🚀 Midjourney Office Hours Highlights: April 16th

A new --weird parameter has been introduced in its early stages, designed to produce more creative and random outputs. Fast mode is being implemented to offer speeds comparable to the current Turbo mode but at a reduced cost. Turbo mode itself is expected to become even faster, with generation times dropping to approximately 15 seconds. Relax mode is also set to see a speed increase in the near future. Users can look forward to subtle aesthetic and personalization updates, with improvements in prompt accuracy, character anatomy, and artifact reduction. A more aggressive aesthetic update is on the horizon, pending feedback from user rating parties.

🎨 Q4 Mode & Aesthetic Tuning

The development of Q4 mode, a quality parameter set to deliver higher-quality but slower renders, is actively underway. Initial tests have been promising, with one confirmed improvement and three more under evaluation. A potential release could happen as early as next week, following thorough testing. In terms of aesthetic and image quality tuning, the team is navigating trade-offs between significantly improved peak quality and slightly reduced prompt coherence. A community rating party is being considered to help guide decisions on balancing these trade-offs. If necessary, a new "creative mode" may be introduced to give users more control without overwhelming them with sliders.

🖼️ Reference & Style Systems

Midjourney is also working on the Omniref and S-Ref systems. Omniref, a universal referencing system set to replace character references, has a new dataset ready for training. Major improvements are expected in 2–3 weeks, enhancing both character and non-character references. Meanwhile, the S-Ref system, focused on style references, is in the early stages of dataset creation, with small-scale training to begin soon. Plans are in place to develop a significantly improved "Super S-Ref" system.

⚡ Ultra-Fast Draft Mode & Real-time UI

A new ultra-fast draft mode is being developed, promising instant generation at lower resolutions, approximately five times faster than current speeds. Infrastructure improvements are expected to eliminate web latency, paving the way for innovative, real-time user interfaces. Despite the ultra-fast generation, good aesthetics are maintained, with coherence compromises being evaluated positively.

🎥 Video Feature Development

The video model training is expected to be completed by the end of the month, with tuning and release anticipated in 1–2 months. The goal is to balance cost efficiency and quality, avoiding extremes of high expense or poor quality. A community rating party is planned to guide the tuning of this new video feature.

🔧 Server & Infrastructure Upgrades

Massive infrastructure upgrades are underway, with completion expected within approximately 60 days. These new servers will enable the development of the advanced, resource-intensive V8 model. Experimental training runs for "V7.1 or 7.2" are already underway, aiming for incremental image quality enhancements. The V8 model is expected to leverage previously impossible advanced techniques, with an accelerated release timeline anticipated.

📱 User Experience & Exploration Improvements

Midjourney is planning updates to the personalized Explore page, encouraged by promising previous tests. Mobile users can expect improvements through ultra-fast model implementations. The team is exploring new interactive UI features to offer more dynamic user exploration experiences. Additionally, secret hardware projects are in the works, with details undisclosed but considered significant for long-term enhancements.

TL;DR

🚀 Releases & Improvements: Weekly updates, editor enhancements, fast mode, and aesthetic updates.

🎨 Q4 Mode & Tuning: Higher-quality renders, community feedback for aesthetic balance.

🖼️ Reference Systems: Omniref and S-Ref improvements for better referencing.

⚡ Draft Mode & UI: Ultra-fast generation, real-time interfaces, maintaining aesthetics.

🎥 Video Features: Video model training, balancing cost and quality, community input.

🔧 Infrastructure Upgrades: New servers for V8 model, experimental V7.1/7.2 runs.

📱 User Experience: Explore page updates, mobile improvements, secret hardware projects.

Stay tuned for more updates as Midjourney continues to innovate and enhance its platform!

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