Black Forest Labs' distilled 9 billion parameter image generation model with sub-second inference and multi-reference support
Settled by community votes across 13 shared challenges, with an AI judge weighing in on each.
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B
#13 of 32 in Image Editing
Recraft V4 Pro
#18 of 62 in Text-to-Image
Where the votes landed
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B
0%
win rate
Ties
0%
Recraft V4 Pro
0%
win rate
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B
- + Excellent depiction of the plant seen through the glass distortion
- + Very realistic glass reflections and soft lighting
- + Accurate cube geometry with rounded edges matching the photography style
- − The blue sphere appears to be floating rather than resting on the bottom
- − The glass object has a slightly thick, vase-like bottom rather than a perfect cube interior
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Perfectly geometric glass cube with sharp edges
- + Blue sphere is physically grounded on the base of the cube
- + Strong adherence to all textural elements, including the red book's linen-like cover
- − The plant is positioned next to the cube rather than behind it, missing the 'visible through glass' prompt detail
- − Lighting on the table is slightly less natural than Model A
Verdict: Both models followed the prompt well, but FLUX.2 [klein] 9B captured the subtle optical effect of the plant being seen through the glass much more effectively. While Recraft V4 Pro produced a sharper and more geometrically perfect cube, it failed to place the plant behind the glass as requested.
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B
- + Excellent anatomical detail in the hands and face
- + Superior depiction of the bicycle's mechanical parts
- + Effective bokeh and shallow depth of field
- − Lacks the requested motion blur on the passing car
- − The rain effect is very subtle compared to the prompt's request
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Stronger atmospheric lighting and reflections
- + Captures the sense of a rainy day and motion blur more effectively
- + Cinematic composition with good use of negative space
- − Anatomical errors in the hands and a strange floating posture
- − Low-quality rendering of the bicycle frame and hardware
- − The man's skin texture is a bit muddy and lacks the requested detail
Verdict: FLUX.2 [klein] 9B wins on technical execution, providing a sharp, anatomically correct image with impressive detail on the bicycle. While Recraft V4 Pro captures the 'mood' and atmospheric effects of the prompt (motion blur and rain) more accurately, it fails significantly on anatomical realism and mechanical detail.
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B
- + Excellent texture on leather straps and chainmail
- + Vibrant warm lighting transitions and bokeh
- + Extremely sharp facial details and lifelike eyes
- − The scars appear more like fresh cuts than healed battle scars
- − The hair beads are somewhat small and blend into the braids
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Atmospheric grit and more realistic dirt application
- + Ornate engravings are finely detailed and varied
- + Clearer adherence to the braided hair with beads requirement
- − Image is overall very dark, losing some facial clarity
- − Leather and cloth textures are less distinct than in Model A
- − The torchlight reflection is less prominent on the armor
Verdict: FLUX.2 [klein] 9B delivers a superior technical image with incredible sharpness and rich textures, particularly on the leather and armor, though it feels slightly more 'staged'. Recraft V4 Pro captures a more believable, grittier atmosphere with better adherence to hair details, but suffers from underexposure that hides the fine facial details requested. FLUX.2 is the winner for its clarity and mastery of the light and texture prompts.
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B
- + Features a bold, stylized header and vibrant accent lines
- + Maintains a high-quality photographic aesthetic for the food
- − Text is largely illegible gibberish
- − Food photos are repetitive, showing four pizzas under various category headings
- − Poor spatial organization with overlapping elements and floating images
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Exceptional text legibility with coherent menu items and descriptions
- + Excellent logical mapping between category names and relevant food photos
- + Clean, professional grid layout that adheres perfectly to the minimalist brief
- − The white background feels slightly stark without the 'vibrant accents' requested in the prompt beyond the orange subheaders
Verdict: Recraft V4 Pro significantly outperforms FLUX.2 [klein] 9B by generating a functional, legible menu with accurate food-to-heading mapping. While FLUX.2 [klein] 9B creates a more stylized header, its failure to generate readable text and its repetitive use of pizza images for every category makes it unusable for a design task.
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B
- + Excellent typography integration with high-quality glowing and fiery effects.
- + Strong food photography aesthetic with vibrant, appetizing colors.
- + Dynamic composition with effective use of sparks and motion lines.
- − The burger is tilted but not truly 'exploded' or separated as requested.
- − The sauce drops look slightly unnatural and plastic-like.
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Perfect adherence to the 'exploded' burger concept with clearly separated components.
- + Great photorealistic texture on the bun and individual ingredients.
- + Accurate starburst and fiery text rendering as requested.
- − The overall lighting is a bit darker and less 'commercial' than model A.
- − The starburst placement feels slightly cramped in the top right corner.
Verdict: Both models followed the complex prompt very well. FLUX.2 [klein] 9B created a much more commercially appealing and vibrant advertisement, but failed to actually separate the burger components into an exploded view. Recraft V4 Pro followed the layout instructions more literally, delivering a true exploded burger with high-quality details, though it lacks the polish of the first image's lighting.
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B
- + Excellent realistic chalk texture with smudges and natural variations.
- + Perfect adherence to the 'elegant cursive' requirement for the title.
- + Captures the requested 'handwritten-style' with varying slants and letter sizes.
- − Small typo in the footer text ('fress' instead of 'fresh').
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Provides a wider environmental context for the café setting.
- + All requested menu items and prices are present and correctly spelled.
- − Text looks like a digital font rather than authentic chalk handwriting.
- − The title lacks the requested 'elegant cursive' style.
- − The font is too uniform and lacks the grain and texture of real chalk.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [klein] 9B followed the stylistic instructions much more closely, delivering a convincing chalk-on-board texture and beautiful cursive handwriting as requested. Recraft V4 Pro failed the negative constraint regarding digital fonts, producing a look that appears overlayed and artificial rather than handwritten.
The Reversed Rodeo
Text-to-Image“Horse riding astronaut in space — horse on top, not vice versa. Surreal, highly detailed, cinematic.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B
- + Excellent anatomical rendering of the horse and astronaut suit.
- + Vibrant and busy cinematic composition with multiple celestial bodies.
- + Very high detail in the textures of the space suit and horse fur.
- − Completely failed the negative constraint to have the horse on top.
- − Included nonsensical AI-generated text at the bottom of the image.
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Atmospheric lighting and consistent color palette.
- + Dynamic sense of motion with the ice and rocks in the foreground.
- + High visual quality and cinematic lighting.
- − Completely failed the negative constraint to have the horse on top.
- − The astronaut's posture is slightly stiff compared to the horse.
Verdict: Both models completely failed to interpret the specific spatial instruction for the horse to be on top of the astronaut, instead defaulting to the common trope of an astronaut riding a horse. FLUX.2 [klein] 9B offers a more colorful and detailed space scene but is marred by gibberish text, while Recraft V4 Pro provides a more moody, unified cinematic aesthetic with better lighting.
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B
- + Excellent photorealistic texture on the capybara fur and jacket fabric
- + Accurate depiction of a capybara's front paws on the steering wheel
- + Strong character expression on the passenger, perfectly capturing the requested bored look
- − Passenger is sitting in the front seat instead of the back seat as requested
- − Text on the cap is slightly garbled ('NEW TALA')
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Successfully placed the passenger in the back seat as requested
- + Impressive atmospheric lighting with rain on the window and blurred city lights
- + Legible 'NYC' text on the cap driver's cap
- − The capybara's paws look more like fingers/claws and are anatomically weaker than Model A
- − Point of view from outside the car slightly departs from the 'inside a yellow New York taxi' instruction
Verdict: While FLUX.2 [klein] 9B provides superior textural realism and individual character detail, it fails the spatial requirement of putting the passenger in the back seat. Recraft V4 Pro follows the prompt's layout instructions much better and creates a more atmospheric, cinematically lit scene, despite slightly less realistic paw anatomy.
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B
- + Excellent typography style that matches the gothic theme
- + Superior layout with text integrated naturally into the composition
- + Rich, warm cinematic lighting that creates a unified atmosphere
- − The parchment texture is slightly less pronounced than the background elements
Recraft V4 Pro
- + High clarity in the jack-o-lantern and moon rendering
- + Crisp, modern text legibility
- − Failed to use a gothic font for the main title as requested
- − Composition feels disjointed with the jack-o-lantern floating above the text block
- − The banner is a simple line drawing that clashes with the photographic style
Verdict: FLUX.2 [klein] 9B followed the prompt much more effectively, specifically in capturing the 'gothic' and 'vintage' aesthetic through its choice of typography and warm, painterly art style. Recraft V4 Pro produced a more digital-looking image with standard sans-serif and serif fonts that failed to meet the 'elegant gothic title' requirement, resulting in a less cohesive invitation design.
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B
- + Excellent typography with clean, bold execution.
- + Perfect isometric 45° perspective on a well-modeled wooden base.
- + Consistent 3D cartoon aesthetic with soft, high-quality textures.
- − The flag icon is incorrect, resembling the flag of Yemen rather than Japan.
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Accurately depicts the Japanese flag as requested.
- + Realistic material textures on the sushi and roe.
- + Includes a variety of sushi types.
- − The 'diorama base' is made of salt or rice grains which looks messy and lacks a clean 'miniature' feel.
- − The text layout is slightly cramped with the flag at the top.
- − Lower contrast on the white text against the light background.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [klein] 9B followed the isometric miniature aesthetic more effectively and produced superior typography, though it failed significantly on the flag accuracy. Recraft V4 Pro correctly identified the flag and provided more realistic food textures, but the 'rice block' base was less visually appealing than the wooden platform in the first image.
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B
- + Extremely vibrant and saturated colors that enhance the 'wholesome' vibe
- + Beautiful use of god rays and lighting to create a magical atmosphere
- + Excellent fur texture and expressive, cute facial features
- − Missing the baby bunny requested in the prompt
- − Anatomical issues with the kitten's paws and body position
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Successfully includes all four requested animals, including the baby bunny
- + More realistic, less 'ai-illustrated' look compared to Model A
- + Excellent rendering of dew sparkles on the grass
- − The fox's proportions look slightly awkward in the background
- − The lighting is a bit more muted and less 'golden' than the prompt suggested
Verdict: While FLUX.2 [klein] 9B produces an aesthetically beautiful and vibrant image with superior lighting, it failed the prompt adherence by omitting the baby bunny. Recraft V4 Pro correctly included all four animals and better captured the 'tumbling' action while maintaining high photorealistic detail.
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B
- + Excellent typography with perfect character rendering and accent marks.
- + Clean vector emblem style that feels cohesive and professional.
- + Followed all elements of the prompt including color tones and layout.
- − The steam effect is a bit chunky and less sophisticated than the rest of the logo.
- − The banner cutting through the cloche feels slightly crowded.
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Sophisticated etched/sketched illustration style adds a premium vintage feel.
- + Excellent use of negative space with the steam rising from the bottom of the cloche.
- + Beautiful custom typography with elegant ligatures and swashes.
- − The 'Est. 1720' banner is very small and lacks visual weight compared to the main text.
- − The paper texture is extremely subtle, almost appearing as a flat white background.
Verdict: Both models performed exceptionally well, but FLUX.2 [klein] 9B is slightly more faithful to the 'vector emblem' request with a solid, balanced composition. Recraft V4 Pro offers a more artistic, high-end design with superior typography and a clever use of the cloche, but the historical banner is less prominent than requested.
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B
- + Strong visual hierarchy and attractive color palette.
- + Good interpretation of the 'flat-vector' style requested in the prompt.
- − Numerous spelling errors in almost every label (e.g., 'AOILLO', 'EARDHT', 'TRANSLURAL', 'LANDINING').
- − Flow of the timeline is confusing and non-linear.
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Perfect text rendering for all steps and descriptions.
- + Excellent adherence to the logical flow of the mission steps.
- + Strict adherence to the requested NASA-inspired color palette.
- − The 'Saturn V' icon is a bit overly simplified and slightly distorted at the base.
- − Composition has quite a bit of empty white space compared to a standard poster.
Verdict: Recraft V4 Pro is the clear winner as it successfully followed the complex multi-step instructions and rendered all text accurately, which is essential for an infographic. FLUX.2 [klein] 9B produced an aesthetically pleasing image but failed significantly on text legibility and the logical sequencing of the mission phases.
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