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
#35 of 62 in Text-to-Image
Recraft V4.1 Pro
#44 of 62 in Text-to-Image
Where the votes landed
Qwen Image Max
0%
win rate
Ties
0%
Recraft V4.1 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
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent depiction of the plant visible through the glass refracting correctly.
- + Superior lighting effects with soft window light and realistic shadows on the wooden table.
- + Clean, modern aesthetic with sharp glass edges.
- − The sphere appears to be floating mid-air within the cube rather than resting on the bottom.
- − The book has a slight pattern/design that wasn't requested.
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + The blue sphere realistically rests on the bottom of the glass cube.
- + Very high-quality texture on the red book cover and pages.
- + Good contrast and mood in the lighting.
- − The perspective on the book makes it look overly large compared to the cube.
- − The plant visibility through the glass is slightly less detailed and realistic than model_a.
Verdict: Qwen Image Max produced a more physically accurate rendering of glass refraction and lighting, creating a very clean and professional photograph. While Recraft V4.1 Pro handled the resting position of the sphere better, its composition feels slightly unbalanced due to the oversized book. Qwen Image Max is the winner for its better handling of the complex glass and plant interaction.
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
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent depiction of ornate engraving on the armor
- + Very expressive facial features and lifelike eye details
- + Perfect representation of multiple colorful beads in the braids
- − The bokeh sparks appear a bit flat and uniform
- − The skin texture is slightly over-sharpened
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Higher realism in skin texture and dirt application
- + Beautiful volumetric lighting effect from the torchlight
- + Very high photographic quality with naturalistic bokeh
- − Only two beads are visible in the braids
- − The plate armor engraving is a bit less intricate than Model A
Verdict: Both models followed the prompt exceptionally well, but Recraft V4.1 Pro edges ahead due to its superior photographic realism and natural lightning. Qwen Image Max excels in the specific decorative details like the armor engraving and the variety of beads, but the overall image feels slightly more digital compared to the lifelike quality of Recraft V4.1 Pro.
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
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent photorealistic texture on the meat and bun
- + Highly dynamic composition with integrated lighting
- + Clear and stylish typography that fits the fiery theme
- − The burger is not fully 'exploded' as several components are still resting on each other
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Strong adherence to the 'exploded' instruction with all layers clearly separated
- + Excellent starburst effect for the price point
- + The fiery texture within the text characters is very creative
- − The bun and lettuce textures look slightly less realistic than Model A
- − The compositional layout of the text feels a bit disjointed with elements pushed to the extreme corners
Verdict: Qwen Image Max produces a more appetizing and professionally polished advertisement with superior lighting and texture, although it struggles to fully separate the burger components. Recraft V4.1 Pro follows the 'exploded' prompt more literally and handles the specific starburst request very well, but the overall food photography quality is slightly lower than Qwen's output.
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
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent interior detail with realistic textures on the dashboard and ceiling.
- + Superior lighting and bokeh that captures the New York night atmosphere.
- + Capybara hands are more naturally integrated with the steering wheel.
- − The capybara's head is slightly oversized compared to the human in the back.
- − Minor artifacts in the ceiling upholstery.
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Features a more authentic taxi driver's flat-style cap as requested.
- + Good composition with the 'TAXI' sign visible on top.
- + Human passenger is clearly looking at her phone as requested.
- − The lighting is flatter and less cinematic than Model A.
- − The capybara's hands look slightly more like monkey hands/paws than capybara limbs.
- − Less depth and detail in the car's interior.
Verdict: Qwen Image Max wins due to its superior lighting, cinematic quality, and rich interior details which make the photorealistic prompt feel more immersive. While Recraft V4.1 Pro followed the specific hat style and car exterior better, it lacked the atmospheric realism and textural depth 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.”
AI Judge Analysis
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent typography with a cohesive gothic style
- + Strict adherence to the scroll banner and border requirements
- + Clear, legible presentation of all event details
- − The parchment look is a bit clean and lacks dark, aged texture
- − Illustrative style is slightly less cinematic than Model B
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Atmospheric cinematic lighting and high-quality textures
- + Creative integration of the jack-o-lantern on a tree stump
- + Impressive detail in the pumpkin carving and background mist
- − The scroll banner is plain and less 'vintage' in style
- − Top border is slightly cut off at the edges
- − Missed label prefixes like 'Date:' or 'Location:' which were requested
Verdict: Qwen Image Max followed the layout instructions more precisely, including all specific text labels and a stylized scroll banner that fits the vintage theme. While Recraft V4.1 Pro offered a more visually stunning and atmospheric image, it sacrificed some of the requested text formatting and the specific 'thorns and webs' border detail in favor of broader artistic flair.
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
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent text rendering with clean, sharp typography
- + High-quality textures and materials on the sushi components
- + Clean, professional-grade 3D diorama presentation
- − The 'diorama base' is a simple glass slab rather than a more integrated environment
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Creative diorama base using actual rice grains to frame the plate
- + Accurate 45-degree isometric projection
- + Good adherence to the requested solid light blue background
- − The sushi details are much simpler and smaller than Image A
- − The text/flag alignment is slightly off-center compared to the bowl
- − The textures feel less 'refined' or 'realistic' compared to Model A
Verdict: Qwen Image Max produces a significantly more polished and appetizing result with superior text rendering and material quality. While Recraft V4.1 Pro followed the layout instructions well and had a creative rice-filled base, the overall clarity and visual appeal of the sushi in Qwen Image Max make it the stronger 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
Qwen Image Max
- + Successfully includes the warm golden sunrise and god rays.
- + Vibrant and colorful composition with many flowers.
- + Highly detailed fur textures and expressive eyes.
- − Failed to include the 'baby bunny' requested in the prompt.
- − Contains two golden retriever puppies instead of the requested one.
- − Looks slightly more like a digital painting than a 'hyper-photorealistic' photograph.
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Perfectly captures all four requested animals: golden retriever, tabby kitten, bunny, and fox kit.
- + Incredible realism with convincing dew sparkles and lighting.
- + Dynamic composition that captures the 'tumbling' and 'chasing' aspect of the prompt.
- − The fox kit has a slightly awkward paw position as it jumps.
- − The god rays are a bit less pronounced than in Image A.
Verdict: Recraft V4.1 Pro is the clear winner as it followed every detail of the complex prompt, including all four specific animal types. While Qwen Image Max produced a beautiful image, it missed the bunny entirely and duplicated the puppy. Recraft V4.1 Pro also achieved a more convincing photorealistic look with better adherence to the action verbs in the prompt.
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
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent adherence to all prompt elements including the specific banner and cloche steam.
- + Strong vintage aesthetic with woodcut-style shading and a textured parchment background.
- + Perfect text rendering for both the brand name and the 'Est. 1720' tagline.
- − The shading on the top of the cloche is a bit heavy, leaning more towards a detailed illustration than a minimalist vector.
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + True minimalist vector style with clean lines and flat colors.
- + Correct spelling and elegant typography for the main restaurant name.
- − The 'Est. 1720' text is far too small and difficult to read.
- − The composition feels slightly disjointed with the cloche floating high above the text.
- − Lacks the subtle texture requested in the prompt, appearing very sterile.
Verdict: Qwen Image Max is the clear winner as it captured every specific detail of the prompt, including the banner and the textured background, while maintaining a cohesive vintage look. Recraft V4.1 Pro followed the minimalist instruction well but failed to make the 'Est. 1720' text legible and lacked the warmth and texture requested.
Explore each model
Recraft V4.1 Pro tier text-to-image model — supports up to 2048×2048 and ultra-wide formats for hero imagery, campaigns, and print-ready work