Era
Immediate: a surrealist road signal that claims “THE BUCK STOPS HERE, BUDDY”
Let’s be actual — neither V6.1 nor V7 has discovered textual content technology, and it is actually sort of hilarious. Each variations fully botched the easy request to create an indication saying “The buck stops right here, buddy.” What we obtained as a substitute was a jumbled mess of almost-words that look convincing from a distance however disintegrate fully whenever you truly attempt to learn them.
The Backside Line
Midjourney V7 is a blended bag. On paper, it guarantees smarter generations, sooner speeds, and extra inventive management — and in sure use instances, you do see these enhancements. However whenever you truly put it up towards V6.1, the outcomes aren’t persistently higher. Typically they’re simply totally different. And sometimes, they’re worse.
In some prompts, V7 leans so exhausting into aesthetics that it misses the transient totally. It feels just like the mannequin is making an attempt to impress relatively than interpret — prioritizing type over substance, which is normally okay, besides when the “new type” is similar as earlier than.
Certain, the personalization function is fascinating, however type isn’t every thing. If the mannequin can’t persistently ship correct photographs, these bells and whistles don’t imply a lot.
On the finish of the day, V7 isn’t the clear improve Midjourney needs you to consider it’s. It’s a step ahead in some areas, a sidestep in others, and a stumble in a couple of. Value exploring? Sure. However don’t count on it to switch your go-to workflow simply but.
