AI Image Models — Which One to Choose?

Model Comparison Table

Model	Credits	Best For	Speed	Quality
gpt-image-1	15	Photorealism, commercial	Medium	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
gpt-image-1-mini	10	Social media, drafts	Fast	⭐⭐⭐⭐
gpt-image-1.5	20	Hero visuals, print	Slow	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+
flux-1.1-pro	8	Artistic, textured	Medium	⭐⭐⭐⭐
flux-schnell	2	Quick tests, iterations	Very Fast	⭐⭐⭐
ideogram-2	12	Text in images, logos	Medium	⭐⭐⭐⭐
ideogram-2-turbo	5	Fast text graphics	Fast	⭐⭐⭐

GPT-Image Family: Photorealistic Commercial Content

gpt-image-1 (15 credits)

This is the workhorse model for professional business content. GPT-image-1 excels at photorealistic product photography, professional headshots, commercial scenes, and any content that needs to look like it was shot by a professional photographer with studio equipment.

Strengths: Exceptional understanding of lighting physics, accurate material rendering (metals, glass, fabrics look believable), proper human anatomy and proportions, commercial composition instincts, consistent results across multiple generations.

Best for: E-commerce product photos, corporate marketing materials, professional headshots, real estate visualization, food photography, lifestyle brand content, LinkedIn posts, business presentations.

When to use: This is your default choice for any commercial application where the image needs to look “real” rather than artistic or illustrated. If you’re generating content that represents your brand or products, gpt-image-1 delivers professional quality that builds trust with customers.

Pro tip: Combine gpt-image-1 with Detailed enhancement mode and reference images of your existing brand photography. The model will match your brand’s visual style while maintaining photorealistic quality. For product catalogs, use workflows to generate dozens of consistent product shots with identical lighting and composition.

gpt-image-1-mini (10 credits)

Think of this as “gpt-image-1 lite” — same underlying architecture but optimized for speed and cost efficiency with slightly reduced detail resolution. The quality difference is minimal on social media platforms where images get compressed anyway.

Strengths: Fast generation (15-20 seconds vs 25-30), excellent value per credit, still maintains photorealistic quality, perfect for batch operations where you’re generating 20+ images in one session.

Best for: Instagram posts, Facebook ads, Twitter/X visual content, blog post headers, internal presentations, mood boards, concept exploration before committing to final assets.

When to use: Any scenario where the final output will be viewed on screens at reduced resolution, or when you’re in the iteration phase and need to test multiple concepts quickly without burning through your credit budget.

Pro tip: Use gpt-image-1-mini for all your testing and iteration, then regenerate your final selected concepts with gpt-image-1.5 for maximum quality. This workflow can reduce your credit costs by 40-60% while maintaining professional final output.

gpt-image-1.5 (20 credits)

The premium tier. GPT-image-1.5 is trained on an expanded dataset with higher resolution outputs and better fine detail rendering. This model produces images suitable for large format printing and hero brand visuals where every pixel matters.

Strengths: Superior detail resolution (notice sharper textures, better micro-details like fabric weave or wood grain), enhanced dynamic range (more nuanced shadows and highlights), better performance with complex scenes containing multiple subjects, improved text rendering even without Ideogram specialization.

Best for: Billboard advertising, print magazine spreads, trade show banners, hero website sections, annual report covers, packaging design, high-end portfolio pieces, client presentations where you need to impress.

When to use: Final deliverables for high-visibility campaigns, any content that will be printed larger than A4 size, brand launches, flagship product announcements, situations where budget permits maximum quality investment.

Pro tip: Don’t use 1.5 for iteration — it’s too slow and expensive. Use it only for final generation after you’ve perfected your prompt and composition with cheaper models. The quality improvement is real but only visible in high-resolution contexts.

FLUX Family: Artistic and Textured Content

flux-1.1-pro (8 credits)

FLUX takes a fundamentally different approach than GPT-image. While GPT-image optimizes for photographic realism, FLUX excels at artistic interpretation, painterly effects, stylized rendering, and rich textural details. It’s the model artists and designers choose when they want creative expression over literal accuracy.

Strengths: Beautiful analog and painterly aesthetics, rich texture rendering (oil paint, watercolor, charcoal, pastels), strong understanding of artistic movements and styles, excellent at illustration and concept art, creates visually interesting interpretations rather than literal representations.

Best for: Brand illustration, editorial artwork, artistic social media content, creative campaign visuals, stylized product renders, concept art, visual storytelling, any project where artistic style matters more than photorealism.

When to use: When your brand voice is creative and expressive rather than corporate and polished. FLUX works brilliantly for indie brands, creative agencies, entertainment industry content, children’s products, hospitality brands, and any business that wants to stand out with distinctive visual style.

Pro tip: FLUX responds exceptionally well to artistic style references. Include terms like “oil painting,” “vintage travel poster,” “Art Nouveau,” “Studio Ghibli style,” or “1970s album cover aesthetic” in your prompts. Reference images of artwork (not photos) produce the best results.

flux-schnell (2 credits)

The speed demon of the FLUX family. Schnell (German for “fast”) trades some quality for exceptional generation speed — most images complete in 8-12 seconds. At only 2 credits per generation, this is your exploration and iteration model.

Strengths: Extremely fast, very low cost, still maintains FLUX’s artistic sensibilities, good enough quality for early-stage concepting, allows rapid testing of 10-15 variations without credit anxiety.

Best for: Brainstorming sessions, style exploration, rapid iteration, testing prompt variations, generating multiple composition options, internal drafts, creative exploration where speed matters more than perfection.

When to use: The beginning of every creative process. Generate 10 variations with flux-schnell to explore different angles, compositions, and styles. Identify the 2-3 best directions, then regenerate those with higher-quality models. This workflow dramatically reduces total credit cost while expanding creative exploration.

Pro tip: Flux-schnell is perfect for workflow testing. Build your entire workflow pipeline with schnell to verify node connections and data flow work correctly before switching to expensive models. You’ll catch configuration errors that would otherwise waste 15-20 credits per failed generation.

Ideogram Family: Text-in-Image Specialists

ideogram-2 (12 credits)

Most AI image models struggle with rendering text accurately — letters get misspelled, fonts become illegible, spacing breaks. Ideogram-2 is specifically trained to understand and render text as a visual element, making it the only reliable choice for any image that includes words, letters, or typography.

Strengths: Accurate text rendering (what you type is what you get), understanding of typography principles, good at logos and brand marks, handles multiple text elements in one image, maintains text legibility even in complex scenes, supports various fonts and styles.

Best for: Social media graphics with text overlays, infographic elements, logo design, product packaging mockups, book covers, poster design, memes, quote cards, signage, any visual that combines images and words.

When to use: Anytime your image needs to include readable text as part of the design. This includes product labels, business cards, promotional graphics, educational content, data visualization, and branded templates. Don’t attempt text with other models — use Ideogram.

Pro tip: Specify your text in quotes within the prompt: “Create a motivational poster with the text ‘Dream Bigger’ in bold sans-serif font.” Ideogram understands this syntax and will render the exact text. You can also specify font styles (serif, sans-serif, script, handwritten) and formatting (bold, italic, all caps).

ideogram-2-turbo (5 credits)

Same text-rendering capabilities as Ideogram-2 but with faster generation and slightly reduced overall image quality. The text itself remains accurate — the difference is in background detail and overall polish.

Strengths: Fast text graphics generation, excellent value for social media content, maintains text accuracy while reducing cost, good enough quality for digital-only content.

Best for: Instagram story graphics, Twitter/X text overlays, quick social posts, internal graphics, presentation slides, draft versions before final production.

When to use: Social media workflows where you’re generating daily content with text elements. The quality reduction is negligible on mobile screens but the 7-credit savings per generation adds up quickly when you’re creating content at scale.

Pro tip: Use Ideogram-2-turbo for your social media content calendar and save Ideogram-2 for print materials and high-visibility campaigns. Build workflow templates that automatically use turbo for Instagram output nodes and full Ideogram-2 for print output nodes.

Model Selection Strategy

By Use Case

E-commerce product catalogs: gpt-image-1 (consistency and realism matter) Social media daily posts: gpt-image-1-mini or flux-schnell (volume matters) Brand campaign hero visuals: gpt-image-1.5 or flux-1.1-pro (maximum impact) Graphics with text: ideogram-2 or ideogram-2-turbo (text accuracy required) Creative exploration: flux-schnell (iterate fast and cheap) Client presentations: gpt-image-1.5 (invest in quality when it counts)

By Budget

Tight budget, high volume: flux-schnell + gpt-image-1-mini for finals Moderate budget: gpt-image-1 as default, flux-schnell for testing Premium budget: gpt-image-1.5 for everything important, other models for exploration

By Timeline

Need it now: flux-schnell or ideogram-2-turbo Standard timeline: gpt-image-1 or flux-1.1-pro Quality over speed: gpt-image-1.5

Quality Upgrades: HD Mode

Every model except flux-schnell supports HD quality upgrades for an additional 10 credits. HD mode increases output resolution from 1024x1024 to 2048x2048 or higher (depending on aspect ratio), improves fine detail rendering, and enhances overall sharpness.

When HD matters: Print materials, large displays, hero images, portfolio pieces, situations where images will be viewed at large sizes.

When to skip HD: Social media, web thumbnails, internal documents, draft iterations, any content viewed only on screens at standard resolutions.

The most effective strategy: Generate at standard quality, evaluate results, then regenerate only your best 1-2 selections in HD. This avoids wasting 10 credits on images you won’t use.

Choose your model based on your specific use case, timeline, and budget. When in doubt, start with gpt-image-1 for photorealism or flux-1.1-pro for artistic content. These middle-tier models deliver professional quality without premium costs.