Midjourney is an artificial intelligence (AI) service that transforms text into images. It allows users to generate visual content by entering text-based prompts. The service was developed by an independent research laboratory operating under the same name and was first introduced to the public with a beta version in July 2022. While initially accessible only through the Discord platform, a web-based interface became available as of 2024.
Foundation and Development Process
Midjourney was founded by David Holz, who is also a co-founder of Leap Motion. Key contributors to the development process include Jim Keller (processor engineer), Nat Friedman (former GitHub CEO), and Philip Rosedale (founder of Second Life). The platform transitioned to an open beta in the summer of 2022, expanding its user base. Midjourney operates without external investment.
Working Mechanism
Midjourney functions on the basis of large language models (LLMs) and diffusion models. The user’s input text is first converted into a vector representation. This vector is used to guide the transformation of a randomly generated noisy image. The diffusion model progressively reduces the noise to produce a coherent image. The images are processed using high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs).
Diffusion Model
The diffusion model is a type of generative model used in AI-based image synthesis, which transforms random noise into meaningful visuals in incremental steps. Its fundamental operation involves degrading a data sample and then reversing this degradation to generate either an original or a novel image. When implemented as latent diffusion models, it is capable of producing high-resolution and detailed outputs.
The model is trained by adding random noise to real images. It then generates new visuals through a reverse diffusion process, starting from these degraded inputs. Since operations are performed in a multi-dimensional latent space rather than at the pixel level, this method offers advantages in terms of efficiency and processing time.
Operational Stages
Noising:The model initially adds controlled random noise to real images over several stages, eventually approximating white noise. This phase is used during the model’s training.
Denoising (Sampling):After training, the model reverses the noise process, gradually refining the noisy image. The user-provided prompt serves as guidance throughout this process. At each stage, a less noisy image is produced, culminating in the final visual.
Use of Latent Space:Unlike conventional diffusion models that operate on pixels, latent diffusion models perform their processes in a lower-dimensional latent space with dense representations. This reduces computational costs, increases processing speed, and facilitates the generation of high-resolution images.
Application Areas
Diffusion models are used in areas such as text-to-image generation, image upscaling, style transfer, and sound synthesis. Systems like DALL·E 2, Stable Diffusion, and Imagen also rely on such models.
Advantages and Features
- Capable of generating high-resolution and detailed images.
- The stochastic nature allows for diverse outputs.
- Compared to other generative models, it can offer more stable and flexible results.
- Offers style diversity and responsiveness to user input during the image generation process.
Usage and Tools
Access to Midjourney requires creating an account. Users input a prompt to generate an image. Based on the descriptive text, four different images are produced. Users can then upscale, vary, zoom in, or zoom out on these images.
Version Structure and Modes
Midjourney operates through various versions, from version 1 to 7, which can be selected based on user needs. For instance, version 6.1 is used as the default. A special model called “Niji” is designed for anime and illustrative visuals and can be activated using the --niji parameter.
Customization Features
Users can organize their generated images into folders and modify parameters such as resolution, style, speed, and mode through the settings menu. The Style Reference feature allows users to apply the visual style of an existing image to new outputs.
Subscription and Pricing
Midjourney does not offer a free version; access requires a subscription. As of 2025, four main subscription plans are available:
- Basic Plan: $10/month – 3.3 hours of fast GPU time.
- Standard Plan: $30/month – 15 hours of fast GPU time, unlimited slow mode.
- Pro Plan: $60/month – 30 hours of fast GPU time, unlimited slow mode, private mode.
- Mega Plan: $120/month – 60 hours of fast GPU time, unlimited slow mode, private mode.
Privacy and Community Interaction
By default, all generated images are shared with the Midjourney community. Users who require privacy can utilize the private mode available only in higher-tier subscriptions. Interaction with other users, support services, and access to themed rooms is provided via Discord.
Legal and Ethical Discussions
Midjourney has faced criticism for utilizing copyrighted images during its training phase. The public availability of generated visuals has led to discussions regarding privacy and copyright. Whether this falls under the scope of fair use remains a subject of legal debate.
