AI art is a revolutionary new field that combines the creativity of humans with the power of algorithms and neural networks to create awe-inspiring pieces of art. With AI art, you can experiment with generative art and explore the infinite possibilities of algorithmically-generated images. Discover the exciting and limitless possibilities of AI art!

Midjourney is an AI art generation tool built by an independent research lab, and currently uses Discord chatbot to generate images. Midjourney strives for more of an "art" vibe than other generators. It has been built with community and collaboration first in mind, and open to community involvement. To create an image in Midjourney, you enter a command and an image prompt into the Midjourney Chatbot in Discord.

AI art generators can create a wide variety of images, ranging from abstract, artistic, or surreal to photorealistic and highly detailed. You can experiment with nearly anything you can think of in your prompts (just keep it PG 13+). Here are some examples of the types of things you can create:
Photorealistic images of people, buildings, objects
Fantastical interior designs
Costumes & fashion
Alternate universes & cosmic realities
Fantasy or realistic landscapes
Stickers
Coloring pages
Clipart

Midjourney uses Discord which can be used in a browser, desktop app, and mobile app. You will need a Discord account to connect with Midjourney. This is all covered in the course, so don't worry if you haven't used Discord before. In May 2024, those with more than 100 images, can now use Midjourney Alpha which means you can now generate images in a browser rather than using Discord. 

You don't need any particular tech gear to use Midjourney. All you need is to be able to install the Discord app or access it through a browser.

For accessing Midjourney on Discord through a browser, you can use your regular computer that you use for searching the internet.

If you prefer to use the desktop app, you can download it from the Discord website and install it on your Windows or macOS computer.

For mobile users, the Discord app is available for download on both iOS and Android devices.

Midjourney Alpha, the browser based version, is now available for those who have generated 100 images.

Midjourney offers different plans, including:
1. Basic - $10 USD per month
2. Standard - $30 USD per month
3. Pro - $60 USD per month

If your budget allows, I suggest going with the Standard plan as it gives you so much more than the basic. And if you get excited generating images, the Basic plan can end up costing you more. 

You can also cancel your plan at any time.

There is no charge to use Discord.

Your paid Midjourney account, gives you commercial rights over the images to do what you want with them.  Images created with Midjourney are royalty-free. That means that your usage rights are effectively paid by your membership fee. No additional fees or royalties are due once you use the artwork, no matter how often it is used or how much you charge for it.

The issue of copyright for AI-generated art is a complex and evolving area, as the traditional concepts of authorship and originality are being challenged by the rise of AI-generated content.

Some experts argue that since the algorithm is the primary creator of the artwork, it should be considered the "author" and given the legal rights to the work. However, others argue that the person or organization that created and trained the algorithm should be considered the "author."  

Currently, the law regarding AI-generated art and copyright varies by country and is not well-defined in many cases. In some jurisdictions, it may be possible to claim copyright protection for AI-generated works if they are sufficiently original and creative. However, in many cases, AI-generated works may not be considered original enough to warrant copyright protection.  

The use of AI in art creation also raises broader ethical questions about the role of technology in the creative process, and whether AI-generated art can truly be considered "art." Until the legal and ethical issues surrounding AI and copyright are more clearly defined, it will likely remain a contested and evolving area of law.  

With Midjourney, a paid subscriber is given commercial usage rights for the images they generate. If you then use your art in a card deck, for example, you have created a whole new thing with the images, and should be covered by normal copyright. You would have seen people create card deck images with collage and they then own the copyright of the images even though they have used other people's images in their collage.

If you have a paid Midjourney account, you have commerical usage rights which means you can use images on your:

Marketing Materials
Printed Apparel
Merchandise
Posters
Book Covers
Album Covers
Card Decks
Magazines
Blogs
Websites
Social Media

You don't have to be able to paint or draw. However, if you have an image you want to create, you will need to describe it to Midjourney in your prompt. I have found that my creativity has increased through using Midjourney. I will see something online or in real life and wonder, how can I use that in an image prompt. 

The beauty of Midjourney is that you don't need to be able paint or draw. However, there is an art and science to generating images - prompt crafting. You will need to harness your imagination. I have found that experimenting with Midjourney fuels my creativity and imagination.

The answer to this is... sort of. There are some great tools like the Lensa app that are great for this. Midjourney now has a basic form of consistent characters, but it's not great yet. There's also another app you can use with Midjourney on Discord to swap faces on images. This is covered in the course.