FP8 quantized variant of Black Forest Labs' FLUX.1 [schnell] model, offering ~2x faster inference with reduced precision while maintaining high-quality image generation in 4 steps
Settled by community votes across 3 shared challenges, with an AI judge weighing in on each.
FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8
17.8
arena score
#36 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.
Seedream 4.5
26.1
arena score
#10 of 44 in Text-to-Image
Vote tally
Where the votes landed
FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8
0.0%
win rate
Ties
0.0%
Seedream 4.5
100.0%
win rate
0.0%
0.0% ties
100.0%
Shared challenges
3
Challenge by challenge
The strongest take from each model on every shared challenge, with the AI judge's read.
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.”
FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8
Seedream 4.5
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8
- + Excellent chalk-on-board lighting and texture
- + High-resolution wooden frame rendering
- − Serious spelling errors and repetitive text like 'ffle' and 'Griffled'
- − Incorrect pricing and disorganized layout
- − Failed to render the title in cursive as requested
Seedream 4.5
- + Highly accurate spelling of all complex menu items
- + Excellent adherence to the 'elegant cursive' title instruction
- + Consistent and realistic chalk texture across all text
- − Total price for the 첫 item is repeated on two lines
- − Minor chalk dust artifacts in the background are slightly heavy
Verdict: Seedream 4.5 is the clear winner as it followed every textual instruction perfectly, including complex titles in cursive and specific menu items. FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8 struggled significantly with text rendering, resulting in 'hallucinated' words and repetitive, nonsensical lines.
The Reversed Rodeo
Text-to-Image“Horse riding astronaut in space — horse on top, not vice versa. Surreal, highly detailed, cinematic.”
FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8
Seedream 4.5
0% wins
0% ties
100% wins
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8
- + Successfully followed the difficult positional instruction 'horse on top'
- + Strong surreal composition with high-quality textures
- + Creative interpretation of equipment for a horse in space
- − Anatomy becomes messy with two horse heads appearing
- − The 'astronaut' or base object is abstracted into a metallic box rather than a recognizable person
Seedream 4.5
- + Excellent lighting and atmospheric nebula effects
- + High visual fidelity and cinematic quality
- + Clear, recognizable subjects
- − Failed the core prompt instruction 'horse on top, not vice versa'
- − Conventional interpretation rather than the requested surreal reversal
Verdict: While Seedream 4.5 produced a much more visually polished and beautiful image, it completely failed to follow the specific instruction for a horse riding an astronaut. FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8 successfully attempted the surreal reversal requested, even though the anatomy of the horses is tangled and confusing.
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.”
FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8
Seedream 4.5
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8
- + Strong gothic atmosphere and parchment texture.
- + Creative use of silhouettes and framing.
- − Significant spelling errors and distorted text.
- − Layout feels cluttered and unbalanced.
Seedream 4.5
- + Perfect text accuracy and legible typography.
- + Excellent cinematic lighting and integration of elements.
- − Spider webs feel like a literal overlay rather than integrated.
- − The thorn/barbed wire effect at the bottom is slightly aggressive.
Verdict: Seedream 4.5 is the clear winner due to its ability to render every specific text requirement perfectly, whereas FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8 suffers from numerous typos. Seedream 4.5 also exhibits superior lighting and a more cohesive, professional layout for an invitation.
Next steps
Explore each model
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