The Best Way to Make AI-Generated Digital Art for Free
The internet has been collectively obsessed with art-generating artificial intelligence lately, and one of the newest tools is Midjourney. And while the full version requires a monthly subscription, Midjourney is free to use up to 25 images, and you can view and download images created by other users, even if you’ve never subscribed to a paid account.
Midjourney’s images are impressive compared to other art creation apps, and the results almost look like they were created by human artists. And I do emphasize “almost” in this sentence. This is a machine that combines the work of real artists, illustrators and digital artists (by the way, none of them are compensated for their work being used in this way). Midjourney is still in beta and the AI can continue to improve, but even the best image of Midjourney will look a little… not right. And so far, claims (or threats) that AI will “replace” human artists are groundless.
However, Midjourney is fun to play with and you can do some really cool stuff if you keep your expectations in check. Here’s how to test it for yourself.
Join the Midjourney Beta and Discord Server
The only real requirement to try out Midjourney is a Discord account, as the AI runs on its own dedicated Discord server. Discord is free to use, and while most users run it as a desktop application, you can also run Discord in a browser if you don’t want to install it on your computer.
- Go to midjourney.com and click “Join Beta”.
- Sign in to your Discord account or create a new one.
- Accept the Discord invitation and link Midjourney to your Discord account when prompted. You are now in the Midjourney Beta.
How to generate AI images
Once you’ve signed in to Midjourney Discord, you’ll be able to start using the service.
- On the Midjourney server, find and join one of the channels marked Newbies. There are several channels for beginners, and new ones are added regularly to accommodate more users, but if the server is overloaded, these channels can be hidden. Just check back later if you don’t see the newbie channel list.
- In the channel, type /imagine followed by the prompt. For example: /imagine A night sky filled with stars and spaceships , then press Enter to send the message. You can also use advanced options and even provide reference photos if you want something extra specific. Check out the online user guide to learn about all the terms and options that the AI recognizes.
- (Note: Your hints and resulting images may be publicly viewed by other Midjourney users, and the Midjourney Discord Terms and Conditions of Service expressly prohibit sensitive content such as gore, nudity, and offensive or overly offensive images.)
- After you submit your message, the AI will generate four options for your clue. This may take a minute or two depending on the AI workload, but the server will send you a new message containing images once the process is complete. The resulting images will be lower resolution and may look a bit shaky (this is AI-generated art, after all), but they should be a good starting point.
From here, you can launch another hint, or enhance images with variations and scaling.
Beneath the grid of four images, there will be a row of push buttons labeled “V1” to “V4 ” and “U1” to “U4”, as well as a repeat button. The “V” buttons allow you to create variations from one of the four images, while the “U” buttons zoom in on one of the images in greater detail. You can also resubmit your request to try again – just be aware that any changes or scales you request will eat into your free image limit. There is also a high quality limit; you can usually get about three upscales before the AI reaches maximum resolution.
How to Find Your History of Midjourney Images and Find Other Artwork
The images you create can also be viewed on your Midjourney profile page or in your Discord message history. However, you can freely browse the Midjourney public gallery even after the end of the free trial period. The web app lets you filter by art style and other search options, and you can follow specific users to see what else they’re doing.
How much does a paid Midjourney account cost?
If you’re digging into AI and want to keep using it, the subscription starts at $10/month for 200 images/month. Additional plans and bonus features such as “private” mode are also available for an additional monthly fee. Midjourney images are available for personal use only and anyone can download them for free from the public gallery. Users need to subscribe to one of the enterprise level subscription plans in order to use their images for commercial purposes.