When AI Art Gets Weird (And Sometimes Wonderful)
One’s backed by Adobe and its infinite corporate seriousness; the other’s Midjourney, a Discord-based art cult with a flair for fantasy. Both claim to be the best AI image generator of 2025, but let’s find out who’s painting dreams and who’s sketching nightmares.
Let the AI image generation showdown begin.
What Is Adobe Firefly Really Good At?
Launched as part of Adobe’s effort to not get left in the AI dust, Adobe Firefly is a text-to-image model that integrates beautifully with Creative Cloud. Think Photoshop with a side of predictive wizardry.
Key Features (With Light Roasting)
Text-to-image generation: Type "dancing llama on Mars" and voila, it appears. Occasionally on Venus, but close enough.
Style Transfer: Want your photo to look like a Renaissance oil painting? It can do that, with 80% accuracy and 20% artistic delusion.
Text Effects Generator: Turn boring fonts into wild 3D jungle letters. Great for impressing clients or terrifying them.
Integrated Workflow: Firefly snuggles neatly into Adobe Express and Photoshop. Because what’s more fun than 12 layers and a crashed GPU?
Commercial Use Ready: Yup, your weird llama art can be sold as merch. No lawsuit risk here, Adobe says. We’ll see.
Midjourney’s Style: Masterpiece or Moody Mess?
If Firefly is your professional designer friend, Midjourney is the moody art student living on Red Bull and existential dread. It lives entirely on Discord, which is either futuristic or frustrating, depending on your age and patience.
Key Features
Hyper-Stylized Outputs: Every result looks like it belongs on a concept art board for a sci-fi film. Even if you asked for "realistic headshot of a cat."
/Imagine Command: Type "/imagine epic wizard battle in space," and boom — magic. Or melting faces. Roll the dice.
Style Consistency: Midjourney loves drama. Shadows, colors, textures — they’re always dialed to 11.
V6 Model Update: Better realism, hands that don’t look like cursed spaghetti, and slightly less uncanny horror.
No Native App or UI: You’re tied to Discord. Which means channel surfing, bot commands, and constant alerts. Joy.
Prompt Results: Firefly vs Midjourney, Side-by-Side
We tested the same prompts in both tools. Here’s what happened:
Prompt: "Astronaut Riding a Cybernetic Dragon Through a Neon City"
Adobe Firefly: Decent composition. Looks like a scene from a futuristic children’s book. A bit... pastel?
Midjourney: 10/10 Blade Runner vibes. The dragon had more detail than my last car.
Prompt: "Portrait of a Cat in Renaissance Armor"
Firefly: Gave us a chonky feline knight. Cute, but missing depth.
Midjourney: Painted a feline Napoleon with a death stare. Could win a digital art award. Or start a coup.
Prompt: "Cheeseburger with a Face Singing Opera"
Firefly: Surreal, mildly cursed. Great for a meme.
Midjourney: Hyper-realistic cheese and dramatic lighting. Why is this burger more emotionally compelling than my last breakup?
What We Loved 🔥
Adobe Firefly
Clean integration with Adobe tools
Safe for commercial use
Great for marketing assets and branding
Midjourney
Stunning, high-quality outputs
Best for mood boards, fantasy, concept art
Improves with every update (V6 is 🔥)
What We Roasted 😬
Adobe Firefly
Still lacks the raw visual punch of Midjourney
Style range is a bit... corporate?
Sometimes forgets how arms bend
Midjourney
Discord-only workflow is pain incarnate
Commercial usage rules? Still kinda murky
Prompts can produce gorgeous nonsense ("tree" = enchanted forest of despair)
Who Is It For?
Adobe Firefly Is Great For:
Designers in the Adobe ecosystem
Agencies creating ad assets fast
Folks who need AI art for commercial use
Midjourney Works Best For:
Concept artists, illustrators, worldbuilders
Meme lords and Dungeons & Dragons GMs
Anyone who doesn’t mind Discord or chaos
Pricing, Commercial Rights & Real-World Use
Adobe Firefly Pricing
Comes with Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Express)
Adobe Firefly pricing varies: ~$20.99/mo for individual tools
Clear commercial rights included
Midjourney Subscription Cost
Basic Plan: $10/month (200 images/month)
Standard Plan: $30/month (unlimited relaxed mode)
Pro Plan: $60/month
Commercial use? Yes, if you’re a paid subscriber, but check the fine print.
Final Verdict: Toast or Boast?
Adobe Firefly: BOAST — If you’re a designer who lives in the Adobe universe, this is your AI sidekick. A bit safe, but dependable.
Midjourney: BOAST (but toasted) — It wins on visuals and creative chaos. Just be ready to wrangle bots and lose sleep over prompt tweaking.
In short: If you're designing a brochure, go Firefly. If you're concepting the next fantasy epic, Midjourney's your muse.
FAQs
Q: Is Midjourney better than Adobe Firefly? A: For raw artistic impact, yes. For workflow and commercial use, Firefly wins.
Q: Which AI art tool is best for businesses? A: Firefly, thanks to its Adobe integration and licensing peace of mind.
Q: Do both work for beginners? A: Firefly is easier. Midjourney requires learning Discord and patience.
Q: Can I sell the images I create? A: Yes, but read the licensing. Firefly is safer legally.
Closing Thoughts
AI art is no longer a gimmick — it's the sketchpad of the future. But like any creative tool, it can amaze or horrify. Adobe Firefly vs Midjourney shows there's no one-size-fits-all. Choose your chaos level.
Need more roasts, reviews, and ridiculous tech deep dives? Check out our other honest reviews on RoastToast.
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