• OpenAI (gpt-image-1):
The wild artist. Best for creative, transformative, style-heavy edits—Ghibli, watercolor, fantasy additions, portals, sci-fi stuff, etc. But it hallucinates a lot and often distorts fine details (especially faces). Slowest.
• Gemini (flash-image / nanoBanana):
The cautious realist. Best for subtle, photorealistic edits—fog, lighting tweaks, gentle filters, lens effects. Almost never ruins details, but sometimes refuses to do artsy transformations, especially on human photos.
• Seedream:
The adventurous middle child. Faster, cheaper, and often surprisingly good at aesthetic effects—bokeh, low-poly, ukiyo-e, metallic sheen, etc. Not as creative as OpenAI, not as conservative as Gemini. Can hallucinate, but in fun ways.
If you’re planning an automated pipeline, routing “artistic” prompts to OpenAI and “photorealistic” ones to Gemini (with Seedream as a wildcard) matches their own conclusion.
• OpenAI (gpt-image-1): The wild artist. Best for creative, transformative, style-heavy edits—Ghibli, watercolor, fantasy additions, portals, sci-fi stuff, etc. But it hallucinates a lot and often distorts fine details (especially faces). Slowest.
• Gemini (flash-image / nanoBanana): The cautious realist. Best for subtle, photorealistic edits—fog, lighting tweaks, gentle filters, lens effects. Almost never ruins details, but sometimes refuses to do artsy transformations, especially on human photos.
• Seedream: The adventurous middle child. Faster, cheaper, and often surprisingly good at aesthetic effects—bokeh, low-poly, ukiyo-e, metallic sheen, etc. Not as creative as OpenAI, not as conservative as Gemini. Can hallucinate, but in fun ways.
Bottom line: • Creative prompts → OpenAI • Realistic photo edits → Gemini • Budget-friendly, balanced option → Seedream
If you’re planning an automated pipeline, routing “artistic” prompts to OpenAI and “photorealistic” ones to Gemini (with Seedream as a wildcard) matches their own conclusion.