Creating paintings is extra accessible right this moment than it has ever been — and that’s because of AI picture mills. The facility to create beautiful and significant artwork simply from a single immediate? Signal me up.
However not each text-to-image generator is created equally. Midjourney has been my go-to for the previous couple of months and I’m an enormous fan. Nonetheless, I would nonetheless say that it has some evident weaknesses, notably in textual content technology and different nuance.
I’ve been testing it towards different AI picture mills as all of them appear to maintain enhancing and the following one on the checklist is Adobe Firefly 2. Launched just some days in the past, this new model claims to have higher nuance and creativity than what the unique model supplied.
Due to its native integration with different Adobe apps, some graphic designers have been giving this new mannequin a go and it’s secure to say that the reception has been optimistic. I’ve tried it in Photoshop and LOVE it. Makes my life a lot simpler.
However how do these instruments stack up towards one another?
A Bunch of Totally different Prompts In contrast
To get a full scope of their creativity, I’ll be dividing the outputs into a number of classes together with intent and immediate size. This may assist us get a greater concept on what areas they excel at and the place they fail.
Earlier than I begin, you also needs to know that each one Midjourney photographs are on the left and Firefly outputs are on the proper.
Real looking Picture
Immediate: The Cliffs of Moher
Midjourney created a shocking paintings of the Cliffs of Moher throughout a sundown. The artwork is calm and vibrant, however it falls sufferer to the mannequin’s tendency to overstylize its outputs. If we’re going by pure realism, then Firefly wins. It’s not as artistic as Midjourney, however the picture seems like {a photograph}. You can insert this into Google Photos after I search the “Cliffs of Moher” and I wouldn’t bat a watch.
Shut-Up
Immediate: An excessive close-up of a girl’s face throughout a celebration
Firefly’s picture has a “inventory picture” high quality, which is sensible as a result of many of the generator’s customers will seemingly use it due to the Adobe ecosystem and integration to different apps comparable to Photoshop, After Results, and extra.
Alternatively, Midjourney’s output has much more texture and element. You possibly can see the imperfections on the girl’s face, and her eyes are much more detailed if you zoom in. I solely want that Midjourney didn’t ignore the “social gathering” ingredient within the immediate, however total, that is the clear winner.
Pastiche (Mimicking Different Artists)
Immediate: A quiet night time within the suburbs, within the model of Van Gogh
Adobe Firefly lacks the creativeness of a Van Gogh portray, which makes it look extra like a youngsters’s e-book illustration. Midjourney utterly understood the project. The sky borrows closely from Van Gogh’s Starry Evening and I like that the street displays the sunshine from the sky. No contest, Midjourney is manner higher at imitation.
3D Render
Immediate: A 3D render of a lit candle in a desk
This one’s powerful. I genuinely like each of them. Midjourney leaned in the direction of creating a sensible 3D render, whereas Firefly seems extra like a portray. Nonetheless, if I’m to make use of one in every of these two, I’d most likely choose Midjourney due to the candle’s particulars. It additionally has extra correct lighting than Firefly.
Surrealist
Immediate: A surrealist portray of males who seem like sheep strolling in a busy Shibuya Crossing
I really like Midjourney’s output right here. It’s barely unnerving, however in a great way. There’s a number of element within the background, which is vital in establishing the Shibuya Crossing setting. It additionally helps that the paintings seems critical as a result of the self-awareness provides a layer of surrealism.
Adobe Firefly has a extra Dadaist tackle surrealism. The sheep’s faces look pasted on individuals’s our bodies. There’s no cohesion, however it nonetheless has that ingredient of caprice. Nonetheless, I don’t just like the softness of the background components as a result of it makes it look extra AI than it must be.
Summary Ideas
Immediate: Visualization of language
Asking AI picture mills to create visualizations of summary ideas helps us perceive its nuance. Each Midjourney and Firefly did effectively right here, for my part. The previous interpreted language as data inside an individual, whereas the latter understood it as a medium of communication in a group. It is a clear tie.
Movie Nonetheless
Immediate: A movie nonetheless of a kaiju taking down a constructing in the course of the night time
Firefly had a bizarre response to this immediate. Not solely does the topic look nothing like a kaiju, it additionally created a nonetheless of an animation film as a substitute of a live-action one. There’s additionally no seen knocked down buildings. It didn’t perceive the context in any respect.
Midjourney, nonetheless, created the proper movie nonetheless. It seems straight out of a Godzilla film. It’s kinetic, action-packed, and reasonable. That is one in every of my favourite outputs from Midjourney to this point.
Structure
Immediate: A two-storey bungalow in the course of a quiet area
Midjourney has a extra interesting output. The home is possible and someplace I’d really like to stay in. There’s additionally the little sneak peeks we get of the home’s inside, which contributes to its realism. Promote this home on Zillow and no one would discover it’s AI.
I’d such as you to zoom into Firefly’s home. Discover one thing off concerning the partitions? The home doesn’t make sense. The partitions are inconsistent and unimaginable. There’s additionally no window close to the balcony and the home seems so… bland. It’s not architectural design in any respect, in order that’s some extent for Midjourney.
Flat Illustration
Immediate: A flat vector illustration of a cute Q-tip
Proper off the bat, each these illustrations are fairly cute, however neither actually seems like a q-tip. Nonetheless, for the reason that prime seems like cotton, I’d choose Midjourney’s paintings for this class, particularly since Firefly’s extra paying homage to a half-eaten popsicle stick.
Sketches
Immediate: A sketch of a rabbit leaping down a gap
That is one other occasion the place Midjourney overstylized its output. The rabbit itself is sweet, however the remainder seems chaotic. There’s no purpose so as to add that pop of colour to a sketch and it simply contributes to the general mess.
Generally, simplicity is vital — and Firefly demonstrates that completely on this picture. There aren’t any pointless additions, soar a easy rabbit leaping out (or fairly, into) a gap. It additionally feels extra “human” than the Midjourney one as a result of it captures freehand paintings higher.
Textual content Technology
Immediate: The menu of a country espresso store
With DALL-E 3 promising higher textual content technology, I puzzled how effectively these two can create textual content in photographs. Seems, not effectively.
From afar, Midjourney is satisfactory. As you zoom in, you discover how not one of the writing really seems like phrases. Nonetheless, that’s manner higher than Firefly, who didn’t even try and imitate textual content. As a substitute, it simply went the simple route and averted producing a single phrase.
That stated, I wouldn’t precisely name any of those winners for textual content technology. That’s why this spherical is one other tie.
Excessive Context
Immediate: A weary man sporting a blue shirt and black slacks defending his two daughters and one son towards falling asteroids in New York Metropolis throughout a white Christmas night time.
I’ve been utilizing Midjourney for months and one factor’s for sure: it sucks at high-context prompts. Nonetheless, I wished to see how effectively it does towards Firefly.
The reply? Fairly effectively. Midjourney managed to comply with each single element of my immediate aside from the variety of youngsters within the picture. It additionally captured the tone I’m in search of, which is one thing to contemplate particularly after I noticed Firefly’s picture.
Firefly not solely missed a number of components of my immediate, it additionally missed the mark utterly of the immediate’s intent. The household within the picture seems glad and unbothered, and there aren’t any impending meteorites within the sky. It is a clear win for Midjourney.
The Ultimate Verdict
I’d nonetheless use Midjourney over Firefly. It’s extra strong at picture technology and, with V6 across the nook, we are able to anticipate Midjourney to take that leap that might push them manner above its counterparts.
Total, Midjourney is just extra artistic than Firefly. It’s higher at creating paintings and, surprisingly, higher at understanding context. That stated, Firefly remains to be various in the event you’re seeking to create extra reasonable images otherwise you’re a graphic designer who’s utilizing the Adobe ecosystem.
One of the best AI picture generator is admittedly simply the the one that matches your model higher. Use this as a information if you’re on the sting of discovering your subsequent subscription.
