20. June 20239 Comments

Ultimate Midjourney Beginner’s Guide

Introduction

🎨 What is Midjourney?


Midjourney is an AI image generator that can create stunning images from your text descriptions and with our Ultimate Midjourney Beginner's Guide you will be able to unleash it's potential in no time. It's like having your own personal artist on call, 24/7.

With Midjourney, you can create (almost) anything you can imagine! Whether you want to create a realistic portrait of a friend, a fantastical landscape, or a completely abstract piece of art, Midjourney can do it.

Alright, ready to try it for yourself with the help of our comprehensive Guide? Let’s dive in…

❓ Accessing Midjourney (Not Free Anymore!)

First off, you will need a Discord account to use Midjourney. If you don’t have one already, you can just head on over to Discord.com, download it and sign up for an account.

Now that you have Discord set up, you need to join the Midjourney Discord server to begin creating.

  1. Go to the Midjourney website and click on the "Join the Discord Server" button.
  2. Log in to Discord with your account.
  3. Once you are logged in, you will be taken to the Midjourney Discord server.

You’re all set up! Now you can generate images with the Midjourney Bot on any Discord server channel that has the Bot enabled. Look for instructions on each server for where to access the Bot. In The AI Advantage Discord Server, these channels are labeled with an “imagine” tag. 💡 Midjourney recently added the ability to send direct messages to the Midjourney Bot! But you shouldn't spend all your time in the DMs as public channels can get inspired and meet fellow artists, but if you want to work in private this is a great feature.

🪄 Generating Images with the /imagine Command


Creating your first image is incredibly easy:

  1. Type /imagine prompt: or select the /imagine command from the slash commands pop-up.
  2. Type a description of the image you want to create in the prompt field.
  3. Send your message.

For example, to generate an image of a cat playing with a ball of yarn, you could type the following command:

/imagine cat playing with ball of yarn

⚒️ Upscaling and Creating Variations

Each time you use the /imagine command, Midjourney generates a grid of four images.

  • Upscale your favorite image by selecting one of the U buttons (U1, U2, U3 and U4.)
  • Select one of the Version buttons (V1, V2, V3 and V4) to tell Midjourney “I like this version best” and it will generate another grid of 4 images that share style and composition with the original image.
  • The 🔄️ (re-roll) button runs the original prompt again to produce a completely new set of images.

And there you have it!

As of the cost, the Basic plan costs $10/month to get ~100 of these. It should also be mentioned that Midjourney also offers upgraded Standard and Corporate plans for heavier Midjourney users. Unfortunately the free plan with 25 free generations is not available anymore.

💰 Midjourney Subscription Plans

PlanPriceGPU TimeAdditional Features
Basic$10/month200 minutes/monthPersonal bot chat, private visibility (additional $20/month)
Standard$30/month15 hours/monthUnlimited relax GPU time + all the benefits mentioned above
Corporate$600/year120 hours/yearAll the benefits mentioned above

💡 You can also purchase additional Fast Hours (GPU Time, meaning more image generations) for $4/hour! Please note that these prices are subject to change. For the most up-to-date pricing information, please visit the Midjourney website.

Free Prompt Database

Now that you arrived at this point in our Midjourney Beginner's Guide, it's time for you to start experimenting. But initially, all the options can be overwhelming and that's why we created a massive Midjourney prompt database that features 100 Midjourney prompts + the output in V5 and V5.1. It'c completely free and you can find it here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQnpchmWGXUTpZIfm_AF4s47BUpVjsyz0QPhZkt5lsgqXNawU0AX4U7OGXOyYH4tC6RzPhK6EtFd7yz/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true

Here is our video tutorial on how to use it:

Midjourney Prompting Toolkit


🧑🏽‍💻 Midjourney Parameters

💡 Parameters are always added to the end of a prompt and change how the image is generated. You can add multiple parameters to each prompt.

https://cdn.document360.io/3040c2b6-fead-4744-a3a9-d56d621c6c7e/Images/Documentation/MJ_Parameters_example.png

Most Used Parameters:

  • --aspect or --ar Change the aspect ratio of generated images
  • --no Negative prompting, --no plants would try to remove plants from the image.
  • --quality <.25, .5, or 1>, or --q <.25, .5, or 1> How much rendering quality time you want to spend. The default value is 1. Higher values use more GPU minutes; lower values use less.
  • -stylize <number>, or -s <number> parameter influences how strongly Midjourney's default aesthetic style is applied to Jobs.

💡 Check out [Midjourney’s Official Documentation pages] for more on parameters.

📡 Command-List

You interact with the Midjourney Bot on Discord by typing a Command. Commands are used to create images, change default settings, monitor user info, and perform other helpful tasks. Midjourney Commands can be used in any Bot Channel, on private Discord servers where the Midjourney Bot has been permitted to operate, or in a direct message with the Midjourney Bot.

Most Used Commands:

  • **/imagine** Generates an image using a prompt
  • /settings View and adjust the Midjourney Bot's settings
  • /blend Easily blend two images together.
  • /help Shows helpful basic information and tips about the Midjourney Bot.
  • /info View information about your account and any queued or running jobs.
  • /remix Toggle Remix mode.

💡 Check out [Midjourney’s Official Documentation pages](https://docs.midjourney.com/docs/command-list) for more on commands.

💁🏽‍♂️ Beginner Prompting Tips

  • Short Prompts are best to begin with, as it gives the AI more room for “creativity”.
    • Short prompts avoid “confusing” the AI. A “confused” image can omit things in your prompt you felt were necessary, it can combine things in your prompt you didn’t want added together, etc.
    • In addition, short prompts are great for personal creative inspiration. If you don’t know where to go with an image, start very basic, look at the 4 images generated, and see what you like and don’t like, then add one word to your prompt and repeat.
  • Start with subjects that are realistic and can be found on the internet. If your idea is too fantastic and no human has ever begun to imagine it, Midjourney will also have a very difficult time imagining it as it relies upon the images it has been trained on.
  • Start with 2:3 or 3:2. These ratios force the Midjourney Bot to get a bit more creative with image composition than the standard 1:1, but isn’t as challenging as more complex ratios like 16:9.
  • Use keywords to describe the image you want to generate. For example, if you want to generate an image of a cat playing with a ball of yarn, you could use the keywords "cat", "yarn", “ball” and "play".
  • Use adjectives to describe the style of the image you want to generate. For example, if you want to generate a photorealistic image, you could use the adjectives "realistic" and “detailed”.
  • Experiment with different prompts to see what kind of results you can get!

Less Relevant Prompting Tips

  • Prompt Ordering has a minimal effect. For example: “big cuddly brown dog” and “dog cuddly brown big” is viewed as nearly identical by Midjourney AI.
  • Grammar is ignored almost entirely as well. You don’t have to write full sentences, but you can as long as you avoid the “complexity” problem mentioned in the short prompts section.
  • Punctuation is only slightly more important as commas, quotes, brackets, parentheses and periods are mostly irrelevant as separators or prompt codes. There is one major exception when you learn about “Prompt Weights” and the [::] prompt code but that goes beyond the scope of this beginner guide.

✨ Continue Learning With Our Favorite Midjourney Resources

At this point, you have all the basic tools in your toolkit to create incredible images through Midjourney. Below you’ll find links to some resources to continue your learning journey.

AI Advantage Midjourney Playlist:
All of our Midjourney videos in one place:

Midjourney Playlist on The AI Advantage YouTube

The Best AI Art Generators

We compiled a list of our favorite AI Art generators of which many are free. Check it out here:

https://myaiadvantage.com/the-best-free-ai-art-generators

Midjourney Cheat Sheet by @Tristwolff

Another incredible guide full of Midjourney tips and tricks
Detailed, organized collection of useful Midjourney keywords. Comes with image examples from multiple models for each keyword.
Link: https://github.com/willwulfken/MidJourney-Styles-and-Keywords-Reference

The best Midjourney YouTuber
Tokenized AI by Christian Heidorn is a friend of The AI Advantage and runs the best all-around Midjourney education program via his YouTube channel and website. Highly recommend you check him out!

The best Midjourney Course
I took multiple courses and this one is my personal favorite as it equips you with practical skills that you will actually end up using.
Link: Midjourney Course I recommend by Christian Heidorn

Midjourney Documentary
Jonas Tyroller’s documentary on the past, present, and future of AI art gives great perspective and context on some of the ethics involved.

The Best Midjourney Community:
I am probably biased but with our weekly Midjourney competitions and a yearly Midjourney tournament launching end of June, our very own Discord offers a friendly environment to learn and explore Midjourney in a creative environment:
https://discord.gg/aiadvantage


That should be enough to keep you busy for a few weeks. Whenever you feel like exploring more join us in our weekly discord events or revisit this Midjourney Beginner's Guide. Just don't forget to have fun exploring this fascinating technology.

Written by: Daniel Pierce and Igor Pogany

23. July 2023No Comments

What AI Automation Agencies Can Do

With AI, the world has drastically transformed, offering possibilities that were merely dreams a few months ago. Nonetheless, my aim today isn't to discuss theoretical ideas, but to talk about the realistic usage of AI Automation Agencies. So, let's take a thrilling expedition into what the future holds for smaller businesses with AI. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the ride!

AI Automation Agencies: Not New But Different

Let's begin our journey by exploring AI automation agencies, a business model that is not new but is certainly evolved. Theoretically, these agencies have existed for a while, but their services were reachable only to larger enterprises through colossal consulting firms. However, ever since the launch of GPT-4, and the economical counterparts such as GPT-3.5, this model has become incredibly feasible for small to medium-sized businesses.

But, what services could these agencies offer? Simply put, everything that brings efficiency. It's all about using AI's potential to offer services that make procedures faster, tasks easier, and accuracy impeccable for businesses.

Service 1: The Advent of Advanced AI Chatbots

The first and foremost offering under the umbrella of AI automation agencies is the always-alert, ever-efficient Chatbots. Powered by GPT-3.5 and GPT-4, chatbots have become more capable and less expensive, making them appealing to businesses. But let's remember to manage our expectations here. Though chatbots are extremely useful, their primary limitation is that they lack the ability to act independently when things go off script. Therefore, think of them as half an employee, an entity that needs human intervention when there is an unexpected query or error.

However, by deploying multiple chatbots with respective roles, a symbiotic virtual workforce can be created. For instance, one chatbot could manage HR queries; another could cater to customer support, managing tasks round the clock.

Service 2: Social Media Automation with AI

Another fascinating service that falls under the scope of an AI automation agency is social media automation. Although tricky, it can ultimately replace manual copywriting and deliver unique, engaging content, all thanks to GPT-4. The quality, however, depends heavily on the quality of prompts and persona crafting. So, if you're just feeding in a tweet, don’t expect a refined blog post. But if you’re feeding in long-form video transcribed with Whisper, the possibilities are endless.

Service 3: Making Business Operations Smoother with AI

The third service is all about custom automation of processes that make the life of the business owner easier. A myriad of tasks are redundant in nature and require only the correct execution at the right time. These tasks can easily be automated, saving time, and curtailing human errors.

For instance, a routine task could be forwarding the details of a new lead from the database to an account manager and a technical fulfillment team. This mundane task can be automated to ensure accurate and timely execution without requiring human intervention. The trick lies in writing the correct prompt and providing it with the relevant context.

While automation might sound simple, it’s worth mentioning that one needs to be ready for endless learning and constant adaptation, as AI evolves with each passing day.

Wrapping up: Riding the AI wave Successfully is about Continuous Learning

Conclusively, AI presents us with infinite possibilities, managing it all on a reasonable budget. However, adapting to this new era comes with ceaseless innovation and continuous evolution. So, buckle up for the exhilarating ride on the AI train moving at light speed, from the custom chatbots to social media automation to custom automations.

And remember, the advancement in AI is exponential, and these opportunities might change drastically in only a few months due to technological advancements. However, you'll be ready to embark on the journey provided you have the experience and understanding of this space.

So, whether you are a person that wants to dive into the AI automation agency business or a company yearning to integrate AI, prepare to venture into unexplored territories, opening doors leading to endless possibilities.

For further insights, feel free to reach out, or explore [mention a learning platform or resource].

As I always say, curiosity is the companion of wisdom. So keep learning, keep exploring!

If you found this blog post insightful, do leave a comment or share it in your network. Let's spread the enthusiasm for AI, together.

You can also check out my YouTube video covering this topic:

3. June 20237 Comments

The Ultimate ChatGPT Plugin Database

ChatGPT plugins are here and they offer more options than most people know what to do with. That's why we developed an overview of all of them for those who have been eager to harness the full potential of all ChatGPT plugins.

The Full Plugin Database

https://ai-advantage.notion.site/ChatGPT-Plugins-81cc7cc2107a4065a8b0a0f3f73d9b19?pvs=4

The Notion database in the link above provides valuable insights for those looking to better understand the capabilities of these plugins and how they can enhance their day-to-day tasks. Also, it introduces a new way to search for specific plugin capabilities, something that will surely optimize your AI usage.

Step-by-Step Process:

  1. Access the AI Advantage plugin resource: This resource is freely available. Simply follow the link.
  2. Explore the full list of plugins: Hit the "Load More" button at the bottom of the list to expand the full database. Each plugin listing includes the name, logo, and description, along with a deeper exploration of its features, benefits, and examples.
  3. Use the search function: If you want to look for specific capabilities, you can now use the search function. You can access it by clicking the loupe at the top or using CMD+F(Mac) or CTRL+F(Win). For example, typing in 'news' will yield all plugins with news-related capabilities.

"So now you get to deeply search all ChatGPT plugins for free."

-Igor, Founder, The AI Advantage

Key Takeaways:

  1. AI Advantage plugin resource is a comprehensive and ever-evolving database of plugins, presenting their features, benefits, and use cases.
  2. The resource aids in improving your work-life balance
  3. The Notion search functionality enables you to dig deeper into the capabilities of various plugins, providing more detailed results than just the descriptions or names would suggest.

How To Get More Out Of it

First and foremost make sure you expand the full database by clicking "Load more" before searching it.

From my personal experience with plugins, it's all about trying them out yourself in order to find out which ones fit your needs. It's not just about choosing the most popular plugins, it's about understanding what each plugin brings to the table and how it aligns with your needs.

FAQ

  1. What is the AI Advantage plugin resource?
    • It is a comprehensive and free resource providing detailed information about various plugins.
  2. Is the search function effective?
    • Absolutely! It digs deeper into the capabilities of various plugins, providing more detailed results than just the descriptions or names would suggest.
  3. What kind of information does the resource provide about the plugins?
    • It provides the name, logo, description, as well as a deeper exploration of its features, benefits, and examples.
  4. How often is the resource updated?
    • The resource is continuously updated with the latest plugins.

21. May 2023No Comments

The Best AI Art Generators

I've been keeping an eye on all the best AI art generators and I couldn't resist sharing this comprehensive overview of all of the best alternatives to Midjourney (as it's currently the best option) with all of you. Many of these are free which makes them perfect for beginners.

S: MidJourney

A: DALL-E 2 | Nightcafe AI | Leonardo AI

B: Deep Dream Generator | Stable Diffusion | DreamlikeArt

C: Craiyon (DALL-E mini) | Dream (by WOMBO) | Runway ML | Canva (paid) | Fotor

D: ArtBreeder | DeepAI | Jasper Art | Photosonic | Dream Studio (Stable Diffusion) | Lensa AI (paid)

F: Pixray | Google Imagine | Wonder AI | AI Green Screen | AI Picasso | AI Time Machine | MyHeritage | Hotpot AI | Synthesys X | Text to Pokemon AISEO | CF Spark | Dawn AI | Google Muse AI | Picsart Pictory AI | Reface App | Shutterstock | StableCog

Last Updated: 21. May.2023

AI Art Generator Video Tutorial:

Learning AI Art

While jumping in and generating some images might be one of the best ways to start learning we compiled a free guide that will save you hours on your journey to becoming more skilled with generative AI.
https://myaiadvantage.com/ultimate-beginners-guide-to-midjourney

Key Takeaways:

  1. Variety of Models: Many AI models are available but only a few are worth your attention. While Midjourney is the best, it does cost money, so I curated a list of the best alternatives from across the internet.
  2. Not all are equal: Many of these yield similarly average results with the exception of AI art platforms such as Leonardo which offers an array of AI models to choose from. These models, some of which are superb at specific use cases, can be further fine-tuned with personal data.
  3. Potential for Improvement: Many platforms have room for improvement, with some only being beneficial for niche use cases. However, regular updates also mean there is the potential for rapid progression so we will keep updating this tier list as the space progresses.
  4. Recommended Platform: Leonardo is a great place to start because of its wide range of models and fine-tuning capabilities.

After spending 100s of hours within these apps my best advice would be to experiment and explore different platforms, models, and techniques. There is no one best AI art generator. Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses, and finding the best one for you will largely depend on your specific goals and personal preferences.

FAQ

Q: Are all of these free?
A: While most of them offer a free trial, not every single app mentioned above is completely free.

Q: What is the best one to start with?
A: As mentioned, Leonardo AI is currently a fantastic starting point as their free trial includes enough generations to get going and their fine-tuning offers advanced capabilities you can grow into over time.

Q: Are there other AI Image Generators out there?
A: Yes, we did our best to collect our personal Best AI Art Generators but if your preferred generator is not included feel free to leave a comment below and we will consider adding it.

© 2023 Memento Media s.r.o.