Lesson №5 "Settings and Styling in Midjourney: Modifying Quality, Detail, and Style Parameters"

1. "Settings and Styling in Midjourney: Modifying Quality, Detail, and Style Parameters": A deep dive into Midjourney settings, including adjusting quality, detail, and style selection.

Midjourney offers a set of configurations that allow users to control the appearance and style of generated images. In this tutorial, we will discuss these parameters and examine how altering them can impact your creations.

Engine Version

The engine version determines which version of the AI model is used for image generation. Newer versions typically offer improvements and more accurate processing of prompts. For the best results, it is recommended to choose the latest version, MJ 5.

Selecting the engine version affects the processing of your prompt.

For instance, if you use MJ 4 for the prompt "a sunset over the ocean," you might get a beautiful but possibly somewhat unclear image:

But if you switch to MJ 5, the result can be more detailed and vivid, as the latest versions typically offer enhancements and more accurate request processing:

The level of stylization

The level of stylization determines the degree of creative freedom the AI has when creating an image. You can choose between Low, Med, High, and Very High. The higher the level, the more artistic and unique the image will be. At the Med level, a good balance is achieved between your ideas of the final outcome and the AI's creativity.

Let's take the request "blooming cherry blossom." At a low level of stylization, the image might look more realistic, with neatly drawn flowers and branches:

With a high level of stylization, the image becomes more abstract and artistic, possibly with exaggerated colors and shapes:

Access Mode

Access mode affects who can see your works. If you are working on a personal project and don't want others to see it, you can choose Stealth mode. However, if you want to share your creativity with other Midjourney users, select Public mode.

Processing Mode

Fast mode provides quick image creation. This can be useful if you want to quickly generate several variations of the same image to compare them and choose the most suitable one.

In Fast mode, the AI creates the image faster, but the quality may be somewhat worse. For example, when you request "an elven castle in the mountains" in Fast mode, you will get the image faster, but it may be less detailed.

In Relaxed mode, processing will take more time, but the result will be more detailed and of higher quality.

Remix mode

This mode allows you to work with existing images and combine them, which opens up more creative possibilities. You can take elements from different images and merge them into one to create a completely new art object.

All these settings can be changed in the Midjourney settings section. Remember that settings added to the end of the request override the choice made in the settings. For example, if you set the stylization level to Med in the settings but added "--s 50" at the end of the request, the AI will use the Low stylization level for that particular image.

Practical Assignment

Task

Your task is to master the Midjourney settings by experimenting with different styles and parameters. Create three unique images using various settings and observe how changing parameters affects the final outcome.

Instructions

1. Open Midjourney and select "/settings" from the bottom menu.

2. Change the engine version to MJ 5 and set the stylization level to "Style Low".

3. Enter your favorite words or phrase into the input field. It could be something like "misty forest at dawn" or "magical castle on top of a mountain".

4. Look at the resulting image and note how its quality and style correspond to the chosen settings.

5. Repeat this process two more times, each time changing the settings. You might want to try "Style High" for a more artistic style and "Fast mode" for quicker results.

Example:

1. Let's say you chose the phrase "silver moon over a tranquil lake" with settings MJ 5 and "Style Low" for the first image. The image might be more realistic, with subtle nuances of silver light on the water.

2. For the second image, you can choose "Desert Storm" with the MJ 5 settings and "High Style." This image can be more abstract and expressive, with vivid colors and dynamic shapes:

3. And finally, for the third image, you can choose "secret garden under the starry sky" with the settings MJ 5 and "Fast mode." As a result, you will get a quick, but possibly less detailed outcome.