Unpacking Midjourney's Style Explorer + Slipping Deeper Into Nano Banana ๐
The Midjourney Fast Hours crew hits episode 50โฆand immediately forgets to throw a party. Instead, Drew and Rory stumble into a killer trick inside the brand-new Style Explorer (yes, that hidden Smart Search โ Styles move), while guest Allar Haltsonen cheerfully roasts their โweโll plan it laterโ energy and shows how RAW can completely flip a styleโs look. They blitz through v7.1 notes, v8 teasers, and real-world Midjourney Video settings (SD vs HD, Loop vs Motion) before going full Nano Banana: Freepik in-app inpainting, aspect-ratio hiccups, and a slick Photoshop plug-in workflow. If you care about consistent aesthetics, faster iteration, and finding SREF styles without burning credits, this oneโs pure potassium.Search hooks & keywords: Midjourney Style Explorer, SREF / SREF style codes, Smart Search trick, RAW parameter, v7.1, v8, Midjourney Video settings, Loop vs Motion, SD vs HD, OREF, Nano Banana, Freepik inpainting, Photoshop plug-in, fashion swaps, cinematic angles, moodboards, style weight, stylize.---โฑ๏ธ Midjourney Fast Hour00:00 โ Episode 50?! housekeeping + cold open00:06 โ The โlike & subscribeโ bit (tell your mom, dog, everyone)01:19 โ Whatโs new + Allar intro; Office Hours headlines01:49 โ Style Explorer lands (why it matters for credits)02:30 โ How it works: SRF codes, Explore tab, filters (Top/Hot/Day)05:07 โ The pain of saving/organizing favorite SRFs06:07 โ โDid they rotate styles?โ + early content observations07:13 โ Preview layout (character / environment / object)08:11 โ Surprise: RAW massively changes some styles10:38 โ The curly-brace RAW syntax gotcha during live tests14:36 โ Smart Search โ Styles hack (the hidden gem)18:34 โ Image as SREF, weighting, and moodboard workflows23:40 โ Office Hours: v7.1, OREF improvements, draft mode, v8 path25:48 โ v8 is the big model rev; video waits until v8 ships26:49 โ Midjourney Video: manual vs auto; motion vs loop30:23 โ SD vs HD trade-offs (costs, quality)33:04 โ When to upscale before animating (text handling quirks)35:29 โ Profiles, friend rooms, global rooms, prompt battles37:26 โ Discord nostalgia: forgetting โ/imagineโ (oops)38:22 โ Nano Banana deep dive: why itโs workflow-changing40:40 โ Where to run it: Freepik, KREA, Google AI Studio, Higgsfield41:01 โ Aspect-ratio hiccups & hacks in Freepik44:15 โ In-app inpainting & reference characters in Freepik45:00 โ Nano Banana Photoshop plug-in (enable & flow)48:25 โ Pro tip: consistency over heavy retouching50:54 โ World-building workflows: zooms, angles, new actions53:20 โ Consistency challenges: missing doors, mismatched details56:00 โ Adding characters & branded clothing to complex scenes58:20 โ Character sheets + compositing tricks for consistency01:00:09 โ Compositing disruption: Photoshop harmonize & Nano01:02:12 โ Time-lapse edits (dust, rust, lighting changes)01:04:39 โ True world-building: multiple lives & story arcs01:06:28 โ Keep/change prompt trick for Nano Banana01:07:09 โ Pushing realism: Nano Banana vs raw Midjourney01:08:42 โ New media: character-as-influencer storytelling01:10:20 โ Rosebud & branching narrative experiments01:11:46 โ Simulation talk: where storytelling is heading01:12:45 โ Wrap-up