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Realism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

Realism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney
Realism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

Midjourney is one of the most modern tools for generating images using artificial intelligence, which offers almost endless creative possibilities. Thanks to advanced algorithms, users can create both realistic representations of reality and surreal, fantasy images that break the boundaries of imagination. Let’s take a look at how Midjourney deals with these two extreme aesthetics – realism and surrealism – and what techniques can be used to manipulate styles to adapt images to creative intent.

Realism in Midjourney: The Art of Reflecting Reality

Realism is an artistic style that strives to reproduce reality as faithfully as possible. Details such as textures, proportions and lighting are key here, and each element of the image is designed to resemble as closely as possible what we can observe in the real world. Midjourney, thanks to its flexibility, is able to generate images with such a high level of realism that they can resemble professional photographs or hyperrealistic paintings.

To achieve realism in Midjourney, it is crucial to precisely formulate prompts, i.e. commands that we give to the artificial intelligence. By describing specific details such as lighting, textures or composition, we can control the result and obtain an image similar to a photograph. For example, if we want to create a realistic portrait, it is worth describing the character taking into account details such as wrinkles, skin color, lighting or the type of materials surrounding the character.

A close-up portrait of an old man with a long white beard, wrinkles on his face, natural light, high detail

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

In the case of more complex scenes, such as landscapes, it is worth ensuring detailed descriptions of elements such as light reflection in water, rock textures or the appearance of vegetation. Additionally, it is worth using the –q parameter, which allows you to increase the image quality level, which translates into more detailed reproduction of textures and details.

A landscape of a mountain lake with crystal clear water, detailed trees and rocks on the shore, reflecting the sky –q 2

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

Realism also requires appropriate lighting. Often in realistic art, lighting plays a key role in creating mood and perspective. In Midjourney, we can achieve realistic effects through precise descriptions of light sources, e.g. “soft daylight”, “setting sun” or “natural light from the window”.

A cup of coffee on a wooden table, sunlight shining through a window, soft shadows on the surface

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

Examples of using realism in projects

The realistic images generated by Midjourney are ideal for many industries, from marketing to digital art. Here are some application examples:

Photorealistic product visualizations:

Companies can create photorealistic product visualizations for marketing campaigns, websites or catalogs, without the need for expensive photo sessions.

Sample prompts:

  • Create a photorealistic image of a modern Scandinavian-style sofa with soft grey fabric, detailed cushions, and wooden legs, with high-resolution textures and light reflections

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

  • Generate a hyper-detailed visualization of a stainless steel kitchen appliance, showing polished surfaces with realistic reflections and accurate texture details

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

  • Design a photorealistic image of a luxury wristwatch with a leather strap, showing every detail of the metal casing and the subtle grain of the leather

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

Hyperrealistic character portraits:

Digital artists can create hyper-realistic character portraits that can be used in art, illustrations and computer games.

  • Create a hyperrealistic portrait of a young woman with curly brown hair, freckles, and light reflections on her skin, capturing every detail of her expression

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

  • Generate a photorealistic portrait of an elderly man with a full grey beard, wrinkles, and deep-set eyes, with every hair and skin fold rendered in great detail

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

  • Design a hyper-detailed portrait of a futuristic soldier with a scarred face, showing the texture of the armor and the subtle emotions in their expression

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

Realistic architectural visualizations:

Architectural companies and developers can create realistic visualizations of buildings and interiors, which allows for better presentation of projects before their implementation.

  • Create a photorealistic exterior of a modern city apartment building at dusk, with detailed reflections in the windows and realistic shadows

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

  • Generate a hyperrealistic interior of a luxury living room with marble floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a leather sofa, showing detailed light reflections and textures

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

  • Design a photorealistic kitchen interior with wooden cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and realistic lighting to emphasize the warm, inviting atmosphere

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

Surrealism in Midjourney: The Art of Transcending the Boundaries of Reality

Surrealism is a style that defies all rules of logic. Dream elements, unrealistic juxtapositions and deformations of reality are the characteristic features of this aesthetics. Midjourney is the perfect tool for creating surreal images that go beyond what is possible in reality and introduce the viewer to the world of fantasy.

Surrealism in Midjourney can be achieved by experimenting with prompts that contain unusual, fantastic elements. For example, by adding a floating castle or a melting clock to the image, we obtain effects typical of surrealism.

Example of a surreal prompt:

A floating castle made of glass, suspended in the sky with birds flying around, surrounded by glowing orbs

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

A key tool in creating surreal images is also the –chaos parameter, which increases the level of unpredictability and randomness in the generated image. This makes the images more unusual, which fits perfectly into surreal compositions.

A giant clock melting over a tree in the middle of a desert, with floating clouds and strange lighting –chaos 75

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

Surrealism often uses deformation of space and perspective. This can be achieved by manipulating the shapes of objects and their position in space, which leads to the creation of illogical but extremely intriguing scenes.

A city where buildings are upside-down, the streets flow like water, and the sky is purple with stars shining during the day

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

Examples of the use of surrealism in projects

Surrealism finds its application in various fields of art and design, and here are some examples of its practical use:

Marketing campaigns and advertising: Surreal images can attract attention with their uniqueness, making them perfect for advertising campaigns that want to stand out from the competition. An example would be an advertising campaign in which a product is presented in a completely unexpected, fantastic environment.

Create a surreal advertising campaign for a car company where the vehicle drives on a road made of clouds, passing through giant, floating fruits and abstract shapes that challenge conventional landscapes

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

Design a surreal billboard for a smartphone, where the phone screen shows a portal into another dimension, with fantastical creatures reaching out to the viewer, blending reality and imagination

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

Develop a social media ad for a luxury watch brand, featuring a watch ticking backward while surrounded by an upside-down world, where people walk on the sky and time flows in reverse

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

Concept art and visual storytelling: Artists can use surreal images to illustrate abstract concepts, building extraordinary visual stories. An example would be creating graphics for fantasy books or films, where the logic of the presented world is not crucial and emotions and imagination dominate.

Create concept art for a video game set in a surreal, dreamlike world, where gravity shifts, and characters navigate floating islands made of fabric, surrounded by levitating objects that defy physics

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

Illustrate a graphic novel page showing a protagonist walking through a forest where trees have human faces, and the ground is made of shifting glass, blending reality with fantasy in a surreal journey

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

Design a surreal movie poster where the main character is portrayed as a giant figure holding a city in their hands, with their face partially transforming into a constellation of stars, evoking themes of power and mystery

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

Changing Styles in Midjourney: From Realism to Surrealism

One of Midjourney’s most interesting features is the ability to seamlessly transition between different artistic styles, including realism to surrealism. By properly manipulating the prompts, you can create an image that seems realistic at first glance, but after a few subtle changes it becomes surreal.

To tilt the image towards realism or surrealism, simply modify the details in the prompts. Realistic images require precise descriptions, while surrealism can be achieved by adding unexpected elements and changing perspective.

Example of changing the prompt from realistic to surreal:

A quiet street in an old European town, with cobblestone pavement and historic buildings, sunlight shining on the walls

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

A quiet street in an old European town, with buildings floating in mid-air and glowing clouds swirling above

Realizm kontra surrealizm: Tworzenie różnorodnych stylów artystycznych w MidjourneyRealism vs. Surrealism: Creating Diverse Art Styles in Midjourney

Similarly, color and perspective can be manipulated to shift the image towards surrealism. Realism uses natural colors and proportions, while surrealism may include unnatural colors and deformations.

Midjourney is a powerful tool that allows artists to seamlessly transition between realism and surrealism, opening up almost limitless creative possibilities.