MLA 025 AI Image Generation: Midjourney vs Stable Diffusion, GPT-4o, Imagen & Firefly

Machine Learning Guide

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Artificial, Introduction, Learning, Courses, Technology, Ml, Intelligence, Ai, Machine, Education

4.9 • 848 Ratings

🗓️ 9 July 2025

⏱️ 73 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The 2025 generative AI image market is a trade-off between aesthetic quality, instruction-following, and user control. This episode analyzes the key platforms, comparing Midjourney's artistic output against the superior text generation and prompt adherence of GPT-4o and Imagen 4, the commercial safety of Adobe Firefly, and the total customization of Stable Diffusion.

The State of the Market

The market is split by three core philosophies:

The "Artist" (Midjourney): Prioritizes aesthetic excellence and cinematic output, sacrificing precise user control and instruction following.
The "Collaborator" (GPT-4o, Imagen 4): Extensions of LLMs that excel at conversational co-creation, complex instruction following, and integration into productivity workflows.
The "Sovereign Toolkit" (Stable Diffusion): An open-source engine offering users unparalleled control, customization, and privacy in exchange for technical engagement.

Table 1: 2025 Generative AI Image Tool At-a-Glance Comparison

Tool	Parent Company	Access Method(s)	Pricing	Core Strength	Best For
Midjourney v7	Midjourney, Inc.	Web App, Discord	Subscription	Artistic Aesthetics & Photorealism	Fine Art, Concept Design, Stylized Visuals
GPT-4o	OpenAI	ChatGPT, API	Freemium/Sub	Conversational Control & Instruction Following	Marketing Materials, UI/UX Mockups, Logos
Google Imagen 4	Google	Gemini, Workspace, Vertex AI	Freemium/Sub	Ecosystem Integration & Speed	Business Presentations, Educational Content
Stable Diffusion 3	Stability AI	Local Install, Web UIs, API	Open Source	Ultimate Customization & Control	Developers, Power Users, Bespoke Workflows
Adobe Firefly	Adobe	Creative Cloud Apps, Web App	Subscription	Commercial Safety & Workflow Integration	Professional Designers, Agencies, Enterprise

Core Platforms

Midjourney v7: Premium choice for artistic quality.
- Features: Web UI with Draft Mode, user personalization, emerging video/3D.
- Weaknesses: Poor text generation, poor prompt adherence, public images on cheap plans, no API/bans automation.
OpenAI GPT-4o: An intelligent co-creator for controlled generation.
- Features: Conversational refinement, superior text rendering, understands uploaded image context.
- Weaknesses: Slower than competitors, generates one image at a time, strict content filters.
Google Imagen 4: Pragmatic tool focused on speed and ecosystem integration.
- Features: High-quality photorealism, fast generation, strong text rendering, multilingual.
- Weaknesses: Less artistic flair; value is dependent on Google ecosystem investment.
Stable Diffusion 3: Open-source engine for maximum user control.
- Features: MMDiT architecture improves prompt/text handling, scalable models, vast ecosystem (LoRAs/ControlNet).
- Weaknesses: Steep learning curve, quality is user-dependent.
Adobe Firefly: Focused on commercial safety and professional workflow integration.
- Features: Trained on Adobe Stock for legal indemnity, Generative Fill/Expand tools.
- Weaknesses: Creative range limited by training data, requires Adobe subscription/credits.

Tools and Concepts

In-painting: Modifying a masked area inside an image.
Out-painting: Extending an image beyond its original borders.
LoRA (Low-Rank Adaptation): A small file that applies a fine-tuned style, character, or concept to a base model.
ControlNet: Uses a reference image (e.g., pose, sketch) to enforce the composition, structure, or pose of the output.
A1111 vs. ComfyUI: Two main UIs for Stable Diffusion. A1111 is a beginner-friendly tabbed interface; ComfyUI is a node-based interface for complex, efficient, and automated workflows.

Workflows

"Best of Both Worlds": Generate aesthetic base images in Midjourney, then composite, edit, and add text with precision in Photoshop/Firefly.
Single-Ecosystem: Work entirely within Adobe Creative Cloud or Google Workspace for seamless integration, commercial safety (Adobe), and convenience (Google).
"Build Your Own Factory": Use ComfyUI to build automated, multi-step pipelines for consistent character generation, advanced upscaling, and video.

Decision Framework

Choose by Goal:

Fine Art/Concept Art: Midjourney.
Logos/Ads with Text: GPT-4o, Google Imagen 4, or specialist Ideogram.
Consistent Character in Specific Pose: Stable Diffusion with a Character LoRA and ControlNet (OpenPose).
Editing/Expanding an Existing Photo: Adobe Photoshop with Firefly.

Exclusion Rules:

If you need legible text, exclude Midjourney.
If you need absolute privacy or zero cost (post-hardware), Stable Diffusion is the only option.
If you need guaranteed commercial legal safety, use Adobe Firefly.
If you need an API for a product, use OpenAI or Google; automating Midjourney is a bannable offense.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back to Machine Learning Applied. This in the next couple episodes are a mini-series on
0:06.8	multimedia generative AI, tools for image generation like stable diffusion, mid-journey,
0:14.0	GPT-40, and Imogen4, tools for video generation like V-O-3, SORA, Runway, and Kling, a bit on audio generation,
0:24.8	like Udio, Suno, and Eleven Labs, and how to stitch them all together in an end-to-end
0:31.1	multimedia project, like a long-form video movie or a short-form video advertisement.
0:39.6	These episodes are a lay of the land, comparative analysis between the tools and practical
0:44.2	advice.
0:45.2	This is a hot topic currently, so I'll have a lot of new listeners.
0:49.3	The way this podcast works is episodes labeled MLA are machine learning applied where I talk about tools and
0:56.8	practical stuff. Episodes labeled MLG are machine learning guide where I talk theory and education.
1:04.4	So once this mini series is done, I'll get into the how of it all machine learning theory
1:10.3	behind these models, like diffusion
1:12.6	models, variational auto encoders, etc. So if you're an MLG veteran just here for machine
1:19.7	learning theory, hang tight for the next few episodes, and I'll get back into the meat and potatoes.
1:25.3	There is a lot to cover in these episodes. So to keep the timestamps
1:30.6	tight, I did something I never do. I wrote a script. Before I start reading it, I want to give you
1:36.5	my hot take personal experience. I favor V-O-3 for videos and GPT-40 for images. I know you've all seen V-O-3 videos in the wild.
1:48.9	Bigfoot vlogs and glass-cutting ASMR. They're absolutely astounding. We're here. This is no
1:56.9	longer the future. It's the present. I've shown my friends and family V-O-3 videos and asked
2:02.0	what's off here and they say, I don't know, and they scrutinize the video. Then I tell them
2:06.1	it's AI. 4K, music, voice, sound effects, physics, everything. And they grab the phone,
2:12.8	they start the video over, they study it jaw dropped. No way, no way. Yes, we're here. V-O-3 has everything, voice,
	...

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