Collective nouns are terms that refer to groups of individuals, animals, or objects, such as a "herd" of cattle or a "team" of players. In the realm of Midjourney, discussions about their application are often scarce. While the Midjourney User Guide does touch on collective nouns, it’s evident that the Midjourney bot can comprehend and utilize them effectively.

But are collective nouns merely a means to specify plural nouns? Let's delve deeper into their potential applications.

I consulted two extensive lists of collective nouns: (1) Wiktionary and (2) Mental Floss, to investigate further.

To illustrate the distinction, let’s analyze the collective nouns for guinea pigs and crows, comparing their impact against the term "many."

To enhance the reproducibility of results, I re-initiated each prompt at least four times to mitigate the randomness inherent in Midjourney V5.2.

The prompts examined were as follows:

(a) Guinea Pigs

/imagine prompt: a photo of a group of guinea pigs /imagine prompt: a photo of many guinea pigs

According to Wiktionary, the collective noun for guinea pigs is "a group of." The outcomes are intriguing; the guinea pigs appear to organize themselves neatly within the standard aspect ratio (1:1) when using "a group of," while the term "many" leads to an overwhelming number, resulting in some being cropped out of view.

Using similar terms like "few" or "several" also keeps the guinea pigs visible. Even specifying a number, such as "5," yields satisfactory results, despite the bot’s inability to count accurately.

(It's perfectly fine if you're unfamiliar with certain collective nouns. Even as a veterinarian, I uncovered numerous new collective terms while crafting this article!)

(b) Crows

/imagine prompt: a photo of a murder of crows /imagine prompt: a photo of many crows

With the term "murder," I anticipated a scene of chaos. However, the Midjourney bot interpreted this without any association to violence, producing simply a group of crows.

Again, using "many" resulted in an excess of subjects, leading to some being cropped from the frame.

Fish & Aquatic Creatures

Next, I examined whether collective nouns could refer to alternative subjects.

/imagine prompt: a photo of a company of angel fish /imagine prompt: a photo of many angel fishes /imagine prompt: a fictional photo of a company of small aquatic aliens /imagine prompt: a fictional photo of many small aquatic aliens

Images generated with "many" featured a greater number of subjects, while collective nouns produced fewer, but they were more centered within the image frame.

> If you aim for numerous small creatures in the background, utilize "many." > > If you wish to highlight fewer subjects, collective nouns are preferable.

When to Prefer Collective Nouns

/imagine prompt: a photo of a swarm of ants /imagine prompt: a photo of many ants /imagine prompt: a photo of a swarm of red ants in a kitchen, far-angle --ar 3:2 /imagine prompt: a photo of many red ants in a kitchen, far-angle --ar 3:2

Collective nouns like "a swarm of" yield images that convey the presence of numerous tiny subjects more effectively than "many," although the results are quite similar.

Cats & Alien Dwellings

/imagine prompt: a photo of a mews of cat houses /imagine prompt: a photo of many cat houses /imagine prompt: a photo of a mews of alien houses

The term "a mews of cat houses" produced an appealing image of aligned cat houses, whereas "many cat houses" yielded a cluttered view.

I whimsically applied the same collective noun to describe alien houses, leading to interesting results.

Troubleshooting Collective Noun Issues

When using a collective noun that leads to unwanted results, rearranging the phrase can often resolve the issue.

/imagine prompt: a photo of a belt of asteroids (problematic) /imagine prompt: a photo of an asteroid belt (fixed)

Collective nouns can sometimes produce unexpected images, leading to blending issues.

Conclusion

• Collective nouns significantly influence image composition.
• Use "many" for a plethora of small creatures in the backdrop.
• Opt for collective nouns to emphasize fewer subjects.
• A term like "a mews of" can alter the camera's perspective in the image.
• If a collective noun generates unexpected results, try rearranging the wording.
• While collective nouns don't always function flawlessly, they remain a valuable tool in crafting artistic effects and compositions.

I hope you found this analysis insightful!

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