Midjourney Unveils ‘Zoom Out’ Feature in 5.2 Update
Alright, let’s get this ball rolling. Our friends over at Midjourney decided to stir things up in the AI art world. The tech whizzes there just pulled the curtain off their 5.2 update for their AI image synthesis model, and boy, did they pack a punch. The update came with a snazzy ‘zoom out’ feature that’s got the AI artists all excited. Think of it as a virtual camera lens: you keep the focus on your main image while expanding the surrounding scene. Now, isn’t that something?
How the New ‘Zoom Out’ Feature Works
Now, if you’ve been keeping tabs on the AI scene, you might have heard of a similar ‘outpainting’ concept from OpenAI’s DALL-E 2 or Photoshop’s Generative Fill. But here’s the catch with Midjourney’s zoom-out: it only works on their own AI-generated images. Guess we can’t have it all, right?
If you’re a Midjourney user (and for now, that means you’re hanging out on their Discord server), you’ll get to experiment with this fancy zoom-out feature. And don’t worry, they’ve made it pretty straightforward. Generate an image, upscale the result, and then voila! You’re free to play around with the zoom. They’ve even got a ‘Make Square’ button for all you symmetry lovers out there.
Other Notable Features in the 5.2 Update
David Holz, the brains behind Midjourney, dropped the news about the 5.2 update on the Discord server. And believe me, the zoom-out feature is just the tip of the iceberg. They’ve revamped the whole aesthetic system, promising you better image quality and more control over the non-realistic aspects of your images. You’ll find a new ‘high variation mode’ in the mix, and a ‘/shorten’ command to help you cut through the fluff in your prompts.
But hold up, don’t get too comfortable. Holz was pretty clear in his announcement that changes might pop up out of the blue. If you’re a fan of the older versions (or just not ready for change), you can stick to them using the ‘/settings’ command or the ‘–v 5.1’ in-line command argument.
‘Synthographers’ Welcome Midjourney’s Updates
The 5.2 update has been a hit among the ‘synthographers’ (that’s what they’re calling themselves these days), who can’t seem to get enough of Midjourney’s upgrades. They’ve been throwing around words like ‘stunning’ and ‘mindblowing’ – but hey, we’re in the AI world, where the hype train never stops. And honestly, I can’t blame them. Midjourney’s visual improvements have been pretty impressive.
Since March 2022, Midjourney has been on a roll, ironing out the kinks and upping their game. The v5 model series has been a game-changer, spitting out images so real they’ve had people worrying about deepfakes on social media.
Controversy in the World of AI Art
But let’s not ignore the elephant in the room. Image synthesis, as revolutionary as it is, has its fair share of critics. Artists aren’t exactly thrilled about AI systems scraping images off the web without their say-so. And Midjourney, like many others, hasn’t exactly been forthcoming about what goes into their training data. Sure, Adobe’s trying to set a good example with Firefly, but## Controversy in the World of AI Art
But let’s not ignore the elephant in the room. Image synthesis, as revolutionary as it is, has its fair share of critics. Artists aren’t exactly thrilled about AI systems scraping images off the web without their say-so. And Midjourney, like many others, hasn’t exactly been forthcoming about what goes into their training data. Sure, Adobe’s trying to set a good example with Firefly, but we’re still a long way from widespread artist consent.
Looking Forward
In the end, it’s all about striking a balance, isn’t it? We can’t deny the technical advancements Midjourney has brought to the table. Their work is truly eye-opening. But as we marvel at what AI can do, we can’t forget about ethics. We need to find a way to push the boundaries of technology without trampling over artists’ rights. Here’s hoping we can find a way to make everyone happy – traditional artists and synthographers alike.
