Midjourney shipped a separate V8.2 edit model in late August 2026—distinct from the generation model that became default in July. If you only know the old web Editor (still partly V6.1 under the hood), this path is new.

What the edit model actually does

Official testing entry points:

Edit tab on midjourney.com (upload or pick from gallery)
Edit button in the image lightbox
Drag images into the prompt bar under Attach to prompt
Discord: --edit [image URL]

Capabilities announced for the alpha:

Instruction editing — describe the change in plain language
Up to four image references in one job (replacing older omni-reference-only flows for some edits)
Brush inpainting — mask a region, regenerate inside it
Outpainting — expand canvas edges
Personalization, moodboards, and --sref — supported but may need extra prompt direction in early builds

Instruction edits that survive review

Write prompts in two beats: what changes, then what must stay.

Bad: make it cyberpunk Better: Change jacket to matte black leather. Keep face, pose, background buildings, and warm street lighting unchanged.

Run one clean instruction pass with personalization and style references off first. Add --sref or a moodboard only after the base edit lands—otherwise the model may restyle the whole frame when you only wanted a wardrobe swap.

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Inpaint vs outpaint

Mode	Use when	Risk
Inpaint	Local fix (logo, hand, prop)	Hard edges if mask is feathered poorly
Outpaint	Need more sky, floor, or side context	Perspective drift on wide expansions

For inpaint, keep masks tight. For outpaint, extend one edge at a time before attempting a full canvas resize.

Four references without chaos

When attaching multiple images, label roles in text: Image 1 = face identity. Image 2 = jacket fabric only. Ignore backgrounds in both. Midjourney’s alpha UI is moving fast—if a reference leaks background clutter, crop tighter before re-upload.

Legacy Editor vs V8.2 edit model

The classic Editor (Remix, Pan, Zoom, layers) still exists for many users. Docs note some Editor rendering remains on older model stacks even when the source image was V8.2. Treat edit-model jobs and Editor jobs as separate QA paths until release notes say they merged.

QA checklist before client delivery

Source saved with prompt, aspect ratio, and reference URLs
Instruction-only pass before style controls
Identity, palette, and lighting checked on a second monitor
Sad-face feedback filed if the job ignores keep unchanged clauses

When to stay in Draft generation instead

Exploration belongs in Draft on the generation side. Commit edit-model credits only on compositions you would already ship—edits cost attention even when generation was cheap.

Midjourney V8.2 Edit Model: Inpaint, Outpaint, Instruction Edits