In the increasingly competitive AI image generation market, with rivals like Elon Musk’s Grok-2 (powered by Black Forest Labs’ open-source Flux.1 model), one leading player is stepping up its efforts.
Midjourney, widely regarded by AI artists and designers as one of the top AI image generators, has just launched a revamped version of its website. The update introduces a new editor interface that consolidates various existing features—such as inpainting (replacing parts of an image with new AI-generated content using text prompts) and outpainting/canvas extension (expanding the image and filling the new space with AI visuals)—into a single, unified view.
Additionally, the new web editor features a virtual “brush”-like tool for inpainting, offering more precision compared to the previous square selector and lasso tools when editing parts of a previously generated image.
This upgraded web editor is now live and accessible to all users who have created at least 10 images on the platform. To use it, users can visit midjourney.com/imagine.
Previously, these features were scattered across different menus on the Midjourney website. According to a Discord message from Midjourney CEO David Holz, the goal of this update is to simplify the process of editing AI-generated images and make it more intuitive. Holz described the new interface as a significant improvement, stating, “We think this makes editing your MJ images way more seamless than before and is a huge step forward.”
Early feedback from users has been largely positive.
More Platform Enhancements
Beyond the web editor, Midjourney has introduced a feature to improve communication between its web and Discord communities. Messages sent in certain Web Rooms are now mirrored in corresponding Discord channels and vice versa, ensuring that users on both platforms stay in sync. This mirroring feature is available in rooms like prompt-craft, general-1, and a special superuser room for those who have created more than 1,000 images.
Amid Ongoing Controversy
The launch of the new web editor and message mirroring feature underscores Midjourney’s dedication to enhancing its tools and community experience, even as it faces a class-action lawsuit from a group of artists. These artists accuse the company of copyright violations, alleging that it trained its AI on their copyrighted images, among others, without permission.
Last week, a judge denied Midjourney and other AI generator companies’ motions to dismiss the case, allowing it to proceed to the discovery phase. This phase will enable the plaintiffs’ lawyers to examine the internal documents of these AI companies, potentially revealing more about their training practices and datasets.
Holz also expressed appreciation for the community’s patience during the development process and encouraged users to explore the new editor’s capabilities.
As Midjourney continues to innovate and expand its platform, users can anticipate more updates and features designed to enhance the creative process and strengthen the community connection.