What Is Midjourney and Why I Choose It
Midjourney is an AI image generator. It generates images from natural language descriptions, called "prompts".
There are a few reasons why I chose Midjourney. Mainly it’s because the quality and the variety of the images it can generate. With enough practice, you can learn how to tell Midjourney to create really specific images to fit what you need.
As you can see here, there are really endless possibilities of what you can make using Midjourney:
Mini Showcase Of Midjourney Images
And you'll also learn how to generate product ideas like these:
Midjourney Alternatives
While Midjourney is my tool of choice, it's always good to know about alternatives. Here are a few:
Limitations Of Midjourney
Like any tool, Midjourney is not without its limitations. Here are a few to keep in mind:
- Text handling: Midjourney isn't great with text, so don’t rely on it to create text heavy designs.
- Learning curve: While I'll try my best to minimise this as much as possible, there is a learning curve if you want to create something unique and sellable (but I’ll tell you exactly how to get there!)
- User interface: Currently, the user interface isn't perfect because it’s done through Discord, which is a chat forum-style app. Because of that, there are some features that may not be obvious when you first start.
Copyright & Legal Issues
This is a constantly evolving topic and while I'm no expert, I'll share the best information from my research. Midjourney's Terms of Service state clearly that by using it, you grant Midjourney a license to reproduce and distribute the prompts you input and the images you create with the service: “Rights You give to Midjourney - By using the Services, You grant to Midjourney, its successors, and assigns a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, sublicensable no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare Derivative Works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute text, and image prompts You input into the Services, or Assets produced by the service at Your direction. This license survives termination of this Agreement by any party, for any reason.”
The right to use the images you generate depends on your membership status. If you are a paying member, you are able to use/sell the images you create commercially.
Can You Sell AI Art On Etsy
According to Etsy, “All handmade items are made or designed by you. If you work with a production partner, you must disclose that production partner in your relevant listings.”
So selling AI art is allowed, provided the items are made or designed by you. It's a good idea to put your own spin on the generated images before selling them. This not only makes your products more unique, but it's also more in line with Etsy's guidelines.
In the interest of transparency, I’d recommend to disclose in your shop that you're using AI to generate your art. You can adjust from this disclosure template for your Etsy shop:
In the spirit of transparency, I would like to disclose that the art in my shop is generated using artificial intelligence (AI), specifically the Midjourney AI image generator. Midjourney is an innovative tool that generates unique and creative images from natural language prompts, which I provide.
I personally guide and curate the generation of each piece of art, meticulously selecting and refining the prompts to produce designs that align with my artistic vision. The final artwork is a blend of AI generation and my creative input, resulting in unique pieces that are truly one-of-a-kind.
By purchasing from my shop, you support the blending of traditional artistry with the latest advancements in AI technology. Thank you for your support and for embracing the future of art.
Can Others See What You Generated With Midjourney
According to Midjourney, “Midjourney is an open-by-default community, and all image generations are visible at midjourney.com, including images created in private discord servers, direct messages, and on the Midjourney web app. ... By default, your images are publically viewable and remixable. As described above, you grant Midjourney a license to allow this”
Although stealth mode is available, which prevents your images from being viewed on midjourney.com, but that’s only available in the Pro Plan which is $60/month.
But because of the shear amount of images constantly being generated on Midjourney, the chance of people using your images you generated is very slim.