Single-image generators, measured
The endpoints that produce one standalone image. This is the decision that matters most for icon and prop work.
| Endpoint | Cost | Sync? | Palette | Style ref | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
create-image-pixflux | 1 | sync (~10s) | yes | no | Default for a fixed palette |
create-image-pixen | 1 | sync (~40s) | no | no | Best raw detail at 1 generation |
create-image-bitforge | 1 | sync (~20s) | yes | yes | Best on paper, poor in practice |
map-objects | 1 | job (~30s) | rejected | no | Fine when the prompt carries the style |
create-1-direction-object | 20–40 | job | no | yes | Only when you need rotations |
generate-with-style-v2 (Pro) | 20 | job (~150s) | no | yes | Real style transfer |
generate-image-v2 (Pro) | 40 | job (~150s) | no | yes | Real style transfer |
1dir prices by canvas area: ≤1024 px = 20, ≤2048 px = 25, larger = 40. A
64×64 icon therefore costs 40. Every other generator above is a flat 1–40
regardless of size.
What the measurements actually showed
pixflux is the workhorse. 1 generation, returns the PNG inline, and its
color_image parameter is a genuine constraint. A two-colour palette produced
130 badges containing only #000000 and #ffffff, verified 65/65 in each
of two sets. Prose asking for the same thing gave a yellow star and a brown
chocolate bar.
bitforge disappoints. It is the only single-image endpoint with palette
and style reference and synchronous delivery, all for 1 generation, which
should make it ideal. In practice it returned unrecognisable blobs for a simple
"blacksmith anvil" prompt at style_strength 0, 10, 25 and 50. The first
failure looked like the style reference overwhelming the prompt; sweeping the
strength proved otherwise. Possibly tuned for a different kind of subject (docs
call it "Create S-M image", max area 200×200). Do not reach for it on this
evidence alone.
pixen gave the best unconstrained detail of anything at 1 generation, a
properly rendered anvil with sparks where others produced flat shapes. It has no
palette parameter, so it suits styles carried entirely by the prompt.
The Pro v2 endpoints do real style transfer, taking labelled reference images and matching them convincingly. At 20–40 generations and ~150s they are for cases where that matters more than throughput.
color_image is not universal. map-objects accepts the parameter in its
schema but returns 500 cannot identify image file for every payload shape
tried. The palette lock works on pixflux and bitforge only.
Payload shapes differ between generations of endpoint
Three incompatible conventions, which is a common source of 422s:
// pixflux / bitforge / map-objects
{ "color_image": { "type": "base64", "base64": "...", "format": "png" } }
// generate-image-v2 (Pro)
{ "style_image": { "image": {...}, "size": {"width":64,"height":64},
"usage_description": "art style to match" } }
// generate-with-style-v2 (Pro)
{ "style_images": [ { "image": {...}, "width": 64, "height": 64 } ] }
A palette swatch must also be chunky: a 4×1 image was rejected outright with "cannot identify image file", a 64×64 block swatch was accepted.