HiDream E1 HiDream AI Qwen Image Edit 2509 Alibaba

Settled by community votes across 4 shared challenges, with an AI judge weighing in on each.

HiDream E1

0.7 arena score

#33 of 32 in Image Editing

Skill signature · Image Editing

Qwen Image Edit 2509

7.8 arena score

#32 of 32 in Image Editing

Vote tally

Where the votes landed

HiDream E1

win rate

Ties

Qwen Image Edit 2509

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 Editing

Edit instruction

“Give the person a full, thick head of natural hair with realistic texture, density, and a natural hairline. Preserve facial features and lighting.”

HiDream E1

Qwen Image Edit 2509

AI Judge Analysis

HiDream E1

+ Successfully added a large volume of hair.
+ Maintained the general pose and color palette.

− Completely replaced the background with a different desert landscape.
− Distorted the skin texture of the face, making it appear splotchy and unnatural.
− Hair texture lacks fine realism and appears somewhat stylized or doughy.

Qwen Image Edit 2509

+ Excellently preserved the source image's background, clothing, and lighting.
+ Integrated the hair with a realistic hairline and natural-looking sideburn connections.
+ Maintained the original skin texture and facial features perfectly.

− The hair flow on top is slightly stylized with very deep ridges, though still within a realistic range.

Verdict: Qwen Image Edit 2509 is the clear winner as it performed a true edit, preserving every detail of the original image (background, skin texture, clothing) while seamlessly adding the hair. HiDream E1 essentially regenerated a new image that resembles the subject but changed the background and degraded the facial quality.

Over-the-top cartoon caricature

Editing

Edit 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

HiDream E1

Qwen Image Edit 2509

AI Judge Analysis

HiDream E1

+ Follows the 3D animation caricature style well with smooth rendering.
+ Successfully integrates the hockey rink and dog into the scene.
+ The facial structure retains a recognizable link to the source image though highly stylized.

− Distatant hockey players suffer from facial distortation and lack of detail.
− Anatomy issues are present in the hands and the dog's leg placement.

Qwen Image Edit 2509

+ Accurately captures the 'caricature' art style with bold lines and exaggerated features.
+ Strong preservation of the subject's denim shirt and selfie pose from the source.
+ Effectively combines all requested elements including the TV news desk, hockey rink, and dog.

− The text in the speech bubble and on the screen is nonsensical.
− The tiny scale of the dog makes it feel like an afterthought compared to the other elements.

Verdict: Qwen Image Edit 2509 is the preferred model because it better understands the prompt's request for a 'caricature' art style and preserves the specific clothing and pose of the source image. While HiDream E1 provides a clean 3D render, it feels less like a traditional caricature and has more noticeable anatomical artifacts.

Studio Ghibli Anime Style

Editing

Edit 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

HiDream E1

Qwen Image Edit 2509

AI Judge Analysis

HiDream E1

+ Successfully captures the requested pastel color palette
+ Maintains the basic composition of the original three figures

− Fails to preserve specific clothing details, changing the man's blue plaid shirt to a plain pink one
− The facial expressions are too simplified and lose the emotional nuance of the source image
− Art style leans more toward generic modern webtoon than Studio Ghibli

Qwen Image Edit 2509

+ Excellent preservation of details like the blue plaid shirt pattern and character clothing
+ Captures the Ghibli aesthetic much better with expressive facial features and soft textures
+ Perfectly recreates the specific 'distracted boyfriend' expressions in an illustrative style

− Minor loss of detail in the background characters compared to the foreground

Verdict: Qwen Image Edit 2509 is the clear winner as it successfully transforms the meme into a Studio Ghibli style while perfectly preserving the source details like the man's plaid shirt. HiDream E1 changes too many elements of the original photo, such as clothing colors and patterns, and produces a more generic cartoon style rather than the specific Ghibli look requested.

Golden Hour Stroll

Image Editing

Edit instruction

“Add dynamic motion to this photo: make hair blow in the wind, add leaves flying, energetic and lively feel.”

HiDream E1

Qwen Image Edit 2509

AI Judge Analysis

HiDream E1

+ Successfully added large, vibrant leaves
+ Included hair motion as requested

− Substantially altered the person's facial features
− Saturation is heavily pushed, making the image look less natural
− The added leaves are very large and lack realistic integration

Qwen Image Edit 2509

+ Excellent source preservation, keeping the person and dog identical to the original
+ Hair motion is well-rendered with a natural flow
+ Leaves are appropriately sized and distributed of realistic motion

− The wind effect on the hair is slightly wavy/stylized compared to real wind photorealism

Verdict: Qwen Image Edit 2509 is the clear winner because it successfully applied the requested edits while keeping the original subjects intact. HiDream E1 failed to preserve the source image's identity, significantly changing the woman's face and the overall color profile of the photo.