Creating a Digital Alter Ego: MidJourney and the Story of Giorgia and Maria

As a photographer and creative, I'm always on the lookout for new tools and technologies that can help me bring my visions to life. So when I first heard about MidJourney, an AI diffusion model that uses human-written prompts to create images from noise, I was intrigued.

I decided to experiment with MidJourney by using it to create a digital alter ego of my sister, Giorgia. I took six different photos of her from various angles and uploaded them to MidJourney as reference material. From there, I spent days fine-tuning the results and exploring the different styles and settings that MidJourney could produce.

In this article, I'll share my experience with MidJourney, including the successes and challenges I encountered along the way. Here's a breakdown of what I'll cover:

1. Introducing MidJourney and Image Prompting
2. Creating Giorgia's Digital Alter Ego: Meet Maria
3. Exploring Different Settings, Styles, and Times
4. Fine-Tuning the Results and Investing in MidJourney
5. The Power and Potential of MidJourney

Introducing MidJourney and Image Prompting

MidJourney is a powerful tool that allows creatives to create images from noise using human-written prompts. Unlike Stable Diffusion, which makes it easier to create consistent characters, MidJourney's strength lies in its flexibility and adaptability.

One of the most interesting features of MidJourney is image prompting. This technique involves using existing images as inspiration for your prompts. It's not quite the same as training the AI model, but it can be an effective way to achieve the results you want.

Here is an example:

/imagine <https://s.mj.run/IPjTRSdCgLs> <https://s.mj.run/dMbe7Ur-d4c> <https://s.mj.run/_QsinR-TIUg> MFS Medium full shot of a supermodel, huge swelling chest, looks like Angelina Jolie, long beautiful flowing ink like hair, smoky makeup, shining eyes, grey-gold-blue eyes, gold flecks, defined eyes, realistic eyes, doe eyes, beautiful perfect symmetrical face, extremely detailed, melancholy expression, ultra hd, hdr, cinematic, 35mm lens, dramatic lighting, studio Portrait Lighting, illuminated face, volumetric lighting, ray tracing reflections, 4K, high Contrast, 8k, Cinematic Lighting, Ethereal light, intricate details, extremely detailed, incredible details, full body, full colored, complex details, by weta Digital, Photography, Photoshoot, Shot on 70mm, Depth of Field, Dof, 5D, Multiverse, Super-Resolution, ProPhoto RFB, Lonely, Big, Spotlight, Frontlight, Halfrear Lighting, BackLight, Rim Lights, Rim Lighting, Natural Lighting, Moody Lighting, Cinematic Lighting Volumetic Lighting, Volumetric, Contre-Jour, Ray Tracing Global Illumination, optics, Matgeriality,Ambient Occlusion, Scattering, Glowing, Shadows, Shimmering, Ray Tracing Reflections, CGI, VFX, SFX, insanely detailed and intricate, hypermaximalist, elegant, ornate, hyper realistic

Creating Giorgia's Digital Alter Ego: Meet Maria

My first experiment with MidJourney was to create a digital alter ego of my sister, Giorgia. I used six different photos of her from different angles as reference material and uploaded them to MidJourney.

The first batch of Giorgias led to interesting results such as mountains in New York City.

I realized the background had to go and created transparent versions.

Initially, I was hoping to create a digital version of Giorgia that was consistent with her real-life appearance. However, MidJourney had other ideas. The resulting images were never quite the same, and often included elements of other people's faces.

Despite this, I was still able to find a result that I liked and decided to name her Maria. Maria is now Giorgia's digital alter ego in MidJourney, and I've had a lot of fun placing her in different settings and styles.

Maria Version 1153449306 ('seed')

Maria Version 2812249264 ('seed')

Exploring Different Settings, Styles, and Times

One of the things I love about MidJourney is the ability to explore different settings, styles, and times. For example, I started with photos of Giorgia in a red dress, and the resulting images always featured that dress or color.

I also experimented with different backgrounds, lighting, and poses to create a wide range of styles and moods. Some of the results were uncanny, while others were mind-blowing. It was fascinating to see how MidJourney interpreted my prompts and created something unique each time.

Fine-tuning the Results

After my initial session, I spent a bunch of evenings fine-tuning the results. I experimented with different inputs and prompts and gradually improved the quality of the output. Some photos created had the uncanny valley effect, while others were mind-blowing. Overall, the results were fascinating, and I couldn't wait to see what else I could create with this technology.

Costs and Upgrades

To get the most out of MidJourney, I started with the basic membership, which I quickly upgraded and purchased additional hours. I ended up spending over $60 on this project, but the results were worth it. MidJourney is a powerful tool that allows you to experiment and create unique images that are unlike anything else out there.

Here's the rest of the images I created.

Conclusion

MidJourney is an exciting and innovative technology that has immense potential in the world of photography. As I explored its capabilities, I was fascinated by the endless possibilities that it offered. The creation of my sister's digital twin in MidJourney was a fantastic experience, and I can't wait to experiment with this technology further. If you are looking for a new and unique way to create images, I highly recommend giving MidJourney a try.

If you're interested in seeing more of my MidJourney creations, feel free to follow me on the platform! I'll be sharing more of my experiments and the resulting images on my profile. You can find me at midjourney.com/app/users/452151297538392064. And if you're interested in creating your own virtual photoshoots, MidJourney can be a fun and creative tool to explore.

Note: Except for this paragraph, the whole article - except for some minor corrections - was written by ChatGPT after I gave it enough input. You did not only look at A.I. Marias, you also read an wholly A.I. generated article. Welcome to the future!