Midjourney V8.1, Explained Simply

Midjourney V8.1 is a newly released AI tool that turns your written descriptions into pictures. It is made by Midjourney and is perfect for anyone who wants to create highly detailed, fast, and accurate AI art, from hobbyists to digital artists.

What it does well

This model is smarter and more "coherent" (meaning the final image actually makes sense and looks correct, without weird mistakes like extra fingers). It is much better at sticking to exactly what you ask for in your detailed prompts. It also renders text better than ever, meaning if you ask it to draw a stop sign or a poster with words on it, it can actually spell the words right.

How it compares

Compared to Midjourney's previous V7 model, V8.1 is faster and creates images that are twice as large with four times the resolution when you turn on HD mode. It keeps the same art styles and personalization features as V7, so your favorite looks won't change. However, it is missing one thing V7 had: the "omni-reference" feature (a tool that lets you copy the exact style or subject of an uploaded image). You still have to use the V7 version of that tool for now while they finish training the V8.1 version.

What it costs and what it can handle

While exact subscription prices aren't mentioned here, the tool handles two different speed and size settings. In standard definition (SD), your images appear in just 4 seconds. If you want bigger, crisper pictures, HD mode renders at twice the size and 4x the resolution of V7 images, taking about 12 seconds to finish.

Worth knowing

If you were using the V8.0 "alpha" (an early, unfinished test version), it will be completely removed in two weeks, so you will need to switch over to V8.1. Also, as mentioned above, if you rely heavily on the omni-reference feature to copy images, you will have to stick to using the older V7 version of it for now until the new one is ready.