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
Settled by community votes across 13 shared challenges, with an AI judge weighing in on each.
Recraft V4.1 Pro
19.9
arena score
#41 of 62 in Text-to-Image
Skill signature
· Text-to-Image
Vidu Q2
19.8
arena score
#42 of 62 in Text-to-Image
Vote tally
Where the votes landed
Recraft V4.1 Pro
0%
win rate
Ties
0%
Vidu Q2
0%
win rate
Shared challenges
13
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.”
Recraft V4.1 Pro
Vidu Q2
AI Judge Analysis
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Excellent photorealistic texture on the book and sphere
- + Strong adherence to the 'soft window light' lighting request
- + Impressive refraction and reflection details within the glass cube
- − The glass cube is missing its top panel, making the book appear to hover slightly or rest on the edges
Vidu Q2
- + Correctly depicts a fully enclosed glass cube with a top surface for the book
- + Vibrant colors and high clarity in the composition
- + Accurately represents the spatial arrangement of all components
- − The shadows from the window light are a bit harsh/striped, contrary to the 'soft' lighting request
- − The blue sphere has a slightly plastic, matte look compared to the glass-like quality in Model A
Verdict: Both models followed the complex spatial prompt perfectly. Recraft V4.1 Pro produced a more cinematic and realistic image with beautiful soft lighting, but failed to render the top face of the glass cube. Vidu Q2 is the more logically consistent image as it correctly shows the book resting on a solid glass top, despite the slightly less realistic lighting.
Candid Street Photography
Text-to-Image“A candid street photo of an elderly Japanese man repairing a red bicycle in light rain, reflections on wet pavement, shallow depth of field, 50mm lens, natural skin texture, imperfect framing, motion blur from passing cars, cinematic but realistic, no stylization.”
Recraft V4.1 Pro
Vidu Q2
AI Judge Analysis
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Excellent depiction of motion blur with the passing car.
- + Authentic film-like texture and imperfect framing that suits the candid request.
- + Realistic rain aesthetic without over-sharpening.
- − The man's hand is poorly defined and blends into the tire.
- − The bicycle's structure is a bit simplified compared to the realism of the background.
Vidu Q2
- + Hyper-realistic skin textures and detailed hand anatomy.
- + Excellent reflections on the wet pavement.
- + High level of mechanical detail on the bicycle frame and chain.
- − Missing the requested motion blur from passing cars.
- − Poor framing choice with the man's head cut off at the top edge.
- − Non-candid feel due to the extreme close-up and lack of street context.
Verdict: Recraft V4.1 Pro followed the atmospheric instructions much better, successfully capturing the motion blur, light rain, and imperfect framing that defines a candid street photo. Although Vidu Q2 has superior texture detail on the subject's skin and the bicycle, it failed to include the requested motion blur and had a distracting composition that cut off the subject's head.
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.”
Recraft V4.1 Pro
Vidu Q2
AI Judge Analysis
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Expertly captures the 'battle-worn' aesthetic with realistic dirt and skin texture.
- + Superior lighting effects with warm torchlight reflections and beautiful hexagonal bokeh.
- + Very high detail on the ornate armor engravings and the beads in the hair.
- − The focal depth is extremely shallow, causing some blurring on the character's forehead.
- − The character's eyes, while lifelike, have a slightly hazy quality compared to the sharp armor.
Vidu Q2
- + Excellent rendering of the leather straps and the textured cloth underlayer.
- + Good character composition showing more of the anatomical structure and armor pieces.
- + Clean, sharp facial features and well-defined hair braids.
- − The character appears too clean and 'model-like' for a battle-worn description.
- − The light reflections on the armor look a bit more synthetic and less like natural torchlight.
- − The bokeh sparks in the background are less atmospheric than those in the other model.
Verdict: Recraft V4.1 Pro is the clear winner as it perfectly captures the atmosphere and grit requested in the prompt, particularly the 'battle-worn' texture and warm torchlight. Vidu Q2 produced a high-quality fantasy image, but the character looks too pristine and the lighting feels less integrated into the environment.
Modern Clean Menu
Text-to-Image“Modern minimalist restaurant menu design, white background with colorful food photos in grid, sections for appetizers/pizza/mains, bold sans-serif fonts, vibrant accents, clean professional layout for casual dining.”
Recraft V4.1 Pro
Vidu Q2
AI Judge Analysis
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Excellent text rendering with no spelling errors or gibberish
- + Clean and professional layout that follows the design principles of a real menu
- + High-quality, realistic food photography that fits the grid description
- − The 'Pizza' section only contains one item, leading to empty space
- − The grid of images is somewhat sparse
Vidu Q2
- + Includes more food photos to fill the grid layout
- + Colorful and vibrant aesthetic
- − Text is entirely gibberish and unreadable
- − Layout is cluttered and lacks the professional minimalism requested
- − The categorization is chaotic with multiple 'Appetizer' and 'Pizza' headers scattered
Verdict: Recraft V4.1 Pro produced a highly usable and professional menu design with perfectly legible text and a sophisticated minimalist aesthetic. In contrast, Vidu Q2 failed significantly on the technical side, producing garbled text and a disorganized layout that did not meet the professional standard of the prompt. Recraft V4.1 Pro is the clear winner for its coherence and adherence to graphic design principles.
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.”
Recraft V4.1 Pro
Vidu Q2
AI Judge Analysis
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Excellent photorealistic texture on the meat patty and fresh vegetables.
- + Flawless rendering of specific text strings with a unique fiery texture.
- + Dynamic composition with a graceful, circular motion and clean starburst integration.
- − The dark background is slightly less 'fiery' compared to the second version, feeling more like smoke and embers.
Vidu Q2
- + High energy background with intense, vibrant fire and glowing effects.
- + Good adherence to the starburst and primary text requirements.
- − Failed to render the currency symbol correctly, using a strange double-crossed 'H' instead of the Euro sign.
- − The burger components are less 'exploded' and more slightly detached, lacking the dynamic separation of the first image.
- − The secondary message uses a flatter, less integrated font style.
Verdict: Recraft V4.1 Pro is the clear winner due to its superior text accuracy, specifically correctly rendering the Euro symbol and creating a more elegant 'exploded' composition. While Vidu Q2 offers a more intense fiery background, it fails on key technical details like the currency symbol and the fine photorealistic textures found in the components of the Recraft image.
Chalkboard Menu
Text-to-Image“Handwritten-style chalkboard menu in a cozy café, all text rendered in the exact same realistic chalk handwriting style with natural variations in letter size, slight slant, and chalk texture — no printed or digital fonts anywhere on the board. Title at the top in elegant cursive chalk handwriting: ‘TODAY’S SPECIALS – APRIL 30, 2026’. Below it, three menu items also in the same handwritten chalk style: ‘Truffle Mushroom Risotto – $24’, ‘Grilled Octopus with Lemon & Herbs – $28’, ‘Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies – $9’. At the very bottom, smaller text in the identical handwritten chalk style (slightly smaller but still clearly legible with the same handwriting characteristics): ‘All items made fresh daily • Ask about our gluten-free options’. Warm ambient café lighting, visible chalk dust and smudges, realistic handwriting imperfections, no clean printed text anywhere.”
Recraft V4.1 Pro
Vidu Q2
AI Judge Analysis
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Excellent text accuracy with no spelling errors.
- + Consistent and very realistic chalk textures and stroke variations.
- + Perfect adherence to spacing and menu formatting.
- − The '2026' text is slightly less elegant than the cursive request for the title.
- − The final line of the board adds text not specifically requested in the prompt.
Vidu Q2
- + Beautiful cursive style for the title text.
- + Strong chalk texture and realistic dusty chalkboard background.
- − Numerous spelling errors including 'Lemepun', 'Musshoom', and 'Chotoouitley'.
- − Incoherent garbled text at the bottom of the board.
- − Failed to match the requested prices for the first item.
Verdict: Recraft V4.1 Pro followed the prompt almost perfectly, delivering legible, correctly spelled text with highly realistic chalk rendering. In contrast, Vidu Q2 struggled significantly with text coherence, producing numerous typos and illegible sentences despite having a visually pleasing cursive style.
The Reversed Rodeo
Text-to-Image“Horse riding astronaut in space — horse on top, not vice versa. Surreal, highly detailed, cinematic.”
Recraft V4.1 Pro
Vidu Q2
AI Judge Analysis
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Excellent photorealistic texture and lighting
- + Highly detailed rendering of both the astronaut suit and horse hair
- + Cinematic composition with realistic planetary depth
- − Failed the paradoxical logic of 'horse on top' of the astronaut
- − Astronaut's face is completely obscured by darkness in the visor
Vidu Q2
- + Creative use of nebulae textures on the horse's body
- + Vibrant and fantastical color palette fitting the 'surreal' tag
- + Clearer visibility of the astronaut's face
- − Failed the primary prompt instruction of 'horse on top, not vice versa'
- − Anatomy of the horse's front legs is slightly distorted
Verdict: Both models failed the logical constraint to place the horse on top of the astronaut, instead defaulting to the common trope of an astronaut riding a horse. Recraft V4.1 Pro produces a much more cinematic and high-fidelity image with professional lighting, while Vidu Q2 offers a more colorful but less detailed interpretation.
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.”
Recraft V4.1 Pro
Vidu Q2
AI Judge Analysis
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Excellent photorealistic texture on the capybara's fur
- + Cinematic lighting with realistic bokeh and shadows
- + Highly accurate capture of the requested 'bored' expression for the passenger
- − The capybara's anatomy where the paws meet the steering wheel is a bit muddled or obscured
Vidu Q2
- + Clearer view of both paws on the steering wheel as requested
- + More professional looking taxi driver cap with a badge
- + Good interior lighting that highlights the whole scene
- − The passenger's expression looks slightly sad or worried rather than bored
- − The lighting feels a bit more like a render than a photograph compared to Model A
- − Perspective distortion on the car's frame and rear seat
Verdict: Recraft V4.1 Pro produces a more believable and atmospheric photograph with superior texture and lighting. While Vidu Q2 follows the literal instruction of the paws more clearly, it lacks the cinematic realism and the specific 'bored' emotional nuance of the passenger that Recraft V4.1 Pro mastered.
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.”
Recraft V4.1 Pro
Vidu Q2
AI Judge Analysis
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Perfect text rendering for all requested phrases including the banner and event details.
- + Excellent gothic aesthetic with high-quality cinematic lighting.
- + Impressive composition that perfectly balances the border, jack-o-lantern, and text.
- − The parchment texture is less 'weathered' than Model B, appearing more like a dark overlay.
Vidu Q2
- + Captures the 'weathered parchment' look very well with torn edges and texture.
- + Good inclusion of thorns and webs in the border as requested.
- − Significant spelling errors in every piece of text ('Intovztion', 'invieed', 'fiigts').
- − Failed to render the date correctly, showing '30.70.2025' instead of '30.10.2026'.
- − The jack-o-lantern looks like a flat clip-art asset compared to the background.
Verdict: Recraft V4.1 Pro is the clear winner as it successfully rendered all text elements with perfect spelling and high-quality typography. While Vidu Q2 captured a more literal parchment texture, it failed significantly on prompt adherence regarding specific text, dates, and artistic coherence.
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.”
Recraft V4.1 Pro
Vidu Q2
AI Judge Analysis
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Excellent typography with professional graphic design spacing and a clean icon.
- + Highly realistic PBR textures on the fish and rice grains within the diorama.
- + Perfectly executed soft, gentle lighting that creates a high-end 3D render feel.
- − The text is slightly off-center towards the right rather than perfectly top-center.
- − The rice base for the diorama is a bit literal compared to the requested 'raised base'.
Vidu Q2
- + Accurately centered text and icons as requested in the layout.
- + Bright, vibrant 'cartoon scene' colors that make the image pop.
- + Clear miniature 3D aesthetic with a well-defined wooden raised base.
- − Text rendering is slightly wobbly and lacks the refined polish of professional typography.
- − The 45-degree isometric angle is less strict than in the competing image.
- − The texture on the sushi looks a bit more plastic and less 'realistic PBR' than requested.
Verdict: Recraft V4.1 Pro is the winner due to its superior render quality and professional-grade typography. While Vidu Q2 followed the centering instructions slightly better, Recraft V4.1 Pro delivered vastly more realistic PBR textures and a cleaner, more elegant aesthetic that matches the 'refined' and 'high-clarity' requirements 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.”
Recraft V4.1 Pro
Vidu Q2
AI Judge Analysis
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Outstanding photorealistic texture on the fur of each animal.
- + Highly dynamic composition with animals interacting in a natural, playful way.
- + Excellent lighting effects with clear god rays and realistic dew sparkles on the foliage.
- − The fox's anatomy is slightly merged with the background lighting/particles in its upper body.
- − The background mountains have a softer focus that almost looks like a separate layer.
Vidu Q2
- + Includes a large number of colorful butterflies as requested.
- + Bright, cheerful color palette that captures the 'joyful wholesome vibe' well.
- + Successfully includes all requested animals clearly in the frame.
- − Failed the species requirement by including two golden retriever puppies instead of one.
- − The rendering is more illustrative/AI-standard than 'hyper-photorealistic'.
- − Anatomical issues such as the kitten's missing front limb and the rabbit having a dog-like tail.
Verdict: Recraft V4.1 Pro produces a superior image with incredible photorealistic detail and sophisticated lighting that feels like a professional photograph. Vidu Q2 struggles with prompt counts (double puppies) and contains several anatomical glitches, resulting in a more generic AI-generated aesthetic compared to the masterpiece quality of Recraft V4.1 Pro.
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.”
Recraft V4.1 Pro
Vidu Q2
AI Judge Analysis
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Excellent typography with perfect spelling of 'Caffè Florian'
- + Clean and professional vector emblem style with sharp edges
- + Accurate representation of a minimal cloche dome and steam
- − The 'Est. 1720' text is quite small and slightly cramped within the banner element
Vidu Q2
- + Successfully incorporates the requested warm brown and cream tones with subtle background texture
- + Good illustrative style for the cloche and steam elements
- − Significant spelling errors throughout including 'Caffe Farmiin' and 'Fopli20'
- − Confused and repetitive layout with multiple banners and text blocks
- − Poor text rendering on the 'Esttt' and final lines
Verdict: Recraft V4.1 Pro is the clear winner as it produces a professional, usable logo with perfect spelling and a clean vector aesthetic. Vidu Q2 fails on basic prompt adherence regarding text accuracy and has a cluttered composition that does not meet the minimalist requirement.
Apollo 11: Journey to Tranquility
Text-to-Image“Create a clean, modern vector infographic poster about the Apollo 11 mission. NASA-inspired palette (navy, white, muted red, light gray). Flat-vector style, crisp lines, consistent iconography, subtle gradients only. Steps (stop at landing): 1. Launch (Saturn Vicon) 2. Earth Orbit (Earth + orbit ring icon) 3. Translunar (trajectory arc icon) 4. Lunar Orbit (Moon + orbit ring icon) 5. Descent (lunar module descending icon) 6. Landing (lunar module on the surface icon) Small supporting elements (minimal text): • Crew strip: three silhouette icons with only last names: Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins. • Landing site marker: Moon pin labeled "Tranquility" only. Layout constraints: generous margins, large readable labels, clean background with subtle stars. Vector-only, print-poster look, high resolution.”
Recraft V4.1 Pro
Vidu Q2
AI Judge Analysis
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Excellent typography with nearly perfect spelling of names and mission phases.
- + Clean and professional vector aesthetics that perfectly match the requested NASA palette.
- + Clear, logical flow of information following the requested steps.
- − Step 5 is numbered twice, replacing step 6.
- − Interpreted 'Saturn V' as 'Saturn Vicon' literally from the prompt's formatting.
Vidu Q2
- + Features more detailed 3D-shaded vector icons.
- + Includes a five-man crew illustration, though factually incorrect for Apollo 11.
- − Extremely poor text rendering with nonsensical words like 'ALFONCH' and 'Eranth Ohatr'.
- − Fails to follow the requested 1-6 step sequence accurately.
- − Visual style is cluttered and lacks the professional 'modern infographic' feel requested.
Verdict: Recraft V4.1 Pro is the clear winner as it produces a professional, legible infographic that strictly adheres to the requested color palette and vector style. While it has a minor numbering error, Vidu Q2 fails significantly on text legibility and logical layout, rendering the infographic unusable.
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