The evolution of AI image generation tools is progressing at an absolutely mind-blowing pace. Midjourney's Edit and Personalize features, in particular, can accomplish what used to take dozens of minutes in Photoshop with just a single command. If you properly understand and utilize these two features, you'll experience revolutionary efficiency in image editing and maintaining style consistency.
Edit Feature: A New Paradigm in Image Editing
Basic Usage and the Canvas Concept
There are two ways to activate the Edit feature: click on an image you've created and press 'Edit', or upload a photo directly in the Edit tab. The crucial point here is that Midjourney's Edit feature fundamentally uses a 'canvas' concept.
This is a different approach from traditional image editing tools. The photo sits on top of a canvas, so when you adjust the aspect ratio, you're changing the canvas ratio rather than the image itself. Think of it as changing the proportions of the paper your image is drawn on.
For example, if you upload a 1:1 ratio photo and set it to 16:9, empty spaces appear. The Edit feature works by naturally filling these blank areas. This isn't simple cropping or resizing – it's intelligent editing where AI understands the context of the existing image and expands it logically.
Image Extension and Composition Changes
The true power of this feature shines in image extension. It keeps the original image intact while naturally filling empty spaces to expand the photo. What's even more amazing is that it can regenerate cut-off limbs in portrait photos when you reset the frame and composition.
This produces much more sophisticated and natural results than Photoshop's Content-Aware Fill. Instead of simply copying surrounding pixels, the AI understands the overall context and structure of the image and extends it logically.
Partial Editing and Object Manipulation
Partial editing through the Paint function is incredibly powerful. You can erase specific parts and input new prompts to modify only those areas. An important tip here is to erase slightly wider than you think you need, considering the image that will be generated rather than the completed image, for more natural editing results.
What's particularly noteworthy is that unselected areas maintain nearly 100% of the original image. This is a major advantage of Midjourney compared to ChatGPT's DALL-E. You can make precise modifications to only the necessary parts while ensuring maximum integrity of the original image.
Smart Selection and Background Removal
The Smart Selection feature enables precise object selection. In Include mode, clicking on objects allows for detailed selection, and you can deselect with Exclude. You can then use 'Erase Selection' to remove selected parts or 'Erase Background' to remove the background.
Using this feature, you can download as background-free PNG files or input new background prompts to create unlimited promotional images. Especially when combined with previously introduced parameters, anyone can easily create professional promotional images.
Layer System and Retexture
The layer feature allows you to stack multiple canvases. This is extremely useful for complex image editing. You can combine multiple background photos into one or mix various elements to create new images.
The Retexture feature is a unique function that transforms image textures. You can change the texture of subjects in photos to different materials, helping to unify texture differences when compositing multiple photos for natural results.
Personalize Feature: Revolutionary Style Consistency
Utilizing the Profile Function
The Personalize feature allows you to infinitely replicate specific styles or character feels. The Profile function references the style of learned images, letting you select multiple photos to create a profile.
For example, if you train a profile with only illustration-style photos, any subsequent prompt will generate images in illustration style. This is a crucial feature for brand consistency or series work.
When selecting photos, it's important to choose images with the most consistent style possible. Training with mixed-style images can result in inconsistent outputs.
Mood Board: Unparalleled Style Replication
The Mood Board feature shows even more powerful results than Profile. When you upload images of a specific style, subsequently created images reference not only that image's style but also its character feel.
This goes beyond simple style reference to maintain consistent overall atmosphere and tone. For more consistent photos, specifying character clothing or style in the prompt along with the mood board will yield even more unified results.
Infinite Possibilities for Professional Applications
The practical applications of these features are limitless. Architects can train their portfolios to generate unlimited new architectural ideas. Musicians can train popular album covers to create trendy cover images with just a few keywords.
In all fields where images are utilized – advertising posters, brand logos, etc. – the Mood Board feature can deliver extreme efficiency. Particularly in marketing fields that need to maintain consistent brand identity, this will be a revolutionary tool.
Limitations and Possibilities from an Expert Perspective
While these features are highly impressive, there are several points to consider. First, there's the copyright issue with AI-generated images. Especially when training existing artwork styles, there's potential for infringing on original creators' rights.
Second, there's the risk of over-dependence. While these tools simplify the creative process, creators might lose their own originality and technical understanding. We must remember that tools are just tools – the essential aspects of creation remain in the human domain.
Third, there's the issue of result predictability. Since AI is a probabilistic model, it doesn't always guarantee consistent results. Particularly for complex editing or precise style replication, multiple attempts may be necessary.
Despite these limitations, Midjourney's Edit and Personalize features are bringing paradigmatic changes to image editing and generation. Especially in prototyping or idea visualization stages, they provide overwhelming efficiency compared to traditional methods.
As these AI tools continue to evolve, we expect the creative process itself to change. The important thing is to adapt to these changes while not losing our essential capabilities as creators. AI should be utilized as a tool that expands our creative abilities, not replaces them.
Ultimately, Midjourney's features are opening doors to new possibilities for creators. Ideas that were previously difficult to implement due to time and technical constraints can now be visualized easily and quickly. This can be seen as the democratization of creativity, creating an environment where more people can express their creative ideas.
The key is finding the right balance – embracing these powerful new tools while maintaining our human creativity and artistic vision. As we move forward, those who can effectively combine AI capabilities with human insight will be the ones who truly push the boundaries of what's possible in visual creation.