Midjourney vs. ChatGPT: What's Best for Creative Image Making?

Choosing the right AI tool for creating images can feel complicated. Both Midjourney and ChatGPT have strong points. This post compares them, especially for people doing creative design work. Let's see how they measure up.

Getting Prompts from Existing Images

One interesting use case is figuring out the text prompt used to create an image you like online. Can you "reverse engineer" it using AI?

Imagine you see a cool ad online. You can download the image. Then, you can upload it to ChatGPT's image tool (like model 03). You ask ChatGPT for the prompt that would make a similar image. It can often give you a prompt text. You can then use this prompt in ChatGPT or even ask ChatGPT to create a prompt suited for Midjourney.

This helps you understand how certain images are made and gives you a starting point for your own creations. It worked well in one test, giving a result similar to the original online image, even without seeing the original prompt used.

Putting AI Images to Work

Once you have an AI-generated image, you often need to edit it. Tools like Photoshop with its generative fill feature make this easy. You can remove things like bottles or products with just a click. Then you can add your own product image.

Even Canva or other simple editing tools can help. You could even ask the AI tool itself (like ChatGPT) to try removing parts of the image first. This shows that AI image generation is often the first step in a design workflow.

Comparing Early Results: Midjourney vs. ChatGPT

In one test using a similar prompt, both tools created images. Midjourney's first try with just text didn't look great. But when an image reference was added, Midjourney produced results that some might find more natural or aesthetically pleasing. ChatGPT also gave a close result, and some users might even like it more depending on their taste.

This early look shows that both tools can generate creative ad concepts. The look and feel might be different, and personal preference matters.

More Creative Examples

You can also upload other creative ads you find online to ChatGPT and ask it to create a prompt or a similar image directly. The results may not be perfect copies of the original human-made ads, but they can provide a good starting point for photo manipulation.

AI can also create images of things like action figures or help with generating design elements. While AI video animation tools exist, the focus here is on static images for design.

Direct Example Comparisons

Let's look at some side-by-side tests.

Text Generation

Creating text within images is still a challenge for Midjourney. It often creates weird or incorrect text. ChatGPT does better with text. However, for final design work, you'd likely add text using design software like Photoshop or Illustrator anyway, where you have full control.

Hands

Midjourney often struggles with creating realistic hands. ChatGPT is generally better at this. Other tools like Idogram also do well with hands.

Aesthetics and Prompt Following

Midjourney often produces images that look more polished or aesthetically pleasing, even if it sometimes doesn't follow the prompt perfectly. ChatGPT is often better at sticking closely to the prompt text, which can be useful for specific ideas, but its aesthetic results might not always be as appealing.

Using tools like the Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT can help you manage prompts and variations more easily to get the best aesthetic results faster in Midjourney.

Trying Specific Ads

Replicating complex ads, like a hair supplement ad where hair looks like muscles, showed mixed results. ChatGPT produced a decent start, though with some imperfections (like extra "heads" on the "biceps"). Midjourney struggled more with this specific concept in the test.

Another test tried to replicate a creative ad showing a mammoth defrosting in a microwave. ChatGPT did a very good job creating a similar concept. Midjourney's results were decent but maybe not as close to the original idea as ChatGPT's.

Other Tests

Comparisons using a movie poster style showed Midjourney created a more visually appealing result compared to ChatGPT's cartoonish look.

Testing mockups or product placement also showed challenges. Uploading a stationary mockup and asking for it to be placed in an office gave OK results, but the original mockup still looked best. Trying to remove a product package from an image using ChatGPT distorted the product and logo, making it unusable for professional design.

However, creating a simple Coca-Cola can ad using ChatGPT was more successful, producing a usable image.

Recap: Strengths and Weaknesses

Based on these tests:

• Midjourney often wins on overall aesthetic quality and visual appeal across many scenarios.

• ChatGPT is better at following specific instructions in prompts.

• ChatGPT is generally better at creating realistic hands and text within images (though text is still tricky for AI).

• Midjourney has a huge library of images created by others that can offer great inspiration.

• For designers, AI images often need editing in tools like Photoshop or Illustrator to add text, refine details, or composite with other elements. This is true for results from both tools.

Both AI tools can be valuable. Midjourney's aesthetic quality can provide strong visual foundations. ChatGPT's ability to follow prompts can be useful for concept generation or generating different styles.

Consider exploring tools designed to streamline your workflow with Midjourney. The Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT can help manage your image creation process, making it easier to get the diverse results you need.

Finding Your Workflow

Ultimately, the best tool depends on the task. Many creative professionals use both AI tools alongside traditional design software like Photoshop or Illustrator. AI generates concepts and base images, while human skill refines them into finished pieces.

Don't forget, automating repetitive tasks can save you time. Check out the Midjourney Automation Suite by TitanXT to see how it can make your Midjourney experience more efficient.