Black Forest Labs, an AI startup that previously powered image generation for X’s Grok chatbot, unveiled a new suite of image-generating models on Thursday; some models can both create and edit images. The most capable model, Flux.1 Kontext, uses text prompts and optional reference images.
According to a blog post by Black Forest Labs, the Flux.1 Kontext models provide image generation with strong prompt following, photorealistic rendering, and competitive typography. The company also states the models provide inference speeds up to eight times faster than current leading models.
The release of Flux.1 Kontext occurs as the image generator market intensifies. Earlier this month, Google presented its latest image-generating model, Imagen 4, at the company’s I/O developer conference. In addition, OpenAI introduced an image-generating model to ChatGPT earlier this year, which became known for creating art in the style of Studio Ghibli movies.
Black Forest Labs stated:
Today we’re releasing FLUX.1 Kontext – a suite of generative flow matching models that allow you to generate and edit images.
The company also notes, unlike traditional text-to-image models, Kontext utilizes both text and images as input, enabling in-context generation and editing.
The Flux.1 Kontext family includes two models: Flux.1 Kontex [pro] and Flux.1 Kontex [max]. Flux.1 Kontex [pro] allows users to generate an image and refine it through multiple turns, preserving characters and styles. Flux.1 Kontex [max] emphasizes speed, consistency, and adherence to prompts.
The company further noted Kontext is a new image editing model, available on Replicate, which allows users to edit images with words to change clothes, restyle scenes, and rewrite text from a prompt.
Flux.1 Kontex [pro] and Flux.1 Kontex [max] cannot be downloaded for offline use, a departure from some of Black Forest Labs’ previous models. However, Black Forest Labs is making an open Kontext model, Flux.1 Kontext [dev], available in private beta for research and safety testing.
Black Forest Labs is also launching a model playground, allowing users to test its models without a third-party service signup. New users receive 200 credits, allowing for approximately 12 images with Flux.1 Kontex [pro].
Black Forest Labs, headquartered in Germany, was reportedly in discussions to raise $100 million at a $1 billion valuation toward the end of last year. Many founders come from Stability AI, the creator of Stable Diffusion. Andreessen Horowitz, Oculus co-founder Brendan Iribe, and Y Combinator’s Garry Tan are among the backers.
Since emerging from stealth, Black Forest Labs has released various image-generating models and enterprise-focused services, including an API.
