Black Forest Labs' flagship image generation model delivering state-of-the-art quality with exceptional realism, precision, and consistency for both text-to-image and advanced image editing
Settled by community votes across 4 shared challenges, with an AI judge weighing in on each.
FLUX.2 [max]
25.9
arena score
#10 of 62 in Text-to-Image
Skill signature
· Text-to-Image
HiDream E1
0.7
arena score
#33 of 32 in Image Editing
Vote tally
Where the votes landed
FLUX.2 [max]
0%
win rate
Ties
0%
HiDream E1
0%
win rate
Shared challenges
4
Challenge by challenge
The strongest take from each model on every shared challenge, with the AI judge's read.
Bald man challenge
Image EditingEdit instruction
“Give the person a full, thick head of natural hair with realistic texture, density, and a natural hairline. Preserve facial features and lighting.”
FLUX.2 [max]
HiDream E1
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [max]
- + Excellent preservation of the background, clothing, and facial features.
- + The hair texture and lighting match the source image perfectly.
- + Very natural-looking hairline integration.
- − The forehead height remains slightly high, creating a bit of a receding look rather than a strictly 'full' head of hair.
HiDream E1
- + Successfully added a very thick and full head of hair as requested.
- − Completely failed at source preservation, altering the background and skin texture significantly.
- − The hair has a synthetic, 'doll-like' texture that doesn't match the rugged aesthetic of the image.
- − The face has been heavily filtered/retouched, losing the original character's likeness.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [max] is the clear winner as it masterfully integrated the new hair while keeping the background, clothing, and facial identity identical to the source. HiDream E1 failed to preserve the source image, essentially regenerating a new image with a different background and heavy skin smoothing, which violated the core requirement of image editing.
Over-the-top cartoon caricature
EditingEdit instruction
“Create a caricature of me and my job. Make it exaggerated and humorous, incorporating my profession as a tv show anchor and my love for dogs and hockey.”
Source
FLUX.2 [max]
HiDream E1
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [max]
- + Successfully incorporates all prompt elements: tv anchor desk, hockey rink/sticks, and several dogs.
- + Maintains character recognition by keeping the subject's denim shirt and hair color.
- + Excellent illustrative style with high-quality details in the background scoreboards and studio equipment.
- − Text on the desk and scoreboards is slightly garbled but understandable in context.
HiDream E1
- + Strongly exaggerated caricature style with very expressive facial features.
- + Good source preservation in the hair shape and ear position.
- − Anatomical issues with the hands, including an extra thumb/finger structure holding the dog.
- − The hockey element is less integrated, appearing as blurry figures in the background rather than part of her professional setting.
- − Only includes one dog whereas the anchor desk element is missing.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [max] is the winner as it perfectly integrates all requested elements—the news anchor profession, the hockey setting, and the dogs—into a cohesive and polished scene while maintaining the subject's identity through her clothing. HiDream E1 achieves a more 'exaggerated' caricatured face but fails on technical details like hand anatomy and environmental integration.
Studio Ghibli Anime Style
EditingEdit instruction
“Transform this photo into a Studio Ghibli–inspired illustration. Use soft pastel colors, hand-painted textures, gentle lighting, dreamy backgrounds, and a warm, nostalgic mood”
Source
FLUX.2 [max]
HiDream E1
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [max]
- + Excellent adherence to the Studio Ghibli art style with authentic watercolor textures.
- + Maintains the complex facial expressions and poses of all three subjects perfectly.
- + Captures the dreamy, nostalgic lighting and soft pastel palette requested.
- − The man's right arm (lower left of his torso) looks slightly unfinished/blurry.
HiDream E1
- + Successfully adopts a general anime/illustration aesthetic.
- + Maintains the core composition of the original 'distracted boyfriend' meme.
- − The style is more generic 'webcomic' than the specific Studio Ghibli look requested.
- − The man's outfit and the woman's dress lost their original colors and patterns (plaid shirt turned pink/purple).
- − Facial expressions are simplified to the point of losing the humor and tension of the source image.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [max] significantly outperformed HiDream E1 by capturing the specific nuanced art style of Studio Ghibli, including hand-painted textures and character designs. While HiDream E1 created a generic illustration, FLUX.2 [max] preserved the detailed expressions and clothing of the original meme while perfectly translating them into the requested aesthetic.
Golden Hour Stroll
Image EditingEdit instruction
“Add dynamic motion to this photo: make hair blow in the wind, add leaves flying, energetic and lively feel.”
FLUX.2 [max]
HiDream E1
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [max]
- + Excellent source preservation, maintaining the original subject's face and clothing exactly.
- + Realistic hair physics that flow naturally with the implied wind direction.
- + Subtle leaf depth with motion blur that creates a genuine sense of movement.
- − The leaf colors are a bit muted compared to the vibrant original scene.
HiDream E1
- + Successfully adds the requested motion to the hair.
- + Bold, high-contrast leaves create a clear visual impact.
- − The model significantly altered the woman's face, losing the likeness of the source image.
- − The leaves look like flat clip-art pasted on top rather than being integrated into the 3D space.
- − The skin tones and lighting became overly saturated and lost the natural look of the original.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [max] is the clear winner as it successfully applied the dynamic motion effects while perfectly preserving the identity of the person and the quality of the original photo. HiDream E1 failed the fundamental task of source preservation by changing the woman's facial features and adding stylistically inconsistent, flat-looking leaves.
Next steps
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HiDream AI's image-to-image editing model for instruction-based image modifications and transformations