Unlike typical software versioning, Midjourney has opted to release the updates in two phases: V6.1 and V6.2. David Holz, the creator of Midjourney, explained that this approach allows the team to gather user data from V6.1 before launching V6.2 in the coming month. This strategy ensures that the next iteration is even more refined and user-focused.
Key Enhancements in V6.1
Improved Coherence in Images
Midjourney V6.1 promises more coherent images with better rendering of complex elements such as arms, legs, hands, bodies, plants, and animals. This enhancement addresses one of the most common critiques of previous versions.
Enhanced Image Quality
Users will notice fewer pixel artifacts and improved textures, including those for skin and 8-bit retro styles. These improvements result in cleaner, more visually appealing images.
Precision in Small Features
The update brings greater accuracy to small image features like eyes, small faces, and distant hands, ensuring that even the minutest details are well-rendered.
New Upscalers and Speed Improvements
V6.1 introduces new upscalers that enhance image and texture quality. Additionally, standard image jobs are now approximately 25% faster, making the creation process more efficient.
Better Text Rendering
One of the most anticipated improvements is the enhanced accuracy in text rendering. V6.1 offers better performance when drawing words via “quotations” in prompts, though some users have noted that it is not perfect.
Personalization and Aesthetic Enhancements
A new personalization model offers nuanced, surprising, and accurate personalized images. Users can now use any personalization code from old jobs to leverage data from those sessions. Moreover, the general aesthetic of images has been enhanced, resulting in more beautiful outputs.
Real-World Testing: Hands and Text
Rendering Hands
In tests, V6.1 showed significant improvements in rendering hands, a traditionally challenging aspect for AI. While not perfect, the results were notably better than those from V6.
Rendering Text
Despite the improvements, text rendering still poses challenges. V6.1 sometimes omits parts of the text, as seen in examples where “V6.1” was partially excluded. Surprisingly, V6 handled these tasks better in some instances.
Close-Up Shots and Detailed Renderings
Close-Up Images
V6.1 excels in rendering close-up shots with fine details, maintaining the high standard set by V6.0. For instance, a close-up image of a person with their eyes closed, encircled by a glowing blue light, showcases the model’s ability to handle intricate details beautifully.
Enabling V6.1
To access V6.1, users can select the new model through the Midjourney bot settings or the Midjourney website. However, it is important to note that V6.1 currently does not support new inpainting or outpainting models. For features like zoom, reframe, repaint, or vary regions, the system reverts to V6.0.
Looking Ahead: V6.2 and Beyond
Midjourney plans to release V6.2 in the next month, focusing on further improvements in rendering bodies, hands, and text. The team is also considering making the default model aesthetic more gender-balanced.
Final Thoughts
Midjourney V6.1 is a welcome upgrade, though it does not represent a monumental leap from the impressive V6 model. Some examples even show V6 outperforming V6.1 in certain tasks. Hopes are high for V6.2 to address these limitations and bring even more advancements.