Flux: The New Kid on the Block That’s Revolutionising AI Art (And Why It’s My New Favourite) 🤯
Text-to-Image AI that can write words
G’day everyone! Steve here, your friendly neighbourhood tech enthusiast from South Australia. 👋
I am always banging on about the incredible things AI can do! Buckle up because this one’s a doozie. I’ve spent countless hours tinkering with AI image generators — Midjourney, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion — you name it, I’ve probably tried it. But recently, a new kid on the block has completely stolen the show: Flux from Blackforest Labs.
Flux: The Text-to-Image AI That Just Gets It
I mean, just look at this! This is an image I created using Flux with the prompt:
“A photorealistic image of the River Murray winding its way through the heart of South Australia. Lush green vineyards line the banks, while majestic gum trees cast long shadows on the water. A paddle steamer, a symbol of the region’s rich history, navigates the river. The iconic Murray Bridge, stands tall in the background. Kangaroos graze peacefully in the foreground. The words ”South Australia” are prominently displayed, written in the foreground carved into the vineyards.”
This image completely blows my mind! The water rippling, the boats, the bridge and the shadows of kangaroos and the trees, making them seem real, are just incredible. And the way the words “South Australia” blend and bend across the landscape, is mind-boggling (even if my friend didn’t think so), I have never seen an out-of-the-box Text to Image generator get words this good — all from the prompt above!
I will say, that it has made a few mistakes with some of the kangaroo’s ears, but we will let that slide, I am sure If I generated 1000, I would get a few perfect ones.
Flux raises the Bar!
Flux isn’t just another AI image generator. It’s a leap forward in the technology, consistently outperforming competitors like Midjourney and DALL-E in benchmarks, according to Blackforest Labs. 👨💻
It creates images that are:
- More realistic and detailed: We’re talking about images that could easily be mistaken for real photographs. Think of lifelike portraits, breathtaking landscapes, or even detailed product mockups.
- Generated faster: No more twiddling your thumbs while waiting for your masterpiece to render. Flux is lightning-fast, so you can bring your creative vision to life in seconds. 🏃♀️💨
- More customisable: You’re the boss here. Tweak the style, composition, and resolution to your heart’s content. And the best part? You can seamlessly incorporate text directly into your image prompt, and Flux knows exactly what to do with it, opening up a whole new world of creative possibilities.
No Python? No ControlNet? No Worries!
And get this — you don’t need to be a tech whiz to use it! Even if you’ve never touched Python or heard of ControlNet (a tool many AI artists use to get text into images), Flux has got you covered. It’s as simple as typing in a few words, and Flux does the rest.
Check out this scene I created with the prompt:
“A photorealistic image of a large desalination plant, with pipes and tanks filled with bright blue water. The intricate network of pipes and machinery is clearly visible, showcasing the complex process of converting seawater into freshwater. The words “KYLIE THE GENIE” are prominently displayed and wrapped around the large pipe.”
Rust! Lighting! WORDS perfectly spaced and curved around the pipe! EVEN REFLECTION IN THE WATER!!!!! 🤯🔥 This is crazy! and not a lick of code or external tool is needed, just your web browser.
At What Cost?
I generated about 80 images (3 seconds average per image) on my free trial at https://fal.ai/models/fal-ai/flux/dev
You can test it right now! Make sure you try to generate some words, as this is where it has really blown my mind! After a few generations, you will run out of API requests, but then you can get some more free credits by signing in with GitHub.
After that, you can purchase credits, and it has this written on the site:
Your request will cost $0.025 per megapixel. For $1 you can run this model approximately 40 times.
This gives you a good idea of how much this would cost you. 💵
Flux: The AI Image Generator That Gets It Right
After trying out all the big players in the AI image generation space, I can confidently say that Flux is one of the best. Not only does it deliver stunning results, but it’s also incredibly versatile. It’s the first AI tool that truly understands the nuances of text and image integration, creating harmonious compositions that are both beautiful and meaningful.
And did I mention that it is Open Source? Yeah, that is cool.
- Open Source AI: The underlying software code is publicly accessible. This means anyone can view, modify, and distribute it. It’s like a collaborative project where developers worldwide contribute, resulting in rapid innovation and a vast array of applications. However, it may lack the polish and dedicated support of commercial products.
- Closed Source AI: The code is proprietary and confidential. Only the company that owns it has access and control. This allows for focused development and potentially superior performance, but it can also limit flexibility and community input. Think of it as a premium product with dedicated support, but potentially less adaptable to specific needs.
So, what are you waiting for? Head over to the Blackforest Labs website or try it out on fal.ai and give Flux a go! And don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram — I’d love to see what you come up with.
Now it’s time for me to get this bad boy running locally!
Cheers, Steve 🤙
P.S. Here are some more of my images created. I was really just going for word generation to test it out!
