Black Forest Labs unveils faster, improved AI image model Flux 1.1 Pro

German AI startup Black Forest Labs has released its latest image generation model, Flux 1.1 Pro. The company claims the new model is six times faster than its predecessor while also enhancing image quality.

Black Forest Labs announced Flux 1.1 Pro alongside the beta launch of its BFL API. Flux 1.1 Pro boasts several key features. It generates images six times faster than Flux 1 Pro while improving image quality, prompt compliance, and diversity. The company also promises that the model will soon support 2K resolution images at high speed.

In benchmark comparisons with competitors like Ideogram v2 and Midjourney v6.1, Black Forest Labs reports that Flux 1.1 Pro outperforms in most metrics, particularly prompt compliance and coherence.

Flux 1.1 Pro was introduced and tested under the codename "Blueberry" in the Artificial Analysis Image Arena, a popular comparison test for text-to-image models. It achieved the highest overall Elo score. | Image: Black Forest Labs

Black Forest Labs is also updating Flux 1 Pro to double its speed while maintaining the same quality. However, the company states that Flux 1.1 Pro is still three times faster than the updated Flux 1 Pro and offers the ideal compromise between image quality and inference speed.

Black Forest Labs launches its own API

The company has also released a beta version of its BFL API, allowing developers to integrate Flux models into their applications. Black Forest Labs promises customization options, scalability, and competitive pricing.

Flux 1 Dev costs $0.025 per image, Flux 1 Pro is priced at $0.05 per image, and Flux 1.1 Pro is available for $0.04 per image. The models are also accessible through Together.ai, Replicate, fal.ai and Freepik.

Black Forest Labs, launched publicly in August, was founded by former Stability.ai developers. Based in Freiburg, Germany, the startup aims to develop advanced generative deep learning models for images and videos.

The founders previously worked on the open-source image generator Stable Diffusion. Flux technology is also used in Elon Musk's Grok AI image generator on X, where it has faced controversy over potential misuse for political purposes.