Black Forest Labs unveils FLUX.1 Kontext for instant image editing. Ethan Walker August 16, 2026 ~135 words The TL;DR breakdown. * Context-aware inpainting with 100% subject consistency across consecutive generations. * Natural language instruction editing: 'change background to sunset' without masking. * Open weights and API availability across leading cloud inferencing providers. The architecture behind FLUX.1 Kontext. Following the massive success of the FLUX.1 [schnell] and [dev] diffusion models, Black Forest Labs has introduced FLUX.1 Kontext. The model specializes in zero-shot image-to-image manipulation, allowing creators to add or remove elements, modify lighting, and swap clothing while preserving the exact facial geometry and texture of the original subject. Unlike previous masking pipelines that produced noticeable seams, Kontext uses cross-attention maps to blend modifications seamlessly with the surrounding pixels. Where to try it. FLUX.1 Kontext is rolling out to major generation platforms and self-hosted environments. Review its complete breakdown of FLUX in its Image AI directory. Found this useful? Share it: Ethan Walker I'm a technology writer passionate about AI tools, automation, productivity software, and emerging SaaS platforms. I spend my time testing digital tools and breaking down complex technologies into practical insights that help businesses, creators, and professionals work smarter. FLUX generates high-quality images from text prompts using advanced AI models, catering to artists and designers. freemium Verified

FLUX 3 Video Part 1 drops: what the August release actually delivers. Black Forest Labs released FLUX 3 Video Part 1 on August 4, 2026. Here is what the generation capabilities include, how it compares to Veo 3.1 and Runway, and what is missing from the roadmap. #flux 3 #ai video #black forest labs #video generation Some links are partner links: if you subscribe through them, we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. The crowd verdicts stay independent. FLUX 3 Video Part 1 launched on August 4, 2026. Black Forest Labs, the team behind FLUX.2 (71% crowd approval in the image arena), shipped generation capabilities for text-to-video, image-to-video and video continuation, with native audio and clips up to 20 seconds. The headline numbers FLUX 3 Video generates HD clips up to 20 seconds with native audio. Early testers preferred it over Runway Gen-4.5 in 77% of head-to-heads and over Luma Ray 3.2 in 93%. No pricing yet. What Part 1 generation actually includes. The Part 1 release covers five input modes: * Text-to-video: describe a scene in plain language; the model handles motion, scene logic and audio together. * Image-to-video and keyframes: start from a still image, specify an end frame, or set multiple keyframes for controlled transitions. * Video continuation: extend an existing 4-second clip with coherent audio and visuals. * Multiple shots: generate varied scenes and camera angles within a single prompt. Audio is baked into the video generation, not added as a post-process. The model produces dialogue in English, Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Indonesian, Turkish, Hindi and Punjabi with lip-synced output. Technical specs at launch. | Spec | Value | | Max duration | 20 seconds | | Resolution at launch | 720p (1080p rolling out) | | Native audio | Yes (dialogue, SFX, ambient) | | Input modes | text, image, video, audio | | Reference images | up to 10 | Black Forest Labs also added a Draft Mode for fast iteration at lower cost before committing to a full render. How it stacks up against competitors. The AI video field in August 2026 has clear leaders. Here is how FLUX 3 compares to what is already shipping: | Model | From | Resolution | Max duration | Native audio | | FLUX 3 Video | TBA | 720p (1080p soon) | 20s | Yes | | Google Veo 3.1 | $20/mo | 1080p | 8s (148s extended) | Yes (48kHz spatial) | | Runway Gen-4.5 | $12/mo | 1080p | 10s | Yes | | Seedance 2.0 | $15/mo | 2K | 15s (30s on 2.5) | Yes | | Kling 3.0 | $7/mo | 4K | 15s | Yes | In early blind tests, FLUX 3 beat Runway Gen-4.5 77% of the time and Luma Ray 3.2 93% of the time. It ties Seedance 2.0 in image-to-video and "surpasses other alternatives," per the official announcement. The 20-second clip ceiling matters. Kling AI caps at 15 seconds, Veo 3.1 at 8 seconds per generation. For single-generation length, FLUX 3 is already competitive, though Scene Extension on Veo chains clips up to 148 seconds. The open-weight champion: 32B FLUX.2 wins 66.6% of head-to-heads vs open rivals, API from $0.014 per image $3/mo 71%(3) Partner link. The crowd verdicts stay independent. What is missing from Part 1. The August release is generation only. The FLUX 3 roadmap promised four pillars: image, video, audio and action (robotics). Part 1 ships video. What is not here yet: * FLUX 3 Image: editing and generation, "coming weeks" per the blog post. * FLUX 3 Dev (open weights): planned for later in 2026, no date locked. * Pricing: the BFL pricing page lists FLUX.2 and FLUX Tools, but FLUX 3 has no row yet. Access today is through the BFL API and select partners. The consumer web app and open weights are downstream. The pricing gap. Black Forest Labs has not published FLUX 3 pricing. For context, here is what FLUX.2 costs: * FLUX.2 [klein]: $0.014/image (4B) to $0.015/image (9B) * FLUX.2 [pro]: $0.03/image * FLUX.2 [max]: $0.07/image (first megapixel) About $3 covers 100 [pro] images. Video will cost more per second than images cost per frame, but the BFL team has historically undercut competitors on price. The 71% crowd approval for FLUX.2 in the AI image leaderboard suggests early trust. The open-weight champion: 32B FLUX.2 wins 66.6% of head-to-heads vs open rivals, API from $0.014 per image $3/mo 71%(3) Partner link. The crowd verdicts stay independent. The verdict. * Part 1 is real: 20-second clips with native audio, 5 input modes, multilingual lip sync. * Performance is strong: 77% win rate vs Runway Gen-4.5 in blind tests, 93% vs Luma Ray 3.2. * Gaps remain: no pricing, 720p at launch, no open weights until later in 2026. * For FLUX.2 users: the image model (71% recommend, $3/100 images) is the entry point. FLUX 3 Video builds on that foundation. The August release positions Black Forest Labs as a serious contender against Veo, Runway and Seedance. Pricing and open weights will determine whether that translates to adoption. Check the AI video leaderboard for live crowd scores as the rollout continues. Keep exploring Every claim above is backed by the arena's live data: crowd votes, verified pricing, honest pros & cons.

Black Forest Labs opens FLUX 3 Video API for 20-second Full HD clips. Key points * FLUX 3 Video is available through Black Forest Labs' dashboard and API, generating clips up to 20 seconds in HD or Full HD.[[1]] * Text-to-video and image-to-video cost $0.17 per second in HD or $0.29 per second in Full HD; synchronized audio is included.[[2]] * BFL's ranking above Seedance 2.0 and Gemini Omni Flash is a vendor benchmark, and its earlier head-to-head tests showed only a 52% preference for FLUX 3 against each rival.[[3]] Black Forest Labs has made FLUX 3 Video available through its dashboard, API and partner platforms, moving its first video-generation model beyond the early-access program announced on July 23. The system produces HD or Full HD clips lasting up to 20 seconds and can generate dialogue, sound effects and ambience alongside the frames.[[1]] The release supports text-to-video, image-to-video, keyframe transitions and video continuation. BFL also promotes multi-scene generation, typography embedded in moving scenes and multilingual dialogue with synchronized lip movement. Its public product and API pages, however, describe the speech support as multilingual without publishing a tested language list, so the reported claim of more than 14 languages remains vendor-supplied.[[1]] [[4]] Longer clips, familiar competitive claims. FLUX 3 costs $0.17 per second for standard HD text-to-video or image-to-video and $0.29 per second for Full HD. That puts a 20-second generation at $3.40 or $5.80, respectively. Draft-mode HD costs $0.06 per second, and audio carries no additional charge.[[2]] BFL's Elo tables rank FLUX 3 first for text-to-video and image-to-video, ahead of Seedance 2.0 and Google's Gemini Omni Flash.[[4]] Those results are not independent benchmarks. In BFL's preliminary early-access comparison of 10-second, 720p clips, raters preferred FLUX 3 over Seedance and Gemini Omni in 52% of comparisons, close to an even split.[[3]] The feature list also overlaps with those rivals. ByteDance says Seedance 2.0 generates multi-shot audio-video clips up to 15 seconds and accepts text, images, video and audio references.[[5]] Google's preview Gemini Omni Flash creates three- to 10-second 720p videos with audio, readable text and conversational editing.[[6]] FLUX 3's clearest documented distinction is its longer single-generation limit, rather than an independently established quality lead. Companies mentioned. At the intersection of AI, tech, and markets. The stories that matter, in one email. Free - unsubscribe anytime.