Black Forest Labs' flagship image generation model delivering state-of-the-art quality with exceptional realism, precision, and consistency for both text-to-image and advanced image editing
Settled by community votes across 9 shared challenges, with an AI judge weighing in on each.
FLUX.2 [max]
25.9
arena score
#11 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.
Recraft V4 Pro
24.3
arena score
#18 of 44 in Text-to-Image
Vote tally
Where the votes landed
FLUX.2 [max]
0.0%
win rate
Ties
0.0%
Recraft V4 Pro
100.0%
win rate
0.0%
0.0% ties
100.0%
Shared challenges
9
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.”
FLUX.2 [max]
Recraft V4 Pro
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [max]
- + Excellent adherence to lighting instructions with realistic soft window light and shadows.
- + Sophisticated glass rendering including internal reflections and a bottom mirror-like surface.
- + Clear depth of field with the plant correctly positioned behind the objects.
- − The glass box structure looks more like an assembly of panels than a single cube.
- − The blue sphere appears slightly too large to be called 'small' in relation to the cube.
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Successfully placed the green plant behind the cube as requested.
- + Realistic texture on the red book cover and pages.
- + The cube feels like a solid, weighty glass object.
- − The lighting feels more like a direct flash than 'soft window light from the left'.
- − The composition is a bit cramped with the book and plant cropped at the edges.
- − The plant is positioned to the side rather than strictly 'behind' the cube.
Verdict: Both models followed the prompt instructions accurately, including the complex spatial relationships of the objects. FLUX.2 [max] is the winner due to its superior lighting, more elegant composition, and more realistic glass refraction, whereas Recraft V4 Pro has harsher lighting and a tighter crop.
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.”
FLUX.2 [max]
Recraft V4 Pro
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [max]
- + Excellent depiction of motion blur from a passing car
- + Highly realistic skin textures and facial anatomy
- + Strong execution of the 'repairing' action with tools on the ground
- − The structural layout of the bicycle frame is anatomically impossible/garbled
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Atmospheric and evocative rain effects with great reflections
- + Captures an 'imperfect framing' look well
- + Consistent color palette consistent with a cinematic feel
- − The man is not actually repairing the bicycle; he is just standing by it
- − The man's feet appear to be floating or mismatched with the ground plane texture
- − Fails to clearly show the requested motion blur from passing cars
Verdict: FLUX.2 [max] captures the specific technical requirements of the prompt much better, particularly the motion blur and the active state of repairing the bicycle. While Recraft V4 Pro has a beautiful cinematic mood and great rain details, it fails on key prompt elements like the repair action and car motion blur, and suffers from some positioning artifacts.
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.”
FLUX.2 [max]
Recraft V4 Pro
0% wins
0% ties
100% wins
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [max]
- + Excellent color-coded layout with vibrant accents
- + High-quality, appetizing food photography with consistent lighting
- + Professional grid-based composition that maximizes space
- − Text consists of nonsensical gibberish
- − Food images don't always align logically with the headers (e.g., sandwiches under pizza)
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Near-perfect text rendering with logical dish names and descriptions
- + Follows the three requested sections (Appetizers, Pizza, Mains) accurately
- + Clean, minimalist aesthetic that is highly legible
- − A bit of white space imbalance at the bottom corners
- − Food photography is slightly less vibrant compared to Model A
Verdict: Recraft V4 Pro is the clear winner for a design task like this because it produces perfectly readable, coherent English text that makes the menu functional. While FLUX.2 [max] has a more dynamic layout and more vibrant food photos, its failure to generate real words makes it unusable for a professional menu design without heavy editing.
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.”
FLUX.2 [max]
Recraft V4 Pro
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [max]
- + Excellent typography with a vibrant flaming outline effect
- + Very clean, commercial-grade food photography style
- + Well-composed starburst that integrates naturally with the ad layout
- − The 'exploded' effect is less dynamic, with large chunks still clumped together
- − The background is slightly less 'fiery' and more of a subtle bokeh
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Superior 'exploded' effect with individual ingredients clearly separated in mid-air
- + Text effects are more literal and dramatic with flames visible inside the letters
- + High level of texture detail on the burger patty and lettuce
- − The starburst for the price looks a bit jagged and less professional
- − Overall composition feels a bit cramped with text very close to the edges
Verdict: Both models followed the prompt exceptionally well, but Recraft V4 Pro achieved a better 'exploded' physics effect with individually suspended components. FLUX.2 [max] produced a cleaner, more professional-looking advertisement with superior font integration, though the burger felt slightly more static.
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.”
FLUX.2 [max]
Recraft V4 Pro
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [max]
- + Excellent interior taxi lighting and texture details
- + Highly professional and calm expression on the capybara
- + Clear rendering of the businesswoman looking at her phone
- − The capybara has human hands instead of front paws on the steering wheel
- − The composition feels slightly more staged and artificial
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Successfully renders the capybara's paws on the steering wheel
- + Cinematic atmosphere with realistic rain and NYC street aesthetic
- + Better adherence to the 'front paws' physical requirement
- − The capybara's body and head placement relative to the seat look a bit awkward
- − The businesswoman's face has slightly less clarity and detail
Verdict: Recraft V4 Pro is the winner because it accurately rendered the capybara's paws on the steering wheel, whereas FLUX.2 incorrectly gave the animal human hands. Recraft V4 Pro also captured a more convincing New York at night atmosphere with the rain and city bokeh, though both models followed the conceptual prompt very well.
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.”
FLUX.2 [max]
Recraft V4 Pro
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [max]
- + Excellent adherence to the isometric perspective and diorama base request.
- + High-quality text rendering with perfect placement of the flag icon.
- + Very clean, soft 3D cartoon aesthetic that matches the 'miniature' prompt.
- − The sushi looks a bit more plasticky and less like food compared to Model B's textures.
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Realistic PBR materials on the fish and roe are highly detailed.
- + Clean background and logical layout of the text and graphics.
- + Creative interpretation of the base using a bed of rice.
- − Perspective feels more like standard 3D than a true 45-degree isometric diorama.
- − The rice texture of the base appears somewhat noisy/grainy compared to the rest of the scene.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [max] followed the stylistic instructions more accurately, resulting in a true isometric miniature diorama with clean geometric shapes. While Recraft V4 Pro had superior material realism for the food itself, it failed to capture the specific '45° top-down isometric' perspective as effectively as FLUX.2 [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.”
FLUX.2 [max]
Recraft V4 Pro
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [max]
- + Excellent full-body composition showing all animals interacting together.
- + Superior atmospheric lighting with clear god rays and dew sparkles as requested.
- + Highly consistent and realistic anatomy for all four different animals.
- − The fox's back legs/paws have a slightly muddy texture against the grass.
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Ultra-detailed fur textures on the animals in the foreground.
- + Captures the 'big expressive eyes' and playful energy very well.
- + Good use of bokeh and depth of field.
- − The puppy's left paw is anatomically distorted and overly large.
- − The composition is a bit cramped with animals overlapping awkwardy.
- − The fox kit has a strange extra limb-like shape or tail position that is confusing.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [max] produced a much more coherent scene that clearly follows all prompt instructions, including the specific lighting effects and the full group of animals. Recraft V4 Pro has impressive texture detail but suffers from significant anatomical glitched on the puppy's paw and a cluttered composition.
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.”
FLUX.2 [max]
Recraft V4 Pro
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [max]
- + Perfectly captures the requested 'vector emblem' style with clean concentric circles.
- + Includes all prompt elements including the 'Est. 1720' banner and steam.
- + Features a beautiful paper-like subtle texture on the background.
- − The cloche illustration is perhaps a bit too simple compared to the typography.
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Excellent, high-end retro typography with stylized ligatures.
- + Detailed woodcut-style illustration of the cloche dome.
- + Sophisticated scrolls on the banner element.
- − The 'Est. 1720' text is slightly off-center within its banner.
- − Lacks the circular emblem layout requested, feeling more like a vertical logo lockup.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [max] followed the 'vector emblem' instruction much better, providing a balanced, circular logo that feels authentic to a vintage brand identity. Recraft V4 Pro has superior artistic typography and illustration detail, but it missed the mark on the specific emblem composition and provided a starker white background instead of the requested warm cream tones.
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.”
FLUX.2 [max]
Recraft V4 Pro
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [max]
- + Excellent layout with logical flow across four panels
- + Features creative astronaut silhouettes at the bottom
- + Clean modern vector style with consistent iconography
- − Repeat labels like 'Earth Orbit' used for inconsistent steps
- − Rocket icon is more shuttle-like than a Saturn V
- − Fails to clearly delineate the 6 requested steps into distinct points
Recraft V4 Pro
- + Perfect adherence to all 6 requested steps with accurate descriptors
- + High-quality vector graphics that strictly follow the NASA color palette
- + Professional typography with zero spelling errors
- − The layout is slightly scattered rather than a linear timeline
- − The Saturn V rocket illustration is very elongated
Verdict: Recraft V4 Pro is the clear winner as it perfectly captured every specific step requested in the prompt with accurate supporting text and high-quality vector iconography. FLUX.2 [max] produced a visually striking image but failed on the logic of the infographic, repeating the label 'Earth Orbit' multiple times and missing the specific sequence requested.
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Recraft's latest image generation model at ~2048px resolution with stronger composition, refined lighting, and realistic materials for print-ready and large-scale work