MidJourney recently has updated to version 5. In this post, we are comparing MidJourney v4 vs. v5. To compare, we are using the same prompts in v4 and v5 and comparing the results so that you can understand the differences between the two versions.
You can find more comprehensive details for all the comparisons in the Youtube video above.
Now let’s get back to comparisons:
1- Jupitor Watercolor Style
First, we compare a prompt of the planet Jupiter in a watercolor style in both versions of MidJourney. Here are comparisons between v4 and v5 output:
As you can see in the v4, there are splashes of colour and stars on the background of Jupiter, and also it has a very nice artistic job of creating a watercolour effect on the surface of the Jupiter images. In comparison, v5 images are blank in the background and lack that creative watercolor touch on the planet’s surface. As for this prompt, we would prefer v4 creation over v5.
We have done more experiments with creating more images in v5 of MidJourney to see if we can come close to the creative effect we got on v4. In summary, adding new prompts like “liquid color splash on the background behind Jupiter,” “artistic,” and “neon watercolor painting on the Jupiter, background with realistic stars, black background, insane details” could improve the images in v5 but still not as good as the v4 creation of Jupiter. But we can tell v5 sticks to the prompts more accurately. v4 created all the stars and watercolor splashes in the background without any prompt. V5 Instead, sticks to the prompt. We could create similar effects in v4 of MidJourney by adding similar prompts, but they were not up to the same level of artistic and creative touch in v4 of Midjourney.
As a reference, you can see three different sets of images, all created in v5.
2- Cosmos in a Bottle
Here is a comparison between v4 and v5 on a prompt on cosmos in a bottle. you can see both set of images below.
As you can see in the images above, v4 of MidJourney created very nice and creative artwork of the cosmos in a bottle and created a background for it, though there was no prompt for background. In comparison, v5 images are less creative; except for image no 3, no background is created. We can conclude that we should be very specific in creating prompts in v5 compared to v4.
3- Galactic Tree in the Sky
We used another prompt, “Galaxy swirling Fantasy wonderland, Galactic tree in the sky”. This prompt was straightforward and not detailed. We liked the v4 output images. They are amazing.
As you can see in the image above, the v5 images were even better. We like both in this prompt but prefer v5 pictures over v4.
4-Realistic Portrait photgraphs
Here we compare v4 vs. v5 in realistic portrait photography. We used the same prompt for both versions of MidJourney. Prompt for realistic photography is pretty complicated and long. they indicate camera model, f-stop, aperture, iso levels, etc. you can see the images below.
In v4 photos, image no2 is the best and most realistic one. In comparison, images taken from v5 are much more practical, the bokeh in the background is better, and the background looks dreamy and smooth. In summary, in terms of realistic photography, v5 has done a much better job. Photos created in v5 of MidJourney look professional.
5-JellyFish
First, creating jellyfish images using prompts is difficult. In the photo below, you can compare jellyfish photos created in v4 and v5 of MidJourney. In these photos, we used the same prompts in both versions.
Comparing the results, we think v5 images are much better. There are some artifacts in images created in v4, and they did not turn out as they were intended. V5 images are adorable and acceptable instead.
6- Cyberpunk Cityscape
In this comparison, we created a prompt for a Cyberpunk cityscape with vibrant auroras lighting up the night sky, including neon lights, towering skyscrapers, and a futuristic atmosphere. you can see images created in v4 and v5 below.
As you can see, v4 images put a human figure in the photos, which is only proper in image number 3. In this prompt, v5 is much better in colors and futuristic and cyberpunk-style cityscapes. However, there are some imperfections in v5 images that can be edited in Photoshop.
7- Skulls
The next set of images was about skulls in a garden of multicolor flowers, rendered in unreal engine5 with glowing lights. The v4 pictures are wonderful, with very nice lighting and bokeh. We like v4 images much better than v5 in this case.
In v5, images for this are not proper. The lighting is not good, and the skulls look like metal or have some reflective texture.
We tried another set of skull prompts, and here are the results. As you can see, both v4 and v5 images are fantastic. But after all, we think v5 has done a better job this time.
8- Minimalistic Yellow Flower
In this series, we tried a prompt for a minimalistic soft yellow flower with an empty black background. Images created in v4 of MidJourney are lovely, with great details and lighting. As you can compare in the photos below, v4 made very nice leaves and details in each flower. However, we can not see the same amount of details in v5 images. There are no leaves and not proper lighting. After trying to regenerate pictures with the same prompt on v5 again, the output didn’t change that much. Overall we think v4 photos were much better than v5 for this prompt.
9- Vector Landscape
For the last comparison, we used a prompt to create a vector landscape. You can see a comparison of v4 and v5 below.
Each version of Midjourney had a nice touch on this prompt. We prefer v5 mainly because of the softer color combination and less contrast. Overall as we said, both sets of images are good; it’s just a matter of personal choice for which to pick.
Conclusion
We believe you can use both v4 and v5 interchangeably, as they could add a nice variation to the output images. As you can see, in some prompts, v4 was better, and in some prompts, v5 was. Version 4 of Midjourney was more creative in our experience and added a more artistic and creative touch to pictures many times without the exact prompt specified. Though in version 5, there were more precise results per prompt definitions. After all, we recommend using both v4 and v5; specifically, if you are not satisfied with the output image, you can always try your prompt in the other version and see the results.