OpenAI's legacy image generation model supporting generations, edits with masks (inpainting), and variations
Settled by community votes across 11 shared challenges, with an AI judge weighing in on each.
DALL-E 2
17.7
arena score
#37 of 44 in Text-to-Image
Skill signature
Not enough comparable category data
The chart appears once both models have ratings across at least three shared arena categories.
Grok Imagine Image Pro
24.8
arena score
#14 of 44 in Text-to-Image
Vote tally
Where the votes landed
DALL-E 2
0.0%
win rate
Ties
0.0%
Grok Imagine Image Pro
100.0%
win rate
0.0%
0.0% ties
100.0%
Shared challenges
11
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.”
DALL-E 2
Grok Imagine Image Pro
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Features a wooden table base.
- + Incorporates soft lighting.
- − Failed almost all spatial instructions, placing the cube on the book instead of vice versa.
- − The cube is solid blue rather than containing a blue sphere.
- − The plant is in front of/next to the object rather than behind it.
- − Low resolution and blurry details.
Grok Imagine Image Pro
- + Perfect adherence to complex spatial instructions.
- + High-quality photographic realism with sharp textures on wood and paper.
- + Accurate rendering of light, reflections, and transparency.
- − The sphere appears slightly cut off by the bottom glass pane's reflection.
Verdict: Grok Imagine Image Pro correctly interpreted every part of the prompt, including the specific spatial relationships between the cube, sphere, book, and plant. DALL-E 2 failed significantly, reversing the positions of the cube and book and failing to render the blue sphere inside the cube. Grok's output is also much higher in visual quality and resolution.
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.”
DALL-E 2
Grok Imagine Image Pro
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Successfully captures a red bicycle and wet pavement reflections.
- + Follows the 'imperfect framing' prompt with a low, skewed perspective.
- − Extreme blur obscures all fine detail, including skin texture and facial features.
- − The main subject is completely out of focus, failing the realism and portrait-style intent of the prompt.
- − Low resolution and painterly artifacts.
Grok Imagine Image Pro
- + Excellent adherence to all technical requirements including 50mm feel, shallow depth of field, and motion blur on cars.
- + High-quality skin texture and realistic, detailed rendering of the bike and tools.
- + Strong composition with clear reflections on the wet pavement.
- − The framing is quite perfect and centered, slightly missing the 'imperfect framing' stylistic request.
- − The wrench being used shows minor structural inconsistencies upon close inspection.
Verdict: Grok Imagine Image Pro produced a high-fidelity, cinematic image that adhered to almost every descriptive prompt including the camera lens characteristics and rain effects. In contrast, DALL-E 2 produced a low-quality, blurry output where the subject is out of focus, failing to deliver the requested natural skin textures or realistic details.
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.”
DALL-E 2
Grok Imagine Image Pro
0% wins
0% ties
100% wins
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Attempts the requested warm bokeh and depth of field.
- − Lacks coherent structure and looks like a distorted clay model.
- − Fails to render basic features like eyes, braids, or recognizable armor.
- − Low resolution with significant digital artifacts.
Grok Imagine Image Pro
- + Perfectly adheres to all prompts including braids with beads, scars, and ornate engraving.
- + High-quality texture on leather, metal, and skin.
- + Excellent face rendering with lifelike eyes and appropriate battle-worn expression.
- − The text 'Lux in tenebris' is slightly uneven across the gorget.
Verdict: Grok Imagine Image Pro produced a highly detailed and professional-grade portrait that followed every specific instruction, including the minute details of the braided hair and armor texture. In contrast, DALL-E 2 produced a failed, incoherent image that lacks basic human anatomy and clarity. Grok Imagine Image Pro is the clear winner for its superior composition, clarity, and prompt adherence.
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.”
DALL-E 2
Grok Imagine Image Pro
0% wins
0% ties
100% wins
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Successfully uses a clean white background.
- + Includes pops of vibrant color as requested.
- − Very low resolution and blurry texture.
- − Garbled, unreadable text that does not follow the requested sections.
- − Lacks a logical menu grid layout.
Grok Imagine Image Pro
- + Excellent adherence to sections (Appetizers, Pizza, Mains) with organized grid layout.
- + High-quality, realistic food photography.
- + Legible bold sans-serif fonts and clear alignment.
- − Minor text errors and repetitions (e.g., Pizza descriptions repeating across different items).
- − A few slight spelling errors in item names like 'Pepperani' and 'Avucado'.
Verdict: Grok Imagine Image Pro is the clear winner as it produced a usable, professional-grade menu design with distinct categories and high-resolution food images. DALL-E 2 produced a very low-quality, abstract image with garbled text that failed to meet the functional requirements of the prompt.
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.”
DALL-E 2
Grok Imagine Image Pro
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Captures the messy texture of real chalk.
- − Text is completely illegible and gibberish.
- − Low resolution and grainy image quality.
- − Fails to follow any specific text instructions from the prompt.
Grok Imagine Image Pro
- + Perfect text rendering with 100% accuracy to the requested phrases.
- + Highly realistic chalk texture with smudges and natural variations.
- + Clear, high-resolution image with excellent composition.
- − The 'cursive' for the title is more of a print font than elegant script.
Verdict: DALL-E 2 fails the challenge completely, producing garbled pseudo-text that is entirely illegible. Grok Imagine Image Pro demonstrates exceptional prompt adherence, correctly spelling every menu item and price while maintaining a convincing chalkboard aesthetic with realistic smudges and chalk dust.
The Reversed Rodeo
Text-to-Image“Horse riding astronaut in space — horse on top, not vice versa. Surreal, highly detailed, cinematic.”
DALL-E 2
Grok Imagine Image Pro
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Successfully followed the literal instruction of the horse riding/being on top of the astronaut.
- − Extremely low resolution and overall visual quality.
- − The astronaut figure is distorted and poorly defined.
- − Lacks the cinematic and highly detailed quality requested in the prompt.
Grok Imagine Image Pro
- + High resolution with vibrant, cinematic colors and lighting.
- + Excellent detail on both the horse and the astronaut's suit.
- + Captures the surreal and cinematic atmosphere perfectly.
- − The horse is floating above/behind the astronaut rather than 'riding' him.
- − Minor anatomical issues with the horse's back legs.
Verdict: While DALL-E 2 understood the unusual spatial positioning of the prompt better, the execution is hampered by low resolution and muddy details. Grok Imagine Pro produced a stunning, high-quality image that fits the 'cinematic' and 'surreal' keywords much better, even though the horse is more floating than 'riding' the astronaut.
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.”
DALL-E 2
Grok Imagine Image Pro
0% wins
0% ties
100% wins
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Features a dark jacket as requested.
- − Poor resolution and low visual quality typical of older models.
- − Anatomically incorrect placement of hands/paws and steering wheel.
- − The capybaras head appears poorly photoshopped onto a human body.
- − Completely fails to show the businesswoman in the back seat.
Grok Imagine Image Pro
- + Excellent photorealism and professional lighting.
- + Accurate prompt adherence including the businesswoman's bored expression and the capybara's professional demeanor.
- + High-quality text rendering on the taxi driver cap.
- + Logical composition with the capybara's paws correctly on the steering wheel.
- − The steering wheel is positioned on the right side, which is incorrect for a New York City taxi.
Verdict: Grok Imagine Image Pro significantly outperforms DALL-E 2 in every category, providing a highly detailed and realistic interpretation of the prompt. While DALL-E 2 produced a low-fidelity image with distorted anatomy and missing characters, Grok Imagine Image Pro captured the specific atmosphere and all requested elements with impressive clarity.
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.”
DALL-E 2
Grok Imagine Image Pro
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Captured the requested isometric camera angle accurately.
- + Included a raised wooden platform structure.
- − Failed to include the word 'JAPAN' and the flag icon.
- − The text 'SUSHI' is misspelled as 'SUSHII'.
- − Low image resolution and muddy textures.
Grok Imagine Image Pro
- + Perfect adherence to text prompts including 'JAPAN', 'SUSHI', and the flag icon.
- + High-quality PBR-style textures with realistic subsurface scattering on the fish.
- + Clean, centered composition with a professional miniature diorama aesthetic.
- − The camera angle is slightly lower than the requested 45 degrees.
Verdict: Grok Imagine Image Pro is the clear winner as it followed every instruction in the prompt, including the specific text and flag icon which DALL-E 2 missed entirely. Grok also produced a much higher quality image with refined materials and sharp details, whereas DALL-E 2's output is blurry and contains typographical errors.
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.”
DALL-E 2
Grok Imagine Image Pro
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Features a backlight effect through the rabbit's ears.
- − Resolution is very low and pixelated.
- − Anatomical errors such as the kitten missing legs and the butterfly appearing as a flat texture blob.
- − Fails to include all requested animals like the fox kit.
Grok Imagine Image Pro
- + Excellent high-resolution detail on fur and meadow flowers.
- + Accurately includes all subjects: puppy, kitten, bunny, and fox kit.
- + Effective use of atmospheric lighting with clear god rays and dew morning dew vibes.
- − Included two kittens instead of one.
- − The fox's internal anatomy and leg positioning are slightly awkward.
Verdict: Grok Imagine Image Pro produced a high-quality, 8K masterpiece that adhered to almost every part of the prompt, including specific animal types and atmospheric lighting. DALL-E 2 produced a low-resolution, blurry image that failed to include the fox and suffered from significant anatomical defects.
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.”
DALL-E 2
Grok Imagine Image Pro
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Successfully uses warm brown and cream tones.
- + Captures the requested cloche dome icon at the center.
- − Text is nonsensical and does not match the prompt requested name.
- − Missing the 'Est. 1720' banner.
- − Image resolution and clarity are very poor with noticeable pixelation.
Grok Imagine Image Pro
- + Excellent text rendering, accurately spelling 'Caffè Florian' and 'EST. 1720'.
- + Perfect adherence to all prompt elements including the cloche, steam, and banner.
- + High-quality vector style with clean lines and subtle texture on the background.
- − The steam lines are a bit thick compared to the rest of the minimalist design.
Verdict: Grok Imagine Image Pro is the clear winner as it followed every instruction in the prompt, including complex text rendering which it handled perfectly. DALL-E 2 failed significantly on the text, producing illegible 'gibberish' and lacked the banner element entirely.
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.”
DALL-E 2
Grok Imagine Image Pro
0% wins
0% ties
100% wins
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- − Failed completely to follow the prompt.
- − Generated a low-resolution image of food instead of an infographic.
- − Irrelevant to the user's request.
Grok Imagine Image Pro
- + Perfectly followed the requested infographic structure including all 6 steps.
- + Used the exact color palette requested (navy, white, red, gray).
- + Clean, modern vector style with high-quality icons and legible text.
- − None identified for this specific request.
Verdict: DALL-E 2 failed the core task completely, providing an unrelated image of food. Grok Imagine Image Pro followed every detail of the prompt, including specific mission steps, icons, and the requested NASA-inspired color palette, resulting in a professional-grade infographic.
Next steps
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