🚀 Midjourney Office Hours Highlights: July 31st, 2024

New week, new Midjourney Office Hours. If you prefer to just get the gist of it, jump down to the TL;DR; section.

Extended Recap

The latest Midjourney Office Hours held on July 31, 2024, brought a wave of exciting updates and future plans for the platform. From the recent release of Midjourney 6.1 to the ambitious roadmap for version 7.0, there's a lot to unpack. Here's a comprehensive summary of what was shared during the session:

📸 Midjourney 6.1 Release

The highlight of the session was the announcement of the Midjourney 6.1 release, which is now available for users. This version comes with several improvements aimed at enhancing the overall user experience. The image quality is noticeably sharper, and the output is more coherent than ever before. Text rendering has seen significant improvements, making it easier to generate images with textual elements. Additionally, the upscalers have been enhanced, with the "Subtle" upscaler recommended for most use cases and the "Creative" upscaler useful for fixing broken elements in images.

📊 User Data and Bias

The team has extensively used user data to improve version 6.1, acknowledging the potential biases this could introduce. Moving forward, there will be a focus on reducing these biases while still leveraging user feedback to enhance the platform.

🔜 Upcoming Releases

The next big release, Midjourney 6.2, is expected to drop in about a month. This version aims to balance and improve upon the features introduced in 6.1 and is likely to be the last in the 6 series. There is also a potential small depth control net release on the horizon.

🌟 Midjourney 7.0 Development

Once 6.2 is out, the main focus will shift to developing Midjourney 7.0. This version promises a slew of enhancements, including improved aesthetics, faster performance, smarter prompt understanding, and a more extensive knowledge base. Word comprehension and rendering will also see significant improvements, making 7.0 a substantial upgrade over its predecessors.

🛠️ Other Projects and Features

Several other projects and features are in the pipeline. The development of 3D models is progressing well, and there is a renewed focus on video capabilities. A storytelling tool is also in the works, with a potential release later this year. This tool may be available for general use, adding another layer of functionality to the platform.

On the web-based front, the "Describe" feature on the website is set to be enhanced. A new editor combining reframe and repaint functions is also in development, along with a possible zoom-in function for cropped images.

🔮 Future Considerations

There is an ongoing debate about whether to continue developing features for the 6.x series or to focus entirely on 7.0. Higher resolution output is a potential future feature, but the priority seems to be on video and 3D capabilities over specific improvements like anime. There is also talk of merging models in 7.0, such as integrating the niji mode.

📅 Immediate Plans

In the immediate future, the team is attempting to implement a zoom-in painting feature for 6.1 this week. If successful, it will be released quickly; if not, it may be postponed for a more complex implementation.

TL;DR;

📸 Midjourney 6.1 Release: Sharper images, better text rendering, enhanced upscalers.

📊 User Data and Bias: Focus on reducing biases while using user feedback.

🔜 Upcoming Releases: Midjourney 6.2 in a month, last in the 6 series.

🌟 Midjourney 7.0 Development: Enhanced aesthetics, faster performance, smarter prompts.

🛠️ Other Projects: 3D models, video capabilities, storytelling tool, web-based improvements.

🔮 Future Considerations: Debate on 6.x vs. 7.0, higher resolution, video, and 3D priorities.

📅 Immediate Plans: Attempting 6.1 zoom-in painting feature this week.

To get an idea of what v6 vs. v6.1 looks like, here are some examples:

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

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