Latest news with #DavidHolz
India Today
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Midjourney launches V1 AI video generation model right after Disney accuses it of plagiarism
Midjourney, the AI startup famous for its surreal image generation tools, is making a bold leap into video. Recently, the company unveiled V1, its long-awaited video-generation model that promises to breathe life into your static images. It's a big move for Midjourney as it throws the company into direct competition with other big-hitters like OpenAI, Runway, Adobe and Google.V1 is designed as an image-to-video model, allowing users to transform either their own uploaded pictures or Midjourney's AI-generated images into short five-second video clips. Like its sibling image models, V1 is only accessible via Discord for now and is web-only at launch. advertisementAnd it's not just videos Midjourney has in its sights. In a blog post, CEO David Holz set out some pretty ambitious goals for the company's AI, saying V1 is just the next stepping stone toward real-time 'open-world simulations.' The company also revealed its plans to branch into 3D renderings and real-time generative models down the line. While Midjourney's image tools have long appealed to artists and designers, the company has taken a slightly different tack with video. Many of its rivals — such as Sora by OpenAI, Runway's Gen-4, Firefly by Adobe and Veo 3 by Google — are going after commercial filmmakers and studios with highly controllable AI tools. Midjourney, however, is positioning itself as more of a creative playground for those looking for something a little more V1 AI video generation model: Pricing and availabilityadvertisementDespite this, Midjourney is pushing ahead. Video generation doesn't come cheap, though. V1 consumes eight times more credits per clip than Midjourney's still-image tools, so subscribers will burn through their monthly allowances far faster. At launch, Basic subscribers — who pay $10 (around Rs 866) per month — can access V1, but unlimited video generation is limited to the $60 (around Rs 5,200) Pro and $120 (approximately Rs 10,400) Mega plans, and only on the 'Relax' mode, which produces videos more slowly. However, the company says it will review this pricing structure in the coming weeks as it gathers feedback from for the tools themselves, V1 offers a surprising level of control. You can opt for an 'auto' mode that lets the AI generate motion for you or a 'manual' mode that accepts text prompts to dictate exactly how you want your animation to move. Plus, there are settings for adjusting movement intensity — 'low motion' if you want subtle shifts, or 'high motion' for more energetic effects. Clips last five seconds by default but can be extended up to 21 seconds in four-second accuses Midjourney of plagiarismThat said, Midjourney is entering the video arena under a legal cloud. Only a week ago, Disney and Universal sued the startup over its image-generation models, claiming they can produce unauthorised versions of famous characters like Darth Vader and Homer Simpson. It's part of a growing backlash across Hollywood as studios grow nervous about AI tools replacing human creatives — and AI companies face questions about training data and copyright examples of V1's output suggest Midjourney is sticking to its trademark surreal aesthetic rather than aiming for hyper-realism, the sort of style that fans of the platform have come to love. The initial reaction from users has been mostly positive so far, though it's still too early to tell how V1 will stack up against more established players like Runway and Sora.
Express Tribune
10 hours ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Midjourney AI: Midjourney launches first AI video tool to animate images
Midjourney has launched its first public video generation tool, allowing users to create animated clips from still images. The new feature, announced on Midjourney's website, enables the generation of five-second videos from either uploaded images or those created within the Midjourney platform. Once an image is selected, an 'animate' button appears, offering a standard motion option or a manual setting for customising movement. The animation can be extended in four-second increments, with a maximum length of 21 seconds. Motion settings allow users to determine whether the subject, the camera, or both are animated. The feature is currently limited to subscribers, with plans starting at $10 (USD) per month. Introducing our V1 Video Model. It's fun, easy, and beautiful. Available at 10$/month, it's the first video model for *everyone* and it's available now. — Midjourney (@midjourney) June 18, 2025 Midjourney says the cost of video generation is approximately eight times higher than that of image rendering, equating to roughly one image's worth of cost per second of video. The launch comes amid an ongoing copyright lawsuit filed by Disney and Universal. The two entertainment companies argue that Midjourney's training process may have included unauthorised use of copyrighted works. Legal filings specifically flagged the video tool as a concern, with plaintiffs describing the company's output as a 'virtual vending machine' for unlicensed content. Midjourney founder David Holz described the release as 'a stepping stone' in the company's development of real-time, open-world simulation models. The startup is one of several firms racing to develop AI-powered video tools, with competitors such as Google, OpenAI, and Meta also releasing systems that generate video content from text prompts. Social media users have been sharing their first reactions, including early videos, with many hailing it as a 'game-changer'. Midjourney Video is on another level. — AI Breakfast (@AiBreakfast) June 19, 2025 Created with Midjourney + Recraft + Figma in just under one hour. Get psyched. — DANN© (@DannPetty) June 19, 2025 How well does Midjourney Video handle complex environments? It's (almost) flawless: — Alex Patrascu (@maxescu) June 19, 2025 While Midjourney's current offering focuses on animating static images, the company has indicated that expanded capabilities will be introduced in future updates.
Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Midjourney lets you generate AI video from still images with V1 for free: Here's how
Midjourney has entered the AI video generation space with the launch of its first video model, V1. This new tool marks a shift from image creation to video animation, as the San Francisco-based company now allows users to turn still images into short video clips. The feature is currently only accessible via the web and is free for all users on the platform. However, a monthly subscription of at least $10 is required to access fast video generation. With Midjourney V1, users can upload either their own images or select from AI-generated images produced by Midjourney's own AI system. To begin, users need to select the 'Animate' option, which can produce four five-second video clips from a single image. Each clip can be extended by up to four seconds, for a maximum total of 20 seconds. However, it remains uncertain if these videos will include sound features at this stage. Also read: India's digital job scene to expand in 2025 with rise in AI and data-driven roles There are two available modes for animation: Automatic and Manual. The Automatic mode offers motion suggestions, which guide how the image could move. Meanwhile, Manual mode gives users the ability to control movement through detailed prompts, which allows them to influence how the scene develops over time. Also read: India's digital job scene to expand in 2025 with rise in AI and data-driven roles Users can also choose between two camera movement styles. The low-motion style keeps the camera mostly stationary, with limited movement. In contrast, the high-motion style introduces more dynamic movement, where both the camera and the subject display motion throughout the clip. A post shared by HT Tech (@hindustantimestech) Midjourney has made this tool available to all account tiers, including free users. However, video generation consumes significantly more resources. According to the company, creating a video clip uses eight times more GPU time than generating a still image. Midjourney CEO David Holz noted that this method is more affordable than previous market offerings and expects continued improvement in the tool's performance and cost-efficiency. Also read: Samsung Galaxy S25 review: Flagship features in a handful package Users can create videos in two operational modes: fast mode and relax mode. Fast mode uses a fixed GPU time allotment provided each month, where one minute of GPU time generates an image, and eight minutes are required for a video. Once users exhaust their GPU time, they cannot create additional content until the quota resets. On the other hand, 'Relax Mode' is currently only available to Pro-tier subscribers and above and allows for unlimited video generation. However, there are longer wait times, with video prompts potentially taking up to 10 minutes to complete.
Hans India
a day ago
- Business
- Hans India
Midjourney launches V1: AI video generator now available to all users
Midjourney, the San Francisco-based AI research lab, has officially launched V1, its first-ever AI video generation model, enabling users to transform static images into short video animations. Announced on June 18, the new model allows users to create five-second video clips by either uploading their own images or using AI-generated images from Midjourney. By clicking the 'animate' option, users can generate four video versions, each extendable up to 20 seconds. The V1 model supports two animation styles: Automatic – where the AI suggests a motion prompt Manual – where users input specific instructions to control how the image moves and evolves Users can also pick camera styles: Low Motion – with slow or stationary camera movements High Motion – for dynamic, action-packed perspectives In a statement, Midjourney CEO David Holz hinted at the future potential: 'The inevitable destination of this technology is real-time, open-world simulations.' While sound support hasn't been confirmed yet, the video generation process uses eight times more GPU time than image generation. Despite that, Midjourney claims it is still 25 times cheaper than existing market options. The feature is available across all subscription tiers, including free users, under the 'fast mode', which allocates limited GPU time each month. Users can also access a 'relax mode'—currently in beta for Pro users and above—which offers unlimited GPU access, though with longer wait times. This marks a major step forward in AI-powered creativity, making video animation accessible to a broader range of users, from hobbyists to professionals.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Midjourney releases V1, its first AI video generation model available to all users
AI research lab Midjourney has rolled out its first-ever, text-to-video generation model called V1. The San Francisco-based firm on June 18, said that V1 can be used to convert images into a five-second AI-generated video clip. Users can either upload the images or use an AI-generated image by Midjourney itself. Then, the user can click 'animate' to animate the image. This creates four five-second AI-generated clips, which can be individually extendable to 20 seconds. It is unclear if these clips will also have sound. 'The inevitable destination of this technology are models capable of real-time open-world simulations. What's that? Basically; imagine an AI system that generates imagery in real-time,' Midjourney CEO David Holz said in a statement. The animations generated through V1 can be either Automatic or Manual. In Automatic mode, the AI tool suggests a motion prompt to the user in order to make the image move while the Manual setting requires users to input prompts based on how they want the image to move and the scene to develop. The user can also choose the camera style of the AI-generated video clip. The low-motion style is a stationary camera setting with slower camera movements while the high motion setting is a much more active camera setting, with the subject and the camera showing motion throughout the AI-generated animation. Midjourney has made V1 accessible across all tiers, which means even free users of the platform can use the AI tool to create video clips. However, Midjourney said that creating a video will cost eight times more Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) time to the user as compared to generating still images. 'This is amazing, surprising, and over 25 times cheaper than what the market has shipped before. It will only improve over time,' as per the AI firm. Users can access V1 in 'fast mode' or 'relax mode'. Fast mode entails using a set GPU time received every month. This is the mode available to all free and paid users, with one minute being used for image generation, and eight minutes used for video generation. Once this runs out, users cannot create any further AI-generated content on Midjourney. Relax mode for videos is currently being tested for Midjourney Pro subscribers and above. It allows for unlimited GPU time. While image and video generation is unlimited, 'relax mode' takes longer (up to 10 minutes) as prompts wait in line to be completed.
