How to Use Negative Prompts in Midjourney

Tokenized AI by Christian Heidorn
18 Dec 202222:07

TLDRChristian Heidorn from Tokenized AI presents a tutorial on negative prompting in Midjourney, a technique used to remove objects or concepts from generated images. He explains that while writing prompts is additive, negative prompting is subtractive, allowing users to exclude elements from their scenes. Heidorn clarifies that Midjourney lacks in-painting features found in other tools like Dali 2 or Stable Diffusion, which makes editing specific image details challenging. Through examples, he demonstrates the use of the 'no' parameter and negative text weights to refine images by removing unwanted components. Heidorn emphasizes that negative prompting is less effective with complex scenes and concepts, and results can be abstract as more complexity is added. He concludes by suggesting that negative prompting is a trial-and-error process and encourages experimentation to achieve desired outcomes.

Takeaways

  • 📚 Negative prompting is a technique used to remove elements from an image generated by AI, as opposed to adding content through a regular prompt.
  • 🎨 Midjourney, a tool for AI image generation, does not support in-painting or direct image editing, unlike some other tools like Dali 2 or stable diffusion.
  • ⛔ The 'no' parameter in Midjourney is used for negative prompting, instructing the AI to exclude specific objects or concepts from the generated image.
  • 🔍 Using the 'no' parameter can sometimes result in abstract or less natural-looking images, especially when trying to remove core elements of a concept.
  • 🔄 The effectiveness of negative prompting decreases with the complexity of the scene; it's better suited for simpler scenes or images.
  • 📈 Text weights can also be used for negative prompting, with a similar effect to the 'no' parameter, by assigning a negative value to a concept.
  • 🌐 Negative prompting in Midjourney is not as precise as in painting tools, where you can specifically mask and edit parts of an image.
  • ➕ Positive and negative text weights can be combined to construct and refine scenes in a more controlled manner.
  • 🚫 Negative prompting does not always work, particularly when trying to remove a central concept or element that is closely tied to the overall image theme.
  • 🔀 Remix mode in Midjourney allows for modifying existing images by adding or removing elements through the prompt.
  • 🌟 With practice and experimentation, users can achieve a desired outcome using negative prompting, although it requires a good understanding of the AI's interpretation of prompts.

Q & A

  • What is the main topic of the video?

    -The main topic of the video is how to use negative prompts in Midjourney to remove objects and concepts from generated images.

  • What is negative prompting?

    -Negative prompting is the process of removing something from your prompt, allowing you to eliminate elements from a specific scene or image that you've created or described.

  • How does negative prompting differ from the regular prompt writing process?

    -While regular prompt writing is additive, adding content and transformation to the prompt, negative prompting is subtractive, aiming to remove elements or concepts from the generated image.

  • Why can't Midjourney edit images like some other tools?

    -Midjourney cannot edit images due to its chosen interface, Discord, which is not a web application and would make implementing such features complex and cumbersome.

  • What are the two methods of negative prompting in Midjourney?

    -The two methods of negative prompting in Midjourney are using the 'no' parameter and using negative image text weights.

  • How does the 'no' parameter work?

    -The 'no' parameter works by specifying the object or concept you want to remove from the image, making the prompt subtractive rather than additive.

  • What is the limitation of using negative prompts in complex scenes?

    -The limitation is that negative prompts are less effective in complex scenes. They are better suited for removing minor elements or concepts rather than editing super specific details of an image.

  • Why might negative prompting fail when trying to remove core parts of a concept?

    -Negative prompting might fail because the core parts of a concept are inextricably linked to the overall image, making it difficult for Midjourney to interpret the prompt in a way that omits those parts.

  • How can text weights be used for negative prompting?

    -Text weights can be used for negative prompting by assigning a negative value to a word or concept, effectively telling Midjourney to remove or de-emphasize that element from the generated image.

  • What is the importance of considering the composition when using negative prompts?

    -Considering the composition is important because when using negative prompts, Midjourney will attempt to maintain the overall structure and composition of the image while removing the specified elements.

  • What is the advice for users attempting to use negative prompts effectively?

    -Users should use negative prompts on scenes or images where they are trying to remove something that is not a core part of the image concept. It's also advised to experiment with different prompts and weights to achieve the desired outcome.

  • Why does the video suggest that negative prompting is not a perfect science?

    -Negative prompting is not a perfect science because it involves trial and error. The effectiveness can vary depending on how the prompts are structured, and users may need to adjust and experiment to get the desired result.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Introduction to Negative Prompting

Christian Heidorn from Tokenized AI introduces the concept of negative prompting in mid-journey, a technique to remove objects or concepts from generated images. He explains the difference between additive and subtractive processes in prompt writing, and how negative prompting can refine the image generation by excluding specific elements. Christian also clarifies that mid-journey lacks in-painting features found in other tools like Dali 2 or Stable Diffusion, and emphasizes that negative prompting is not as precise as editing in those tools. The limitations of negative prompting, especially with complex scenes, are also discussed.

05:00

🕯️ Removing Candles from Birthday Cakes

The video demonstrates the use of the 'no' parameter for negative prompting by attempting to remove candles from generated birthday cake images. It shows the process of using remix mode to alter an existing image and the limitations when trying to remove a core concept like a cake from a 'birthday cake' image. The importance of choosing prompts where the element to be removed is not a central concept of the image is highlighted. An example of an unsuccessful attempt to remove eyes from a close-up image of a beautiful woman is also provided to illustrate the limitations of negative prompting.

10:01

🌼 Modifying a Nature's Meadow Scene

Christian creates a more abstract and creative prompt, 'Nature's Meadow,' and shows how to remove flowers and birds from the generated images while keeping the composition similar to the original. He explains that as complexity increases, the results become more abstract. The paragraph also touches on the process of negative prompting using text weights as an alternative to the 'no' parameter, providing an example of how to achieve a similar result by adjusting the weights of different concepts in the prompt.

15:02

🏞️ Crafting a Rocky Mountain Landscape

The video concludes with an example of using text weights for negative prompting to create a winter landscape featuring a buffalo herd without trees or snow. Christian demonstrates how to emphasize certain aspects of the scene while de-emphasizing or removing others by adjusting the weights associated with each concept in the prompt. The successful outcome of this method showcases the potential for creating detailed scenes through a combination of positive and negative text weights.

20:02

🔍 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Christian summarizes the process of negative prompting, noting that it is not a perfect science and requires trial and error. He acknowledges that while negative prompting in mid-journey is not as advanced as in-painting features in other tools, it remains a useful technique for removing specific elements from generated images. The video ends with a call to action for viewers to like, subscribe, and look forward to future content.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Negative Prompting

Negative prompting refers to the process of specifying what should not be included in the generated image by an AI system. In the context of the video, it is used to remove objects or concepts from images created by the AI software Midjourney. It is a subtractive process as opposed to the additive process of regular prompting, where elements are added to the scene. An example from the script is the attempt to remove candles from a birthday cake image.

💡Midjourney

Midjourney is an AI tool used for generating images based on textual prompts. It operates through an interface using Discord and is mentioned in the video as being limited in its ability to edit images directly, unlike some other tools that support in-painting features. The video discusses how to use negative prompts within Midjourney to alter generated images by removing certain elements.

💡Remix Mode

Remix mode is a feature within Midjourney that allows users to work off an existing image and make modifications to it. It is activated to use an existing composition and change specific elements. In the video, the host uses remix mode to demonstrate how to remove candles from a birthday cake image by adding a negative prompt.

💡Text Weights

Text weights are numerical values assigned to words or concepts in a prompt to control their importance or emphasis in the generated image. A higher weight increases the prominence of that element, while a negative weight, as shown by using a minus sign, indicates that the element should be diminished or removed. The video explains that using 'no' before a concept is equivalent to giving it a negative text weight.

💡In-Painting

In-painting is a feature supported by some AI tools that allows for the editing of specific parts of an image, such as removing or adding elements with a high degree of specificity. The video mentions that while Midjourney does not support in-painting, other tools like Dali 2 or Stable Diffusion do, and that negative prompting in Midjourney is a more abstract process.

💡Composition

In the context of the video, composition refers to the arrangement of elements within an image. When using remix mode in Midjourney, the composition of the original image is maintained while specific elements are altered or removed based on the negative prompts given. The video illustrates this by removing candles from a cake's composition.

💡Parameter

In the video, the term 'parameter' is used to describe a specific aspect or feature within the AI's prompt system. The 'no parameter' is a way to tell the AI to exclude something from the generated image. The host corrects their pronunciation of the word 'parameter' during the video, emphasizing its importance in the context of negative prompting.

💡Abstract Prompt

An abstract prompt is a broad or conceptual instruction given to the AI, which can result in a wide range of interpretations. In the video, the host uses abstract prompts like 'Nature's Meadow' to generate images and then refines them using negative prompting to remove elements like flowers or birds, demonstrating how abstract prompts can be used creatively with negative prompts.

💡Scene Construction

Scene construction in the video refers to the process of creating a detailed image by combining positive and negative text weights. It involves adding elements to emphasize and subtracting elements to de-emphasize or remove them from the scene. The host demonstrates this by crafting a winter landscape with a buffalo herd, without trees or snow.

💡AI Software

AI software, as discussed in the video, refers to artificial intelligence applications that can perform tasks such as image generation based on textual descriptions. Midjourney is an example of AI software that the host uses to illustrate the concept of negative prompting and its impact on the output images.

💡Tokenized AI

Tokenized AI is the name of the platform or company associated with the host, Christian Heidorn. It is where he shares knowledge about navigating the world of AI software. In the video, he introduces himself as being from Tokenized AI, indicating the source of his expertise on the subject matter.

Highlights

Negative prompting is a process to remove objects or concepts from generated images.

Midjourney, a tool for image generation, does not support in-painting or direct image editing.

Negative prompting in Midjourney is subtractive, as opposed to the additive process of regular prompting.

The 'no' parameter is used in Midjourney to remove specific elements from images.

Remix mode in Midjourney allows working off an existing image to make minor changes.

Negative prompting is less effective with complex scenes or when trying to remove core concepts.

An example of unsuccessful negative prompting is trying to remove 'cake' from a 'birthday cake' image.

Negative prompting works better with abstract prompts that are not tightly linked to a specific concept.

Using negative image text weights is an alternative method to the 'no' parameter for removing concepts.

Text weights allow for fine-tuning the emphasis on different elements within an image prompt.

Negative prompting can be combined with text weights to construct detailed scenes.

Each additional layer of complexity in a prompt makes the generated image more abstract.

Negative prompting is not a perfect science and requires trial and error.

An example of successful negative prompting is creating a winter landscape without snow or trees.

The effectiveness of negative prompting can vary, and it's not intended for use in the same way as in-painting tools.

Christian Heidorn from Tokenized AI provides tutorials on navigating the world of AI software.

The video includes a demonstration of how to use both positive and negative text weights.

The limitations of Midjourney's interface through Discord affect its ability to implement certain features.