Dall-E 3 vs MidJourney - Which is better?
Jeremy Morgan 
Oct 1, 2023 - 3 min read
Last Update: Jun 7, 2024
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OpenAI recently released the third version of DALL-E. Of course, the biggest news from this is the integration with ChatGPT. This could be a huge step forward in prompt creation. But we’re not going to focus on that part today. We will examine the output of Dall-E 3 and see if it’s better than Midjourney.
Recently, I’ve been using Midjourney more for image generation. Dall-E 2 was good, but not as good as Midjourney. Has that changed? Let’s throw a few simple prompts at it to see.
Prompt: A realistic portrait of a cat wearing a wizard’s hat
Dall-E 3
Midjourney
This first example is clear. Midjourney definitely looks better. More realistic and detailed. Our prompt may be too simplistic. Let’s try something else.
Prompt: A red Tesla Roadster driving down a highway. Illustrated in the style of Looney Tunes. In the background is a typical Looney Tunes city. However, the car is a modern Tesla.
Dall-E 3
Midjourney
Okay, once again, Midjourney is blowing Dall-E out of the water. Neither look like a Looney Tunes cartoon, but Midjourney certainly comes closer.
Let’s take some prompts from “The 30 best Dall-E 2 prompts for amazing results” and see what we can come up with.
Prompt: Whimsical painting of an enchanted forest with mythical creatures, vibrant colors, and intricate details.
Dall-E 3
Midjourney
Prompt: Victorian-era painting of a masquerade ball with elaborate costumes, contrasting colors, and soft lighting.
Dall-E 3
Midjourney
This one is a little closer. I like the Midjourney one better, but only because of the paintings’ additional detail and different framing. The angles and framing of the Dall-E renderings are dull, and the subject isn’t clear. But it’s fairly close.
Let’s try the #1 best prompt according to that article.
Prompt: Realistic painting of a dystopian industrial city with towering factories, pollution-filled air, and a gloomy sky.
Dall-E 3
Midjourney
With this one, the style and the rendering of Dall-E 3 aren’t bad. It looks more like an actual painting. However, the Midjourney one is far more exciting and engaging.
Let’s try one of my favorite prompts: putting a 2005 Mustang GT Like mine in different settings.
Prompt: a 3D render of a red 2005 Ford Mustang GT on a deserted country highway
Dall-E 3
Midjourney
The difference here is drastic. One certainly looks more like a 3D rendering than the other.
Conclusion
Midjourney still produces better images overall than Dall-E. However, this is my experience, and with enough prompt tuning, I’m confident someone can make a fool of me and generate a much better image with Dall-E. Also, the ChatGPT integration is a nice bonus. Being able to tweak prompts using advanced techniques makes all the difference.
What has your experience been like? Let me know!