Midjourney V8.1 Goes GA with 3× Faster HD Mode and Restored Image Prompts
Midjourney
Midjourney released V8.1 on April 30, available on both midjourney.com and Discord. HD mode is 3× faster and 3× cheaper; standard resolution is 50% faster and 25% cheaper. V8.1 restores image prompts and image weights, adds a Prompt Shortener, updates Describe for longer results, and produces native 2K resolution. Moodboards and Style References are now significantly more stable versus V8.0 Alpha.
Why it matters
V8.1 resolves the most common V8 Alpha regressions while substantially cutting compute costs — making high-resolution generation faster and cheaper across all subscription tiers. Restoring image prompts and stabilizing SREFs addresses creators' top complaints from the Alpha period.
Importance: 3/5
Midjourney V8.1 GA with 3× speed/cost improvement in HD mode and resolution of key regressions from V8 Alpha.