Consistent Characters Soon | Midjourney Office Hours Recap Feb 28th 2024 | Midjourney News

Future Tech Pilot
29 Feb 202403:25

TLDRIn the Midjourney Office Hours recap from February 28th, 2024, the team is actively working on three major updates: a new character reference feature, a new style reference system, and a new describe function. They are currently testing two versions of the character reference and are excited about the potential for anime characters to appear in real-life photography. The updates are expected to launch soon, with improvements to be made in version 7. The team is also addressing issues with Discord links and image prompting, and they are exploring better body coherence. In addition to these updates, they are considering a random style generator and a style map for improved style exploration. Version 6 is set to become faster with server upgrades, aiming to reduce image generation time significantly. There is also a mention of potential API openings for certain chatbot companies. The social aspect of their website is currently a work in progress, focusing on bug fixes and mobile experience improvements.

Takeaways

  • 🎨 The Midjourney team is working on three main features: a new character reference feature, a new style reference system, and a new describe feature, with a potential launch next week.
  • 🧐 They are testing two versions of the character reference and are excited about the possibility of integrating anime characters into real-life photography.
  • 🔍 The character reference feature may not include small details like outfits or facial features but aims to be more accurate in future versions.
  • 🚫 New moderation policies might be introduced, possibly requiring positive imagery for real person images.
  • 🔄 The new describe feature is expected to be more accurate and closer to the source image.
  • 🔄 The style reference update will improve the style transfer process, although it may initially break the old system.
  • 💻 Issues with Discord links and image prompting are acknowledged and being worked on.
  • 🤔 Challenges in achieving better body coherence are being addressed, possibly pushing the limits of version 6.
  • 🚀 Version 7 is anticipated to be a significant step forward, with no signs of diminishing returns.
  • 🔧 A random style generator and style map for better exploration of style space are in the pipeline.
  • 🚀 Version 6 is expected to get faster with server upgrades, aiming to reduce image generation time significantly.
  • 📱 The website's social features are being improved, with a focus on bug fixes and enhancing the mobile experience.
  • 🤖 An API opening for chatbot companies is being explored, although specific companies are not yet disclosed.

Q & A

  • What are the three main features the Midjourney team is currently working on?

    -The Midjourney team is working on a new character reference feature, a new style reference system, and a new describe feature.

  • What is the current status of the character reference feature?

    -They are testing two versions of the character reference feature and are hopeful to start testing the describe feature soon.

  • What limitations might there be with the character reference feature?

    -Small details such as the outfit a character is wearing or small facial features might not work with the character reference feature initially.

  • What exciting prospect does David, from the Midjourney team, mention about the character reference feature?

    -David is excited about the possibility of having anime characters appear in real-life photography through the character reference feature.

  • How does David describe the process of improving the character reference feature?

    -David mentions that the process is a big step forward and that it will probably improve in version 7 as they continue to figure out how to pull out smaller details.

  • What kind of moderation might be introduced with the new features?

    -There might be a new moderation policy where real images of people need to be positive imagery only. It is unclear if this will apply to realistic-looking Midjourney images.

  • What improvements are expected in the new describe feature?

    -The new describe feature is expected to be more accurate and get users closer to the source image.

  • What issues have been encountered with the style reference update?

    -The style reference update will break the old one, but it is expected to be more accurate at transferring the style. There have been some issues with links on Discord related to image prompting.

  • What is the current status of body coherence in Midjourney's version 6?

    -David mentioned that they are trying to improve body coherence, but it has been challenging and they might be pushing the limits of version 6.

  • What are the upcoming improvements for version 6 in terms of speed?

    -Version 6 will likely get faster as they are upgrading their servers, aiming to reduce the generation time from about 35 seconds to 15 or 20 seconds.

  • What is the current focus regarding the social aspect of the Midjourney website?

    -The team is currently working on fixing bugs and improving the mobile experience for the social features on their website.

  • Is Midjourney considering opening an API for certain companies?

    -Yes, they are exploring the possibility of opening an API for some chatbot companies, though they did not specify which ones.

Outlines

00:00

📢 Mid-Journey Office Hours Recap and Patreon Support

The video script provides a recap of the Mid-Journey office hours held on February 28th. The narrator emphasizes their effort to keep the channel free from sponsors and invites viewers to support the channel on Patreon for $5 a month, which grants access to multiple prompts weekly. Currently, there are nearly 50 prompts available. The Mid-Journey team is actively working on three main features: a new character reference feature, a new style reference system, and a new describe function, with a potential launch planned for the following week. They are testing two versions of the character reference and are also preparing to test the describe feature soon. The character reference is expected to allow anime characters to appear in real-life photography, although small details like outfits or facial features might not be captured. The team is also considering moderation policies for imagery, possibly requiring positive imagery only. The new describe feature is anticipated to be more accurate in matching the source image, and the style reference update will improve style transfer accuracy. The script also mentions ongoing issues with Discord links and image prompting, as well as efforts to enhance body coherence. The team is excited about the upcoming version 7, which is expected to bring significant improvements without hitting diminishing returns. Additionally, they are considering a random style generator and a style map for better exploration of style options. The video concludes with a mention of server upgrades to speed up generation times and potential plans to open an API for certain bot companies. The narrator also shares the prompt used for the art in the video and invites viewers to follow them on Instagram for more content.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Midjourney Office Hours

Midjourney Office Hours refers to a scheduled time where the Midjourney team, presumably a company or group involved in creative or technological projects, holds a meeting or session to discuss updates, progress, and answer questions. In the context of the video, it's a recap of such an event that took place on February 28th, 2024.

💡Character Reference Feature

A Character Reference Feature is a new tool or function being developed by the Midjourney team that will allow for the creation or referencing of characters within their system. It's mentioned that this feature might enable an anime character to appear in real-life photography, indicating it could blend fictional characters with real-world images.

💡Style Reference System

The Style Reference System is an upcoming update that aims to improve the way styles are transferred or applied within the Midjourney platform. It's suggested that this system will be more accurate and could potentially break the old one, implying a significant overhaul or improvement.

💡Describe

Describe seems to be a feature or function that is intended to provide more accurate and closer results to a source image. It's part of the updates that the team is testing and is expected to enhance the precision of the output.

💡Moderation

Moderation, in the context of the video, likely refers to the process of overseeing and regulating content, possibly in relation to the new character reference feature. It's mentioned that there might be a need for positive imagery only, indicating a form of content control.

💡Body Coherence

Body Coherence suggests the team is working on improving the way bodies are represented or coherently rendered within their system. Challenges in achieving better body coherence are discussed, which could relate to the realistic and accurate depiction of human forms.

💡Version 7

Version 7 is an upcoming iteration of the Midjourney platform. The speaker expresses excitement about the improvements and features expected in this version, suggesting it will represent a significant leap forward from the current version.

💡Random Style Generator

A Random Style Generator is a feature that is being considered for future development. It's likened to 'srf random,' which implies it would allow for the random generation of styles, potentially offering users a more diverse range of creative options.

💡Style Map

A Style Map is mentioned as a concept that could allow users to explore the 'style space' better. This suggests a tool or interface for navigating and selecting different stylistic elements or themes within the Midjourney platform.

💡API

API stands for Application Programming Interface, which is a set of protocols and tools for building software applications. The speaker mentions that the Midjourney team is exploring opening up an API, which would allow other developers to integrate Midjourney's services into their own applications.

💡Server Upgrade

A Server Upgrade refers to the process of enhancing the technical capabilities or performance of the servers that run the Midjourney platform. The goal is to reduce the time it takes to generate images, from 35 seconds to as little as 15 or 20 seconds.

Highlights

Midjourney team is working on three main features: a new character reference feature, a new style reference system, and a new describe feature.

All three features are expected to launch next week.

Two versions of character reference are currently being tested.

The character reference feature may allow anime characters to appear in real-life photography.

Small details like outfits or facial features may not be captured in the character reference feature.

David, from Midjourney, is excited about the potential of the new features and anticipates improvements in version 7.

New moderation policies may be introduced, requiring positive imagery for real images of people.

The new describe feature is expected to be more accurate and closer to the source image.

The style reference update will be more accurate but may break the old system.

There have been issues with Discord links and image prompting, which are being addressed.

Midjourney is exploring better body coherence, although it has been challenging.

Version 7 is anticipated to push the limits beyond version 6.

A random style generator similar to SRF random is planned as the next feature after the current three.

A style map for better exploration of the style space is also in the works.

Version 6 will likely become faster as server upgrades are implemented, aiming to reduce generation time.

Social features on the website are being improved, with a focus on bug fixes and mobile experience.

Midjourney is considering opening an API for certain chatbot companies, although specifics are not disclosed.

The art in the video was created using a specific prompt and settings in Midjourney.

The speaker encourages following on Instagram for more art and updates.