FLUX.2 Pro

At 1 MP this runs 2.5 credits with seven reference images, which makes it, per render, cheaper than most of the catalog's reference-capable models and considerably cheaper than any of the premium image tiers. If your work involves holding a subject across many generations, the economics of this one are hard to argue with.

The resolution ladder is the widest here: 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 megapixels, at 2, 2.5, 4 and 6.5 credits. Unlike Seedream Lite's free upgrade, every rung is priced, so pick the one the deliverable needs. 1 MP is right for screen; 4 MP is for print or for something that will be cropped into hard.

Nine aspect ratios, no exotic shapes. FLUX renders have a recognisable look, clean and slightly graphic, strong with materials and light, which is either what you want or the reason to use Seedream instead. Flex and Max are the same ladder with different models on it: Flex trades price for control, Max for capability.

Describe what you want in your own words and Kuro writes the prompt for you. If you would rather write it yourself, this is what FLUX.2 responds to.

FLUX.2 has a strong aesthetic of its own — film-like colour, natural light, painterly texture — so a prompt can be shorter and more atmospheric than one written for Seedream. Let the model bring the look.

It rewards photographic and period anchors: "shot on 35mm, overcast daylight", a film stock, an era, a medium.

Pass only the references the picture actually needs, and say what each one is for. FLUX.2 meters the pictures it reads as well as the one it makes.

Find the composition at a low resolution, then run the settled prompt again at the size you keep. Its ladder runs from half a megapixel to four, the widest in Kuro.

Flex, Pro and Max share that ladder and differ in the model on it: Flex is the tunable one, Pro the dependable production build, Max the most capable for demanding compositions.

The same advice covers FLUX.2 Flex and FLUX.2 Max. Their pages note what differs.

What it can't do

• Legible text in the image is not its strength.
• Nine aspect ratios: 1:1, 2:3, 3:2, 3:4, 4:3, 4:5, 5:4, 9:16 and 16:9. No 21:9 and no strips.
• Up to seven reference images on Pro, Flex and Max, a saved Subject's picture included.
• Rewording to fix one detail re-rolls the whole picture. Edit the finished image with only the change.

Use something else when…

• The picture needs lettering, or a long literal instruction: GPT Image 2.5 Flare.
• It needs precise instruction-following with references, or 21:9 or a strip: Nano Banana 2.1.
• It is photoreal product detail: Seedream 5 Pro.
• You are drafting with no references: FLUX Schnell.