Popular AI image generation service Midjourney has launched its first AI video generation model V1, marking a pivotal shift for the company from image generation toward full multimedia content creation.
Starting today, Midjourney’s nearly 20 million users can animate images via the website, transforming their generated or uploaded stills into 5-second long clips with options for extending the generation longer up to 20 seconds (in 5 second bursts), and guiding them with text.
With the launch, the bootstrapped small lab Midjourney positions itself in a rapidly intensifying AI video race. At the same time, it’s also confronting serious legal challenges from two of the largest entertainment studios in the world.
What does it mean for AI creators and enterprises looking to harness the latest in creative tech for advertising, marketing or user engagement? And how does Midjourney stack up against a long and growing list of AI video model competitors? Read on to find out.
A new product built directly atop Midjourney’s popular AI image generator
Midjourney’s new offering extends its familiar image-based workflow, including its new v7 text-to-image model.
Users generate a still image, either within the Midjourney platform or by uploading an external file, then press “Animate” to turn that image into video.
Two primary modes exist: one uses automated motion synthesis, while the other lets users write a custom motion prompt to dictate via text how elements should move in the scene. So Midjourney video arrives with support for both image-to-video and text-to-video edits and modifications.
From a creative standpoint, users can toggle between two motion settings. There’s a low motion mode is optimized for ambient or minimalist movement — such as a character blinking or a light breeze shifting scenery — and high motion mode that attempts more dynamic animation of both subject and camera, though this can increase the chance of visual errors.
These are accessed below a generated or uploaded image on the Midjourney website in the right hand options pane below a field labeled “Animate Image,” as seen here:
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