The Max series of Tongyi Qwen’s image generation model excels across a wide range of generation tasks. Compared with the Plus series, it significantly reduces the “AI-like” feel in generated images, enhancing their realism. It delivers more lifelike material textures for human subjects, finer and more detailed natural textures, and more visually appealing text rendering.
Settled by community votes across 8 shared challenges, with an AI judge weighing in on each.
Qwen Image Max
21.3
arena score
#35 of 62 in Text-to-Image
Skill signature
· Text-to-Image
Recraft V4.1
17.6
arena score
#53 of 62 in Text-to-Image
Vote tally
Where the votes landed
Qwen Image Max
0%
win rate
Ties
0%
Recraft V4.1
0%
win rate
Shared challenges
8
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.”
Qwen Image Max
Recraft V4.1
AI Judge Analysis
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent surface reflections consistent with glass physics
- + Highly realistic plant textures and soft window lighting
- + Clear representation of all prompt elements
- − The glass cube looks more like a hollow glass box than a solid or seamless cube
Recraft V4.1
- + Beautiful translucent material for the blue sphere with realistic light refraction
- + Elegant composition with a high-quality furniture surface
- + Strong adherence to the spatial requirements of the prompt
- − The plant is slightly less merged with the background lighting compared to Image A
Verdict: Both models followed the prompt perfectly, including the placement of the sphere, book, and plant. Qwen Image Max excels in realistic environmental reflections and soft lighting, whereas Recraft V4.1 produces a more aesthetically pleasing blue sphere with beautiful internal light refraction. Recraft V4.1 is the slight winner for its cleaner glass rendering and superior sphere 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.”
Qwen Image Max
Recraft V4.1
AI Judge Analysis
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent depiction of weathered texture on the skin and leather straps.
- + Captures the battle-worn aspect with high intensity and realistic grime.
- + Very intricate and detailed engraving on the plate armor.
- − The braids appear slightly disconnected from the scalp at the top.
- − Lighting on the face is a bit harsh compared to the atmospheric background.
Recraft V4.1
- + Very lifelike and expressive eyes that react well to the light source.
- + Superior hair integration with realistic braiding and bead placement.
- + Better sense of cinematic depth and natural torchlight glow.
- − The armor texture is slightly softer and less defined than in the other image.
- − Fewer details visible on the cloth underlayer compared to Model A.
Verdict: Both models followed the prompt exceptionally well, but Recraft V4.1 produces a more cohesive and cinematic portrait with more natural hair and lighting. Qwen Image Max excels in hyper-detailed textures, particularly on the armor and weathered skin, but feels slightly more like a digital painting than a film still.
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.”
Qwen Image Max
Recraft V4.1
AI Judge Analysis
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent composition with a strong sense of dynamic motion and high-quality photorealistic textures.
- + Superior integration of text and graphics, making it look like a professional finished advertisement.
- + Very high visual quality with impressive lighting, glowing embers, and steam details.
- − Failed to produce an 'exploded' burger, as most ingredients are still touching or stacked.
- − The patty seems disproportionately large compared to the other ingredients.
Recraft V4.1
- + Successfully followed the 'exploded' instruction with all components clearly suspended and separated.
- + Included all requested text elements, including a literal starburst for the price.
- + Good use of vertical space to show the hierarchy of the burger components.
- − The 'LIMITED TIME ONLY' text is slightly warped and not as clean as the title text.
- − Lower overall lighting quality compared to the competitor, with some textures looking flat.
- − The ketchup/sauce splash on the left looks a bit unnatural and messy.
Verdict: Qwen Image Max produced a much more visually stunning and professional-looking advertisement with superior lighting and texture, but it failed to follow the 'exploded' layout instruction. Recraft V4.1 followed the prompt's structural requirements much better by separating every ingredient in mid-air, though its overall aesthetic and text rendering are slightly less polished. Recraft V4.1 is the likely winner for better adherence to the specific 'exploded' creative direction.
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.”
Qwen Image Max
Recraft V4.1
AI Judge Analysis
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent fur texture and lighting on the capybara.
- + Highly detailed interior with realistic taxi dashboard and cracked ceiling details.
- + Superior composition that feels like a cinematic close-up.
- − The capybara's hands look more like monkey or human hands covered in fur rather than capybara paws.
- − The human passenger in the back looks a bit distorted and lacks clarity.
Recraft V4.1
- + Successfully shows the full capybara body including the asked-for jacket (though partially).
- + Captured the passenger's smartphone and bored expression more clearly than the competitor.
- + Perspective realistically shows both the taxi roof sign and the street lights.
- − The capybara is not wearing the requested jacket as clearly as Model A.
- − The textures are slightly softer and less 'photorealistic' compared to Model A.
- − The steering wheel scale looks a bit small relative to the capybara.
Verdict: Qwen Image Max is the winner due to its superior lighting, cinematic detail, and the high-quality rendering of the capybara's face, despite the slightly weird hand rendering. While Recraft V4.1 followed the compositional requirements well, it lacked the professional, atmospheric finish and sharp detail found in the Qwen output.
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.”
Qwen Image Max
Recraft V4.1
AI Judge Analysis
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent text legibility and layout for the event details.
- + Features a well-defined thorn and web border that frames the composition perfectly.
- + High visual polish with clear, sharp details in the scroll and typography.
- − The parchment looks a bit clean and digital rather than authentically vintage.
- − The jack-o-lantern has a somewhat generic, clip-art style compared to the background.
Recraft V4.1
- + Captures a much grittier, moodier vintage gothic aesthetic with dark parchment textures.
- + Cinematic internal glow in the pumpkin provides superior lighting effects.
- + The gothic title font is highly stylized and fits the requested theme perfectly.
- − The text on the small scroll banner is slightly blurry and less readable.
- − The layout of the event details at the bottom is less organized than Model A.
Verdict: Qwen Image Max produced a more functional invitation with superior text clarity and a better-defined border, making it ready for actual use. Recraft V4.1 excelled in atmosphere and artistic style, offering a more 'cinematic' and authentic gothic feel, though it suffered slightly in the legibility of the smaller text elements. Qwen Image Max is the winner for its balanced composition and professional layout.
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.”
Qwen Image Max
Recraft V4.1
AI Judge Analysis
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent 3D material rendering with realistic subsurface scattering on the fish.
- + Crisp, bold typography that follows the hierarchy requested.
- + Well-executed glass/plastic diorama base matching the isometric perspective.
- − The placement of the flag icon is slightly crowded relative to the text.
Recraft V4.1
- + Clean, minimalist composition with realistic textures on the wooden base.
- + Includes additional thematic elements like chopsticks that fit the scene well.
- + Very accurate 45° isometric angle and lighting.
- − The text is thinner and less 'bold' than requested.
- − The 'SUSHI' text is quite small and lacks the impact of the prompt's description.
Verdict: Qwen Image Max produced a more vibrant and visually impactful image with superior 3D material work and bold, well-placed text. While Recraft V4.1 captured a more traditional aesthetic with its wooden diorama base, its typography was weaker and did not fully capture the 'large bold text' requirement of the prompt.
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.”
Qwen Image Max
Recraft V4.1
AI Judge Analysis
Qwen Image Max
- + Features a very vibrant and lush wildflower meadow with high color saturation
- + Good distribution of multiple butterflies throughout the scene
- + High detail in the fox and puppy fur textures
- − Failed to include the baby bunny entirely
- − Includes two golden retriever puppies instead of the requested variety
- − The composition feels a bit cramped and less natural
Recraft V4.1
- + Successfully included all four requested animals (puppy, kitten, bunny, fox)
- + Excellent lighting with visible god rays and dew sparkles as requested
- + Far more photorealistic and naturalistic rendering compared to the illustrative style of A
- − The bunny is partially obscured by the fox and effects
- − The puppy's open mouth has some slight anatomical glitches in the teeth and tongue
Verdict: Recraft V4.1 is the clear winner as it followed the complex prompt requirements by including all four specific animals, whereas Qwen Image Max missed the bunny and duplicated the puppy. Additionally, Recraft V4.1 achieved a much higher level of photorealism and captured the requested atmospheric 'god rays' and 'dew sparkles' more effectively.
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.”
Qwen Image Max
Recraft V4.1
AI Judge Analysis
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent typography and alignment.
- + High-quality vector illustration style with clean cross-hatching.
- + Perfect adherence to all prompt elements including the banner and steam.
- − The textured background is a bit heavy on faux-aging stains.
Recraft V4.1
- + Clean, high-end minimalist font choice.
- + Accurate text rendering of all requested words.
- − The cloche icon is disproportionately small compared to the text.
- − Missing the 'subtle texture' requested in the prompt.
- − The 'Est. 1720' banner is visually weak compared to the main text.
Verdict: Qwen Image Max produced a much more cohesive professional logo with balanced proportions and beautiful vector-style illustration details. Recraft V4.1 followed the instructions for text, but the composition is poorly balanced, making the cloche icon feel like an afterthought.
Next steps
Explore each model
Recraft's V4.1 standard tier text-to-image model — refines V4's photorealism with more natural lighting, softer gradients, and sharper illustration styles for everyday creative work