EP 006 · 78 MIN THE 5 TOOLS THAT MAKE MIDJOURNEY WORK
5 AI Tools To Mix With Midjourney for Intoxicating Results
The short version
Episode 6 names the five tools Rory Flynn and Drew Brucker actually stack with Midjourney: ChatGPT for prompt formulas and reverse-engineering brand images, Runway for animating stills (camera motion prompts help most), Krea for free AI upscaling and photo restoration, Magnific for premium detail and skin texture, and Photoshop for the fine, pixel-level fixes none of the AI tools handle yet.
Key takeaways
- 01
Build a reusable prompt formula in ChatGPT (shot type, lighting, texture, composition) instead of one-off prompts; swap categories like plating or garnish for food versus fabric for fashion.
- 02
Use ChatGPT's vision to "reverse prompt": upload an existing image and have it write a detailed description you can feed back into Midjourney to recreate that look.
- 03
In Runway, motion in the source image beats a perfect pose: a mid-turn subject or motion-blurred car animates far more reliably than a static frame.
- 04
Krea's upscaler and enhance tool are free and add real texture (to clouds, food, skin) before export; Krea also has an underused free video upscaler most people skip.
- 05
Magnific is Rory's top pick for realistic skin texture and detail on upscales, despite the cost, because Midjourney's own upscalers prioritize generation over fine detail.
- 06
Photoshop's Generative Fill still wins for pixel-level fixes Midjourney and Editor can't do yet: spot removal, aspect-ratio expansion, and compositing text behind a subject.
- 07
Drew's takeaway: the real moat isn't knowing Midjourney well, it's knowing how to chain multiple tools into one workflow, since anyone can catch up on a single tool.
Receipts · said on the record
“We're always trying to turn assets... How do we take one thing and turn it into other things? So always, like, how can I take one image and turn it into a thousand?”
“If you can get this motion blur effect, which is pretty much all you have to prompt, motion blur, … it gives Runway this little head start on what exactly you want to do.”
“It's expensive. Don't get me wrong. I wish I... you know, personally, I love the tool. I wish it wasn't as expensive.”
“It's Adobe. Everyone's been trying to get off it for my entire career, but it still has uses. … I still end up in Adobe. So generative fill to me is just super useful, especially for fine-tuning spot cleaning.”
“Anybody can technically become really good at Midjourney if you put in enough time. … The ability to stack things together into a workflow, build some sort of operation — that's the difference. It's not just using one tool.”
Chapters
- 0:00:00 <Untitled Chapter 1>
- 0:13:31 The ChatGPT Aperitif: Priming Your Creative Palate
- 0:34:08 Runway's Cinematic Cocktail: Shaking Up Still Images
- 0:44:17 Krea-tive Concoctions: Stirring Up the Perfect Mix
- 0:51:37 Magnific's Magic Potion: Supersizing Your Creations
- 0:57:25 Adobe's Top-Shelf Finish: The Perfect Nightcap
Questions this episode answers
What are the 5 AI tools Fast Hours recommends stacking with Midjourney?
Episode 6 names ChatGPT (prompt formulas and reverse-prompting images), Runway (animating stills into video), Krea (free upscaling and photo restoration), Magnific (premium detail and skin texture on upscales), and Photoshop (pixel-level fixes like spot removal and aspect-ratio expansion).
How do you get better animation results out of Runway with Midjourney images?
Rory says motion already present in the source image matters more than a perfect pose. A subject caught mid-turn, or a car shot with motion blur and direction cues, animates far more reliably than a static frame.
Is Krea or Magnific better for upscaling Midjourney images?
Drew relies on Krea's free upscaler and enhance tool for everyday work, while Rory prefers Magnific, despite its cost, specifically for realistic skin texture and fine detail on portraits.
Why do Rory and Drew still use Photoshop alongside Midjourney?
Both say Generative Fill still beats Midjourney's own Editor for pixel-level fixes: spot and blemish removal, expanding an image's aspect ratio, and compositing text behind a subject.
What's the real skill advantage in using Midjourney professionally, according to Drew?
Drew argues that knowing Midjourney well isn't a durable edge on its own, since anyone can catch up with enough time. The advantage comes from chaining multiple tools together into a single workflow.
Show notes
What if we told you that the difference between good and legendary Midjourney images isn't talent, but leverage?
In other words, it's not all about the prompts. It's about the invisible toolkit that acts as a creative force multiplier.
We're pulling back the curtain on five AI tools that act like cognitive steroids for your Midjourney creations. It's the equivalent of giving Michelangelo a power drill – suddenly, the Sistine Chapel doesn't seem so impossible.
