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
Seedream 4.5
26.1
arena score
#9 of 62 in Text-to-Image
Vote tally
Where the votes landed
Qwen Image Max
0.0%
win rate
Ties
0.0%
Seedream 4.5
100.0%
win rate
0.0%
0.0% ties
100.0%
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
Seedream 4.5
AI Judge Analysis
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent photographic realism and texture.
- + Complex reflections and refractions within the glass cube.
- + Coherent plant placement and lighting.
- − The sphere appears to be floating mid-air inside the cube without support.
- − The cube has an unusual open-frame aesthetic rather than being a solid glass volume.
Seedream 4.5
- + Perfect adherence to all spatial instructions.
- + Realistic placement of the sphere resting on the bottom of the cube.
- + Excellent light and shadow play across the different materials.
- − None notable.
Verdict: Both models followed the prompt perfectly, but Seedream 4.5 is the winner due to the more realistic physics of the sphere resting on the floor of the cube. Qwen Image Max produced a high-quality image, but the floating placement of the sphere felt less natural in a realistic setting.
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
Seedream 4.5
AI Judge Analysis
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent character expression and weathered facial detail.
- + Ornate engraving on the plate armor is highly intricate and well-defined.
- + Great implementation of the requested leather straps and worn cloth layers.
- − The torch in the background looks slightly flat and low-resolution compared to the subject.
- − The beads in the hair are a bit cluttered and vary significantly in style.
Seedream 4.5
- + Superior cinematic lighting and realistic skin texture with fine pores and hair.
- + Higher overall image clarity and better integration of bokeh sparks.
- + Sophisticated interpretation of the hair beads as metallic ornaments.
- − The 'battle-worn' aspects like dirt and scars are a bit too clean and aestheticized.
- − The armor engraving is slightly softer in focus compared to model A.
Verdict: Both models followed the prompt exceptionally well, but Seedream 4.5 captures a more cinematic, high-fidelity look with superior lighting and lifelike skin textures. Qwen Image Max offers a more rugged and characterful interpretation of a 'battle-worn' warrior with more distinct armor engravings, though its background elements are slightly weaker.
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
Seedream 4.5
0% wins
0% ties
100% wins
AI Judge Analysis
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent text rendering with clean, fiery effects.
- + High level of photographic detail on the patty and bun textures.
- + Strong sense of motion through dynamic placement of embers and sauce.
- − The 'exploded' effect is less pronounced, with ingredients mostly stacked.
- − The starburst element is simplified compared to Model B.
Seedream 4.5
- + Better 'exploded' composition with ingredients floating in clear layers.
- + Creative inclusion of a starburst shape for the price as requested.
- + Effective use of motion blur on peripheral ingredients.
- − Text is slightly less legible with some artifacts in the fiery glow.
- − The bottom bun appears somewhat cut off at the edge of the frame.
Verdict: Qwen Image Max delivers superior text clarity and high-resolution textures, making it a stronger commercial ad. Seedream 4.5 captures the 'exploded' motion concept better but falls slightly behind on text integration and overall cleanliness.
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
Seedream 4.5
AI Judge Analysis
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent texture on the capybara's fur and the jacket
- + Highly detailed interior with realistic taxi elements like the visor and dashboard
- + The woman's reaction perfectly captures the 'bored' requirement
- − The capybara's paws look more like primate hands which is biologically inaccurate
- − The angle makes it hard to see both of the passenger's hands on the phone
Seedream 4.5
- + Clever composition with a 'hood-mounted' camera view looking in
- + Accurately represents capybara paws on the steering wheel
- + Explicitly included 'TAXI' text on the hat for better context
- − The capybara has an extra arm/paw visible on the left side of the steering wheel
- − Overall lighting is a bit flat compared to the warmth of Model A
Verdict: Both models followed the prompt well, but they differed significantly in composition. Qwen Image Max chose a side-profile view with incredible textural detail, though it gave the capybara primate-like fingers. Seedream 4.5 opted for a front-on view that better displays the capybara's face and paws, but suffered from a major anatomical artifact with an extra limb appearing behind the steering wheel.
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
Seedream 4.5
AI Judge Analysis
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent typography with a cohesive gothic font for all text elements.
- + Fully adheres to the border request with elaborate thorns and spiderwebs framing the image.
- + Strong vintage parchment aesthetic that matches the requested theme perfectly.
- − The parchment texture is slightly repetitive in the corners.
Seedream 4.5
- + Features cinematic lighting with a realistic 3D depth to the jack-o-lantern.
- + Clean and legible text rendering for the event details.
- + Dynamic placement of the bats and twisted trees.
- − Failed to create a continuous border, showing only fragments of thorns and webs.
- − Lacks the specific 'dark parchment' texture requested, opting for a standard dark background.
Verdict: Qwen Image Max is the superior choice for this task as it followed the complex layout instructions, including a full thorny border and a vintage parchment style. While Seedream 4.5 has impressive lighting and character rendering, it ignored the border and parchment requirements, making it less effective as a 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.”
Qwen Image Max
Seedream 4.5
AI Judge Analysis
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent typography with clean drop shadows and integrated flag icon.
- + Higher level of detail and variety in the sushi types including nigiri and gunkan.
- + Beautiful glass-like transparent diorama base reflecting realistic PBR materials.
- − The diorama base is slightly cropped at the bottom edge.
Seedream 4.5
- + Strong isometric composition with a clear, elevated diorama block.
- + Accurate adherence to the soft refined textures and cartoon scene lighting.
- + Well-centered composition with ample negative space.
- − Text rendering is slightly less polished compared to Model A.
- − Fewer sushi pieces make the scene feel a bit sparse for a signature dish showcase.
Verdict: Qwen Image Max produced a more professional-looking graphic with superior text integration and more detailed sushi models that look appetizing and high-quality. While Seedream 4.5 captured the 'diorama' aesthetic well, its overall detail and typographic finish were not as refined as Qwen Image Max.
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
Seedream 4.5
AI Judge Analysis
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent depiction of multiple animals interacting and tumbling together
- + Includes a high density of colorful wildflowers and butterflies
- + Sharp focus on fur textures and facial details
- − Failed to include the baby bunny entirely
- − Included two golden retriever puppies instead of one
- − The interaction between the fox's paw and the puppy's head looks physically awkward
Seedream 4.5
- + Successfully included all four requested animals: puppy, kitten, bunny, and fox
- + Dynamic sense of motion with animals running and leaping
- + Beautiful use of dew sparkles and golden sunrise lighting
- − The fox kit has slightly exaggerated, less-realistic 'anime' eyes compared to the other animals
- − The kitten's front right paw is somewhat blurry and anatomically indistinct
Verdict: Seedream 4.5 is the clear winner as it successfully included all four requested animals, whereas Qwen Image Max completely missed the bunny and added an extra puppy. Seedream 4.5 also better captured the 'chasing' aspect of the prompt with a more dynamic and atmospheric composition featuring dew and god rays.
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
Seedream 4.5
AI Judge Analysis
Qwen Image Max
- + Excellent typography with correct accent usage
- + Rich, detailed illustration style with a vintage parchment texture
- + Strong composition with a balanced hierarchy of elements
- − The steam is a bit heavy, leaning more towards illustrative than minimalist
Seedream 4.5
- + Follows the minimalist prompt more closely with cleaner line work
- + Accurate text rendering for both name and date
- + Good use of the 'Est. 1720' banner as requested
- − The accent mark on 'Caffè' is backwards (grave vs acute)
- − The composition feels slightly disconnected with the arched text
Verdict: Qwen Image Max produced a more professional, polished logo with superior texture and correct punctuation. While Seedream 4.5 adhered well to the minimalist aspect of the prompt, the incorrect accent mark on the brand name and the simpler execution make it less successful as a finished design.
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ByteDance's latest image generation model unifying text-to-image and image editing in a single architecture, with improved text rendering and 30-40% faster generation than v4.0