OpenAI's legacy image generation model supporting generations, edits with masks (inpainting), and variations
Settled by community votes across 13 shared challenges, with an AI judge weighing in on each.
DALL-E 2
15.8
arena score
#59 of 62 in Text-to-Image
Skill signature
· Text-to-Image
LongCat-Image
9.6
arena score
#62 of 62 in Text-to-Image
Vote tally
Where the votes landed
DALL-E 2
0%
win rate
Ties
0%
LongCat-Image
0%
win rate
Shared challenges
13
Challenge by challenge
The strongest take from each model on every shared challenge, with the AI judge's read.
Geometric Composition
Text-to-Image“A glass cube on a wooden table. Inside the cube is a small blue sphere. On top of the cube sits a red book. A green plant is behind the cube, partially visible through the glass. Soft window light from the left.”
DALL-E 2
LongCat-Image
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Naturalistic photo-realistic lighting and focus
- − Failed to include the blue sphere inside the cube
- − Failed to place the red book on top of the cube
- − Objects are scaled incorrectly relative to each other
LongCat-Image
- + Perfect adherence to all spatial and object requirements
- + Excellent rendering of light through glass and reflections
- + High detail in the book texture and plant leaves
- − The plant is slightly more to the side than directly behind the cube
Verdict: DALL-E 2 completely failed the spatial reasoning and object placement requirements of the prompt, resulting in a confusing image that lacks a book and a sphere. LongCat-Image followed every instruction perfectly, producing a clear, high-quality image with correct object relations and lighting.
Candid Street Photography
Text-to-Image“A candid street photo of an elderly Japanese man repairing a red bicycle in light rain, reflections on wet pavement, shallow depth of field, 50mm lens, natural skin texture, imperfect framing, motion blur from passing cars, cinematic but realistic, no stylization.”
DALL-E 2
LongCat-Image
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Successfully captures an 'imperfect framing' look
- + Good floor-level perspective for rain reflections
- − Subject is extremely blurry and lacks the requested skin texture
- − Fails to show an elderly man or a Japanese setting clearly
- − Low quality resulting in an abstract rather than realistic image
LongCat-Image
- + Excellent adherence to the 'elderly Japanese man' prompt
- + High visual quality with realistic rain and reflections
- + Captures all prompt elements including red bike, rain, and street context
- − The 'motion blur' on the cars is subtle, looking more like frozen motion
- − The bicycle geometry is slightly illogical near the front wheel
Verdict: LongCat-Image provides a complete and high-quality interpretation of the prompt, featuring a clear subject with natural textures and a cinematic atmosphere. DALL-E 2 fails significantly on focus and detail, producing a blurry image where the subject is unrecognizable and the prompt requirements are mostly ignored.
Fantasy Warrior
Text-to-Image“Close portrait of a battle-worn paladin in ornate engraved plate armor, hair braided with small beads, faint scars and dirt on the skin, warm torchlight reflecting off metal, shallow depth of field, bokeh sparks, lifelike eyes, highly detailed texture on leather straps and cloth underlayer.”
DALL-E 2
LongCat-Image
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Heavy, gritty texture on the armor surfaces.
- − Extreme blur and low resolution make the subject nearly unrecognizable.
- − Fails to show lifelike eyes, braided hair, or clear facial details.
- − Lacks the requested ornate engraving and clear jewelry/beads.
LongCat-Image
- + Excellent adherence to all prompt details including braids with beads, scars, and ornate engraving.
- + High technical quality with lifelike eyes and sharp textures on leather and chainmail.
- + Beautiful composition with warm lighting and bokeh sparks that frame the subject well.
- − The 'close portrait' instruction could have been interpreted as tighter on the face rather than a chest-up shot.
Verdict: LongCat-Image provides a near-perfect execution of the prompt, capturing every detail from the beaded braids to the intricate engravings on the armor with high clarity. In contrast, DALL-E 2 produced a messy, unrecognizable image with severe artifacts and almost no adherence to the specific facial or decorative requirements.
Modern Clean Menu
Text-to-Image“Modern minimalist restaurant menu design, white background with colorful food photos in grid, sections for appetizers/pizza/mains, bold sans-serif fonts, vibrant accents, clean professional layout for casual dining.”
DALL-E 2
LongCat-Image
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Strong minimalist aesthetic with bold sans-serif typography
- + High-contrast clean layout
- − Layout looks more like a magazine spread than a restaurant menu
- − Food photos are abstractly sliced and difficult to identify
- − Completely missed the categorizations for appetizers, pizza, and mains
LongCat-Image
- + Accurately followed the prompt's layout request including appetizers, pizza, and mains sections
- + Clear, recognizable food photos in an organized grid
- + Vibrant accents and professional casual dining feel
- − Text is nonsensical and includes AI artifacts
- − Typography is a bit cluttered compared to a true minimalist design
Verdict: LongCat-Image is the clear winner as it successfully interpreted the structural requirements of the prompt, including specific menu categories and a grid-based food layout. DALL-E 2 produced a stylized graphic design that resembles a book or magazine, failing to include the necessary sections and presenting the food in an unappetizing, fragmented way.
Magic Burger Explosion: Fiery Photorealism Challenge
Text-to-Image“Ad for 'Magic Burger'. Dynamic, exploded burger with all components (bun, patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato, sauce) suspended in mid-air. Emphasize photorealistic detail and a sense of motion. Dark, fiery background with glowing embers. Integrate text: 'MAGIC BURGER' as a prominent title, 'LIMITED TIME ONLY' as a secondary message, and '€6.99' in a starburst, all rendered with a fiery, glowing effect.”
DALL-E 2
LongCat-Image
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Captures the 'exploded' motion concept well with ingredients flying apart.
- + Conveys a strong sense of heat and fire through lighting and colors.
- − Text is extremely garbled and misspelled.
- − Low visual quality with smudged details and lack of photorealism.
- − Missing several required text elements like the price and starburst.
LongCat-Image
- + Excellent text rendering, accurately following all prompt requirements including the price and starburst.
- + High-fidelity, photorealistic food textures and sharp details.
- + Great use of glowing embers and fire to create a professional ad aesthetic.
- − Fails to fully execute the 'exploded' mid-air suspension, as the burger is mostly intact.
- − The composition is a bit static compared to the dynamic energy requested.
Verdict: LongCat-Image is the clear winner for its superior technical execution, delivering sharp photorealistic details and perfect text rendering that follows every prompt instruction. While DALL-E 2 attempted the 'exploded' composition more literally, its failure to generate legible text and its low-resolution, smudged appearance make it unsuitable for an advertisement.
Chalkboard Menu
Text-to-Image“Handwritten-style chalkboard menu in a cozy café, all text rendered in the exact same realistic chalk handwriting style with natural variations in letter size, slight slant, and chalk texture — no printed or digital fonts anywhere on the board. Title at the top in elegant cursive chalk handwriting: ‘TODAY’S SPECIALS – APRIL 30, 2026’. Below it, three menu items also in the same handwritten chalk style: ‘Truffle Mushroom Risotto – $24’, ‘Grilled Octopus with Lemon & Herbs – $28’, ‘Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies – $9’. At the very bottom, smaller text in the identical handwritten chalk style (slightly smaller but still clearly legible with the same handwriting characteristics): ‘All items made fresh daily • Ask about our gluten-free options’. Warm ambient café lighting, visible chalk dust and smudges, realistic handwriting imperfections, no clean printed text anywhere.”
DALL-E 2
LongCat-Image
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + The text has a convincing chalk-like texture with visible dust and pressure variation.
- − The text is complete gibberish and does not follow the specific prompt requirements.
- − The composition is a tight crop with no cafe environment context.
- − The handwriting style is messy and lacks the 'elegant cursive' requested for the title.
LongCat-Image
- + Successfully renders the specific date 'APRIL 30, 2026' and the requested prices.
- + Provides a high-quality, coherent background showing a cozy cafe environment.
- + Captures the requested handwriting style much better with legible characters.
- − Contains spelling errors in the menu items and title (e.g., 'Arlil' instead of April).
- − The text layout is slightly repetitive with the large price figures breaking the flow of a standard menu.
Verdict: DALL-E 2 completely failed the prompt, producing illegible chalk scribbles that did not include any of the requested text or environmental details. LongCat-Image followed the prompt much more successfully, providing a realistic cafe setting and mostly legible text that included the specific date and price points requested, despite some spelling inaccuracies.
The Reversed Rodeo
Text-to-Image“Horse riding astronaut in space — horse on top, not vice versa. Surreal, highly detailed, cinematic.”
DALL-E 2
LongCat-Image
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Successfully followed the specific spatial instruction for the horse to be on top of the astronaut
- + Achieved a more surreal and painterly aesthetic as requested
- + Composition feels balanced and cinematic with a moody color palette
- − Lower resolution and clarity compared to modern models
- − The horse's legs and the astronaut's body blend together in a confusing way
LongCat-Image
- + High visual clarity and sharp details in the space suit and horse's mane
- + Incredible texture rendering and vibrant colors
- + Detailed background with varied celestial objects and lunar modules
- − Failed the negative constraint; the astronaut is riding the horse, not vice versa
- − The horse has five legs, which is a significant anatomical error
Verdict: This comparison highlights the difference between instruction following and raw visual quality. DALL-E 2 successfully captured the surreal prompt requirement of the horse being on top, whereas LongCat-Image ignored the spatial instruction entirely and produced the standard 'astronaut riding a horse' trope despite severe anatomical glitches in the horse's legs.
The Capybara Taxi Driver
Text-to-Image“Photorealistic scene inside a yellow New York taxi at night. A capybara is driving, wearing a yellow taxi driver cap and a dark jacket. It has a calm, professional expression and both front paws on the steering wheel. In the back seat sits a human businesswoman in a coat, looking at her phone with a completely normal, bored expression (as if this is just another normal ride). Through the windows you can see the streets of Manhattan at night with blurred lights. Realistic taxi interior, photorealistic, detailed fur and fabric, 35mm lens, night lighting with reflections, shallow depth of field.”
DALL-E 2
LongCat-Image
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Attempts a close-up interior perspective.
- − Extreme anatomical distortions in the human face and hands.
- − The capybara is unrecognizable and appears as a yellow plastic-like blob.
- − Failed to follow the prompt regarding the character's bored expression and professional setting.
LongCat-Image
- + Excellent adherence to all prompt elements, including the capybara's outfit and calm expression.
- + High visual quality with realistic fur and taxi textures.
- + Captures the requested 'bored' expression of the passengers perfectly.
- − Generated two passengers instead of one.
- − The perspective is semi-exterior rather than strictly 'inside' the taxi.
Verdict: LongCat-Image provides a high-quality, professional-looking image that follows almost every detail of the prompt, including the specific capybara accessories and the intended mood. In contrast, DALL-E 2 produced a heavily distorted image with severe artifacts, failing to create a recognizable capybara or a coherent human figure.
The Halloween Invitation
Text-to-Image“Vintage gothic Halloween party invitation. Dark parchment poster, spooky border with webs and thorns, central glowing jack-o-lantern, bats, twisted trees, moody night sky. Add elegant gothic title text saying "Halloween Party Invitation", a small scroll banner saying "You are invited to a night of frights", and event details at the bottom: Date: 30.10.2026 Time: 7pm Location: The Arches, NYC Spooky but polished, cinematic lighting, square format.”
DALL-E 2
LongCat-Image
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Strong vintage aesthetic with a dark parchment feel.
- + Cohesive grunge/gothic atmosphere.
- − Text is illegible and contains multiple spelling errors or gibberish.
- − Failed to include several requested elements like the jack-o-lantern and specific event details.
- − Very low visual clarity and muddy resolution.
LongCat-Image
- + Excellent text rendering with near-perfect spelling and typography.
- + Strict adherence to the prompt, including the thorns, webs, jack-o-lantern, and bats.
- + Sharp, cinematic lighting and high visual quality.
- − Minor typo in the location ('The Armiees' instead of 'The Arches').
- − The composition feels slightly crowded with the large border elements.
Verdict: LongCat-Image significantly outperforms DALL-E 2 by providing legible text and including all specific elements requested in the prompt, such as the glowing jack-o-lantern and event details. DALL-E 2 produced a moody atmospheric piece but failed the core functional requirements of an invitation, resulting in nonsensical text and missing icons.
Isometric Miniature Diorama Scenes
Text-to-Image“Create a clear, 45° top-down isometric miniature 3D cartoon scene of Japan's signature dish: sushi, with soft refined textures, realistic PBR materials, gentle lighting, on a small raised diorama base with minimal garnish and plate. Solid light blue background. At top-center: 'JAPAN' in large bold text, 'SUSHI' below it, small flag icon. Perfectly centered, ultra-clean, high-clarity, square format.”
DALL-E 2
LongCat-Image
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Clean isometric perspective
- + Uniform lighting and background
- − Failed to include the word 'JAPAN'
- − Mispelled 'SUSHI' as 'Sush'
- − The subject matter is sparse and lacks recognizable textures or detail
LongCat-Image
- + Perfect adherence to all text requirements including 'JAPAN', 'SUSHI', and the flag icon
- + High-quality 3D miniature aesthetic with soft, refined textures
- + Excellent composition and color balance
- − The 'miniature' scale makes the plate look slightly soft in focus compared to the text
Verdict: LongCat-Image followed every instruction perfectly, including the complex text and iconography requirements, while maintaining a cohesive 3D cartoon art style. DALL-E 2 failed on the text rendering, misspelling words and omitting others, and produced a very simplistic scene that lacked the 'signature dish' appeal.
Adorable Baby Animals in Sunny Meadow
Text-to-Image“Hyper-photorealistic scene of fluffy baby animals—a golden retriever puppy, tabby kitten, baby bunny, and red fox kit—with big expressive eyes and ultra-detailed soft fur, playfully chasing butterflies and tumbling together in a lush wildflower meadow, warm golden sunrise light with god rays and dew sparkles, joyful wholesome vibe, 8K masterpiece.”
DALL-E 2
LongCat-Image
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Features a golden retriever puppy and kitten as requested
- + Attempts to show motion and interaction between subjects
- − Heavy AI artifacts and distorted anatomy on the kitten and butterflies
- − Lacks several requested animals including the fox kit
- − Poor overall image clarity and lighting quality compared to modern standards
LongCat-Image
- + Excellent lighting with clear god rays and dew sparkles as requested
- + High-fidelity textures for fur and flowers with a cohesive 8K aesthetic
- + Follows the prompt for multiple animals with clear, expressive eyes
- − Created a hybrid 'bunny-cat' with rabbit ears on a kitten face instead of two separate animals
- − The animals are posed more statically rather than 'tumbling together'
Verdict: LongCat-Image significantly outperforms DALL-E 2 in terms of visual quality, lighting, and detail, capturing the 'wholesome' and 'masterpiece' vibe requested. While LongCat-Image struggle with the distinct count of animals (accidentally merging the bunny and cat features), DALL-E 2 suffers from severe graphical glitches and fails to include much of the prompt criteria.
Vintage Cafe Logo
Text-to-Image“Vintage minimalist restaurant logo for "Caffè Florian", retro cloche dome with steam and "Est. 1720" banner, classic typography, warm brown and cream tones, subtle texture on light background, vector emblem style.”
DALL-E 2
LongCat-Image
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Successfully uses a warm brown and cream color palette.
- + Includes a minimalist cloche icon.
- − Text is complete gibberish and does not follow the requested name.
- − Lacks the requested banner and steam elements.
- − Vector elements are messy and poorly defined.
LongCat-Image
- + Excellent text rendering, correctly spelling 'Caffè Florian' and 'Est. 1720'.
- + Perfectly captures the retro cloche dome with steam and banner as requested.
- + High quality vector emblem style with a nice paper texture and sunburst effect.
- − Slightly repetitive with the word 'Caffè' appearing twice.
- − The layout is a bit crowded for a 'minimalist' request.
Verdict: LongCat-Image significantly outperforms DALL-E 2 by providing legible, accurate text and incorporating all requested design elements like the banner and steam. While DALL-E 2 captures a minimalist color palette, its failure to generate readable text or the specific structural elements requested makes it unusable for a logo task.
Apollo 11: Journey to Tranquility
Text-to-Image“Create a clean, modern vector infographic poster about the Apollo 11 mission. NASA-inspired palette (navy, white, muted red, light gray). Flat-vector style, crisp lines, consistent iconography, subtle gradients only. Steps (stop at landing): 1. Launch (Saturn Vicon) 2. Earth Orbit (Earth + orbit ring icon) 3. Translunar (trajectory arc icon) 4. Lunar Orbit (Moon + orbit ring icon) 5. Descent (lunar module descending icon) 6. Landing (lunar module on the surface icon) Small supporting elements (minimal text): • Crew strip: three silhouette icons with only last names: Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins. • Landing site marker: Moon pin labeled "Tranquility" only. Layout constraints: generous margins, large readable labels, clean background with subtle stars. Vector-only, print-poster look, high resolution.”
DALL-E 2
LongCat-Image
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Captures the technical, blueprint-style aesthetic often associated with NASA documentation.
- + Uses a cohesive color palette that feels professional and muted.
- − Text is nonsensical and includes a humorous but incorrect title ('ALLPOO').
- − Fails to follow the specific six-step layout requested in the prompt.
- − The composition is cluttered and lacks a clear narrative flow.
LongCat-Image
- + Successfully adopts the vector infographic style with clean borders and panels.
- + Appropriately uses iconography for the Earth, Moon, and spacecraft as requested.
- + Text is much closer to English, with legible numbers and some mission-relevant words.
- − The rocket icons look more like modern shuttles than the Saturn V specified.
- − Fails to include all six distinct steps from launch to landing in a chronological sequence.
- − The inclusion of two different American-style flags with varying star patterns is inconsistent.
Verdict: DALL-E 2 produces a chaotic, abstract technical diagram with significant text errors, failing to deliver a structured infographic. LongCat-Image follows the 'modern vector' style much more effectively and provides a clean, panel-based layout that matches the desired aesthetic, even if it misses the specific six-step sequence. LongCat-Image is the superior choice for its clarity, composition, and better adherence to the visual style requested.
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6B parameter image generation model excelling at rendering multilingual text directly in generated images