We now have Midjourney Version 6.0, which differs from V 5.2 so much. I love the imagination of 5.2; some people appreciate the factual and realistic renderings of 6.0.
However, a secret version of Midjourney – I will call it V5.2R – has never become official. At MJ hours, they once mentioned that it is the future version 5.3. I wonder if this algorithm was ever intended to become a version because it is original and sometimes weird. (The new 6.0 couldn’t be more different.)
I ran into V5.2R soon after Midjourney introduced the Vary(Region) function. I noticed that if I Select-All the image and run Vary(Region), the outcomes manifest different styles. If you repeat, they may get even wilder. I first called it “Midjourney Hack,” then a friend suggested to call it “Recycling.”
I have recently run into a (rare) video where it is called “Secret.” It suggests some applications, but I have found the use of the Secret version beyond that. Several of our group members have run the algorithm, but it has yet to be widely known.
If your image looks unsatisfactory or dull in 5.2, try Recycling! If you want MJ to run its imagination wild, try Recycling. 🙂 With experience, I have an intuition on the cases where it may work, but it has been hard to put it in words.
BTW, you can start Vary(Region)/Select-All on any image from V 5.2. It just goes to that secret version; it does not matter where you start. I have also seen images get increasingly stranger as you recycle, but this is only sometimes the case.
Also, BTW, MJ will go to the secret algorithm if you select most of the image, or your prompt has nothing to do with the original image.
You will see many V5.2R images on my timeline (look for “Recycled”).
Some recent examples:
– bright woolly woven winter wonder land crayon charcoal
– wooden laminated pitted future animal, blue inside, chiaroscuro
– uneven, unglossy, unique, unpolished, unrefined, unsmooth, untamed animal
– holiday symbols, Claire de lune played in the background
Thanks for reading 🙂
Irina