'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?
ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.
ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
Midjourney's AI-image generator website is now officially open to everyone - for free
Need a good AI image generator? You can now try Midjourney's dedicated website for free. On Wednesday, Midjourney CEO David Holz announced via a Discord message that anyone can go to the website and start making images. As a special invitation, the site lets you generate as many as 25 images through a free trial.
In the past, Midjourney users had to go through Discord to create and refine AI-based images. That process required a fair amount of fiddling with text-based prompts, an often clumsy and frustrating experience. To draw in people who didn't like the Discord method, Midjourney kicked off a dedicated website late last year.
Also: ChatGPT vs. Microsoft Copilot vs. Gemini: Which is the best AI chatbot?
But the website was initially limited to users who had generated at least 10,000 images via Discord, excluding a lot of people. Now that the site is accessible to anyone, all Midjourney users should enjoy a much easier and smoother experience.
Signing up for the website requires an account with Google or Discord. If you've already created images via Discord, you can use that account to retrieve a history of the images you generated in the past. You can then merge your Discord and Google accounts to be able to sign in with either one. Otherwise, signing in with a Google account is easier.
Also: This handy AI app can read anything aloud to you for free - now in 32 languages
After you sign in, a sidebar on the left displays tabs for different sections and tasks. Going to the Explore section lets you check out images that other people have created. The Create section displays a brief but helpful video that shows you how to get started with Midjourney. That video is also viewable in a post on X. From here, you can then request an image. Just type your prompt in the field at the top and see what Midjourney cooks up.
In response, Midjourney conjures up four different images based on your prompt. Click an image you like and you can refine it using specific actions such as Strong or Subtle. You can also zoom in or out, pan on the image, and upscale it.
Even cooler, Midjourney includes an image editor that lets you revise the prompt, modify specific areas of an image, change the aspect ratio, adjust the scale, and even add new elements.
An Organize section displays all the images you've generated. Here, you can open and tweak a specific image as well as copy and download it.
The website also offers chat rooms where you can view images from other people, upload your own images, and swap tips and tricks with fellow Midjourney users.
What happens once you chew up your allotment of 25 free images? Ah, then you'll have to sign up for one of the paid plans. Midjourney offers four plans -- Basic, Standard, Pro, and Mega -- each with different price tags and different quotas.