Making 4K Magic with AI

In an era where there is so much AI slop being churned out by Sora 2 and similar memes generators, last week, I was delighted to discover Adam Winters when he posted a video on the Pixaroma Discord channel. His Winters Mirage Studios has been producing breathtaking sci-fi and rock music videos. These aren't your typical AI-generated clips—they're cinematic 4K productions that look stunning on large monitors and living room TVs. It's shocking to think that one individual, working part-time on his passion projects, can produce this quality, giving me the same joy as James Cameron's sci-fi movies that took millions of dollars to produce.

Many people want to generate AI videos locally on their computer. As I shared in my second music video, high-resolution video is very resource-intensive for the computer. A 3-minute video took about half an hour to generate on a 4090 and 40 minutes to upscale.

Adam has found ways to overcome these challenges. I was so impressed that I became a Patreon supporter. Via Patreon, he shared his techniques with me, which are described in this blog post. What makes his work remarkable isn't access to secret tools—it's his understanding of how to orchestrate them.

The Creative Foundation: How Adam Develops His Visual Concepts

Adam starts with a discovery process in Midjourney. He begins with a theme in mind, then browses popular Midjourney images until one really catches his eye. When he finds that perfect image, he doesn't just use it—he asks himself: "What world could this visual belong to? What musical style would fit this atmosphere?"

That single image becomes his anchor point. From there, he starts generating characters and environments based on that reference. After about 10 images, something magical happens: a clear structure forms. The world begins to reveal itself, and more importantly, the transformation journey becomes visible.

Adam's approach: "I want every shot to be interesting: explosions, transformations, something happening—I hate boring shots."

This isn't just visual preference—it's understanding that viewers need to see change happening, to feel movement from one state to another.

He creates a moodboard of about 10 images, writes down keywords from them, then asks ChatGPT what music style might fit that mood. He takes ChatGPT's answer, tweaks it, and rewrites it into his 7-line Suno AI template to start generating music. He experiments until he finds a track that feels right—and then begins matching visuals to it.

Adam says the beauty of his approach? "Usually it fits perfectly, since sci-fi visuals can carry almost anything; it's just about matching slow or dynamic music with the right shots."

The music becomes the emotional carrier—it moves viewers through the transformation, from where the story begins to where it ends up.

The Production Pipeline:

Phase 1: Image Generation & Strategic Degradation

• Generate images in Midjourney (starting from that initial inspiring concept)
• Upscale within Midjourney and download at full quality
• Counterintuitive step: Downscale to ~1400×800px in Photoshop
• Run through Magnific AI (or Topaz Gigapixel as a budget alternative) for texture enhancement

Why this works: An 800px height image costs only 5 credits in Magnific versus 20-30 credits for 4K to 8K upscaling. But more importantly, the upscaler has room to creatively interpret textures rather than just preserve them. Better results, lower cost—the rare win-win.

Phase 2: Building Consistency Across Shots

• Use Nano Banana generator via OpenArt.ai for additional angles and perspectives
• Feed images into Kling AI for video generation (Midjourney's video is still too expensive and low quality)
• Use a custom GPT-based Kling AI prompt generator for cinematic animation prompts

Adam's Kling AI tip: Create a dedicated ChatGPT thread with this prompt: "Imagine you are a master KLING AI prompter. I'm creating a sci-fi video and I only need the first frame for a 5-second animation. I'll send you a preview image each time, and you'll write an English prompt describing what's happening in the scene, including camera movement, okay?"

Then for each shot, send the image, describe roughly what should happen, and add "describe the rest of the animation." You'll get perfect prompts.

Phase 3: Music-Driven Narrative

• Generate music with Suno AI (using ChatGPT to help with lyrics and mood direction)
• Design the narrative and visual sequence around the music
• Cut everything in Adobe Premiere

Adam's creative process: "I make a moodboard of about 10 images, write down keywords from them, and ask ChatGPT what music style might fit that mood. I take its answer, tweak it, and rewrite it into my 7-line Suno AI template."

Phase 4: Final Assembly

• Color grading and effects in Adobe After Effects
• Render at 1080p Full HD
• Upscale to 4K using Topaz AI Video

The Philosophy: Every Shot Must Tell Part of the Story

Adam's golden rule: "I hate boring shots." Every frame needs camera movement—low angles, high angles, motion. Something should always be happening. Explosions, transformations, action. These aren't just visual effects—they're moments that show change, that reveal the journey from one state to another.

It's also really important to keep color tones consistent across all shots—this visual consistency helps viewers stay immersed in the world you're building.

His advice on developing the sequence: "You just need to have a rough picture in your head of what the next shot could look like—visualize the continuation of the scene, some details, or what might happen next or how it could end. That's really all it takes to start developing your images further."

Each shot is a step in the journey—from the opening situation through the transformation to the resolution.

Practical Application:

The Price-Performance Sweet Spot:

• Don't upscale 4K to 8K (expensive, less creative detail)
• Instead: downscale to 800px height, then upscale (cheaper, better results)
• Use Topaz AI Video which pays for itself

The Tool Stack (Budget-Conscious):

• Image generation: Midjourney
• Upscaling: Magnific AI (premium) or Topaz Gigapixel (cheaper alternative)
• Consistency: Nano Banana via OpenArt.ai
• Video generation: Kling AI
• Music: Suno AI + ChatGPT for guidance
• Editing: Adobe Premiere + After Effects
• Final upscale: Topaz AI Video

The Creative Process:

1. Start with a theme, browse popular Midjourney images
2. Find one image that captivates you—this becomes your anchor point
3. Imagine a world where that visual belongs—usually in a certain musical style
4. Generate characters and environments that show the journey (~10 images)
5. Wait for a clear structure to form—this is your story revealing itself
6. Create moodboard, extract keywords
7. Let ChatGPT suggest music styles that match the mood
8. Generate music in Suno AI that carries the emotional journey
9. Match visuals to the music rhythm, ensuring each shot advances the story

Key Takeaway:

Adam discovered that strategic degradation creates better upscaling results, and that every shot must serve the story. Show viewers where things start, where they end up, and make the journey between them visually explosive. Without quality, your video won't impress. Without story, it won't matter.

Call to Action:

Check out the entire Winters Mirage Studios playlist on YouTube. Please ONLY watch on a large high resolution monitor or TV to do full justice to the details and effort that went into producing these videos. I love how every shot has purpose, how nothing is static, how the colors stay consistent throughout. Notice the opening moments, the transformation sequences, and how everything builds to a resolution. That's not an accident—it's architecture.

P.S. — Has there been a short music video you've been dreaming to create? Let me know...