Midjourney Ends Discord Over Discord Requirements for AI Image Generation

Ever wanted to try Midjourney’s AI image creator, but didn’t want to sign up for a Discord account? You don’t have to anymore, because Midjourney now lets you create up to 25 images for free, as announced by CEO David Holz on, of course, Discord.

Until now, anyone who wanted to use Midjourney’s AI model to create images, even without a subscription, had to go to their Discord server and submit a text prompt using a specific format unique to Midjoruney. While this approach has undoubtedly attracted a dedicated following, it has also presented obstacles for those unfamiliar with Discord or the complex prompt system.

You can now head over to the Midjourney website (which only launched last year) and create your images there. The site was initially restricted to users who had already generated 10,000 images via Discord, limiting its reach to a select group of experienced users. Of course, you still need to sign up to use Midjourney, but if you don’t want to use Discord, you can sign in with a Google account instead.

Once logged in, users can explore a variety of images created by others via the “Explore” tab, providing inspiration and ideas for their creations. In the “Create” menu, users enter text prompts to generate images. Midjourney’s AI then produces four images based on the prompt, each with the option to be further tweaked. Users can adjust the images by selecting “Strong” or “Subtle” to fine-tune the tone and focus, offering a degree of customization that may appeal to those who don’t like to stick to the first choice. However, once you’ve used up your 25 images, you’ll need a subscription (or possibly a new Google account).

We are excited to announce the launch of Black Forest Labs. Our mission is to develop and advance cutting-edge generative deep learning models for media and push the boundaries of creativity, efficiency, and diversity. pic.twitter.com/ilcWvJgmsXAugust 1, 2024

Mid-course races

The fact that Midjourney is becoming more accessible is likely a reflection of how much easier AI image generators, as a whole, are becoming to find and use. While Midjourney’s high-quality images have long made it stand out, its rivals are catching up or even surpassing it, depending on who you ask. As AI images become more common in advertising, marketing, design, and other industries, Midjourney likely doesn’t want to be left behind just because some people don’t want to sign up for Discord.

It’s a bit like OpenAI’s DALL-E which is now readily available on ChatGPT for free users, and even the best model has limited free usage. The same goes for X with the Grok AI chatbot and its use of the Flux model. Add to that standalone services like Ideogram, and it’s no wonder Midjourney wants to be seen as easier to find and use, lest its business slow down before its midpoint.