Discover the New Features in Midjourney 5.2

If you're new to using Midjourney, check out the introductory and basic guide below:
How to Use Midjourney to Create AI-Generated Art and Realistic Images

Midjourney has released version 5.2 with improvements and new features. Version 5.2 of Midjourney introduces exciting new features such as High Variation Mode, the /shorten command (shortening prompts), Zoom Out (image expansion), and Square (creating square images).

High Variation Mode is enabled by default, allowing users to experience more diverse and richer variations of the results generated by Midjourney. The high variation mode creates smaller visual differences compared to the original result, which can lead to more interesting or exploratory outcomes, while setting it to low variation mode helps achieve greater visual consistency.

Here is an example:

The /shorten command is a new feature that allows users to shorten long links or text passages into a more concise version. This is helpful for quickly sharing links or messages on social media platforms or chat applications.

One of the biggest misconceptions about Midjourney is the belief that using more words in a prompt will automatically result in better or more detailed outputs. While crafting detailed prompts can lead to more compelling results, overly long prompts often dilute the impact of individual words, resulting in bland outputs that are less likely to align with your original intent.

A useful way to overcome this is by using Midjourney's "Shorten" command. Simply type "/shorten" and insert your lengthy prompt. Midjourney will analyze its components and suggest a few alternative options for you to use.

The Zoom Out feature allows users to expand the initial image by processing data directly from the existing image in Midjourney Uplate. This is similar to the Generative Fill feature in Photoshop, but Zoom Out uses Midjourney Uplate's proprietary database, improving the quality of the results obtained.

After generating an image, you will see three buttons below the image labeled "Zoom Out 2x," "Zoom Out 1.5x," and "Custom Zoom." While the first two buttons will expand the original scene by double and one-and-a-half times the original image ratio, respectively, "Custom Zoom" allows you to adjust the ratio from 1.0 to 2.0. If you use a ratio higher than 2.0, Midjourney will return an error message.

What’s interesting here is that the zoom options may not be limited. If you expand your output image, you can take the resulting image and apply the Zoom Out 1.5/2x feature as many times as you like, and it will continue to expand your image further.

The 5.2 update also comes with the Make Square feature, allowing users to change the shape of images with aspect ratios different from a square.

Landscape mode images (for example, images created with a prompt using --ar 16:9) can be expanded vertically using this new feature, and vice versa. Simply click on "Make Square," and the image will be resized into a square format.

---

Midjourney is not just a tool for generating images from text; it is also a significant step forward in integrating technology into artistic creation. With just a few short descriptive sentences, you can instantly create aesthetically pleasing images without the time and effort required by traditional methods.