video/.claude/skills/flux-best-practices/rules/model-selection-guide.md

name, description

name	description
model-selection-guide	Choosing the right FLUX model for your use case

FLUX Model Selection Guide

Decision guide for selecting the optimal FLUX model based on your requirements.

Quick Decision Matrix

Priority	Recommended Model
Speed	FLUX.2 [klein]
Quality	FLUX.2 [max]
Balance	FLUX.2 [pro]
Typography	FLUX.2 [flex]
Image Editing	FLUX.2 [klein], [pro], or [max]
Local/Free	FLUX.2 [dev]
Inpainting	FLUX.1 Fill

Decision Tree

What's your primary need?

├─ Generate images (text-to-image OR image editing)
│   ├─ Need FASTEST possible generation?
│   │   └─ FLUX.2 [klein] (supports up to 4 reference images)
│   │
│   ├─ Need HIGHEST quality output?
│   │   └─ FLUX.2 [max] (supports up to 8-10 reference images)
│   │
│   ├─ Need TEXT/TYPOGRAPHY in image?
│   │   └─ FLUX.2 [flex] (supports up to 8 reference images)
│   │
│   ├─ Need BALANCED speed/quality?
│   │   └─ FLUX.2 [pro] (supports up to 8 reference images)
│   │
│   └─ Need LOCAL/FREE generation?
│       └─ FLUX.2 [dev]
│
├─ Need REAL-TIME web information?
│   └─ FLUX.2 [max] (grounding search)
│
└─ FLUX.1 family (only use when explicitly asked by user)
    ├─ FLUX.1 Kontext - context-aware editing
    └─ FLUX.1 Fill - inpainting/object removal

Note: All FLUX.2 models natively support image-to-image editing via reference images. Simply provide your source image(s) as references and describe the desired changes.

Detailed Model Comparisons

By Speed

Model	Relative Speed	Best For
FLUX.2 [klein] 4B	Fastest	Rapid prototyping
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B	Very Fast	Better quality previews
FLUX.2 [pro]	Medium	Production workflows
FLUX.2 [flex]	Medium	Typography tasks
FLUX.2 [max]	Slower	Final hero images

By Quality

Model	Quality Level	Trade-off
FLUX.2 [max]	Highest	Slowest, most expensive
FLUX.2 [pro]	High	Good balance
FLUX.2 [flex]	High (text)	Specialized for typography
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B	Good	Fast, slightly less detail
FLUX.2 [klein] 4B	Moderate	Fastest, preview quality

By Cost

Credit pricing: 1 credit = $0.01 USD. FLUX.2 uses megapixel-based pricing.

FLUX.2 Models

Model	1st MP	+MP	1MP T2I	1MP I2I	Volume Recommendation
FLUX.2 [klein] 4B	1.4c	0.1c	$0.014	$0.015	High volume, previews
FLUX.2 [klein] 9B	1.5c	0.2c	$0.015	$0.017	High volume, better quality
FLUX.2 [pro]	3c	1.5c	$0.03	$0.045	Production workloads
FLUX.2 [max]	7c	3c	$0.07	$0.10	Hero images, premium
FLUX.2 [flex]	5c	5c	$0.05	$0.10	Typography
FLUX.2 [dev]	-	-	Free	Free	Local dev (non-commercial)

Pricing formula: (firstMP + (outputMP-1) * mpPrice) + (inputMP * mpPrice) in cents

FLUX.1 Models

Model	Price/Image	Use Case
FLUX.1 Kontext [pro]	$0.04	Context-aware editing
FLUX.1 Kontext [max]	$0.08	Max quality editing
FLUX1.1 [pro]	$0.04	Standard T2I
FLUX1.1 [pro] Ultra	$0.06	Ultra high-resolution
FLUX1.1 [pro] Raw	$0.06	Candid photography feel
FLUX.1 Fill [pro]	$0.05	Inpainting
FLUX.1 [pro]	$0.05	Original pro model

Use bfl.ai/pricing calculator for exact costs at different resolutions.

Use Case Recommendations

Creative Exploration / Ideation

Recommended: FLUX.2 [klein]

• Fast iterations
• Quick concept testing
• Mood board generation
• Exploring prompt variations

Production Marketing Assets

Recommended: FLUX.2 [pro]

• Consistent quality
• Reasonable speed
• Cost-effective at scale
• Reliable for automation

Hero Images / Premium Content

Recommended: FLUX.2 [max]

• Maximum detail
• Best coherence
• Supports grounding search
• Worth the premium for key visuals

Typography / Signage / Posters

Recommended: FLUX.2 [flex]

• Superior text rendering
• Adjustable quality settings
• Best for readable text
• UI mockups and infographics

Character Consistency

Recommended: FLUX.2 [max] or [pro]

• Multi-reference support (up to 8-10 images)
• Best editing consistency
• Maintains identity across scenes
• Superior quality over FLUX.1 Kontext

Photo Editing / Retouching

Recommended: FLUX.2 [klein], [pro], or [max]

• Native image-to-image support via references
• Style transfer
• Object modification
• Attribute changes
• Better results than FLUX.1 Kontext

Real-Time Information

Recommended: FLUX.2 [max]

• Grounding search feature
• Current events
• Recent news visualization
• Weather/location data

Local Development / Testing

Recommended: FLUX.2 [dev]

• No API costs
• Full control
• Fine-tuning experiments
• Offline capability

Editorial with Typography

1. FLUX.2 [max] - Generate base image (highest quality)
2. FLUX.2 [flex] - Add text overlay pass

Character-Consistent Series

1. FLUX.2 [max] - Create character reference
2. FLUX.2 [max]/[pro] - Generate consistent variations using reference images
3. FLUX.2 [klein] - Quick iteration on variations if needed

E-commerce Product Pipeline

1. FLUX.2 [pro] - Bulk product generations
2. FLUX.2 [pro]/[klein] - Product variations (colors, angles) using references
3. FLUX.2 [flex] - Add promotional text/pricing

Constraint-Based Selection

Limited Budget

• High volume: FLUX.2 [klein] 4B
• Quality needed: FLUX.2 [pro] (best value)

Tight Deadline

• Any task: FLUX.2 [klein]
• Quality matters: FLUX.2 [pro]

Maximum Quality Required

• Always: FLUX.2 [max]

Text Must Be Readable

• Always: FLUX.2 [flex]

Editing Existing Images

• Fast edits: FLUX.2 [klein] with reference images
• Quality edits: FLUX.2 [max] or [pro] with reference images
• Alternative: FLUX.1 Kontext (FLUX.2 preferred)

Rate Limit Sensitivity

• Prefer: FLUX.2 models (24 concurrent limit)
• Avoid: FLUX.1 Kontext Max (6 concurrent limit)

Summary Cheat Sheet

Speed?      → FLUX.2 [klein]
Quality?    → FLUX.2 [max]
Balance?    → FLUX.2 [pro]
Text?       → FLUX.2 [flex]
Edit?       → FLUX.2 [klein/pro/max] with reference images
Free?       → FLUX.2 [dev]

Key insight: All FLUX.2 models support image editing natively via reference images. FLUX.2 is recommended over FLUX.1 Kontext for editing tasks.