You have to REALLY be into AI to do this for generation/API cost reasons (or willing to have this as a hacking project of the month expense). Even ignoring electricity, a 16 GB 5060 Ti is more expensive than 16,000 image generations. Assuming you do one every 15 seconds, that's 240,000 seconds -> more than 2 months of usage at an hour a day of generations.

If you've already got a decent GPU (or were going to get one anyways) then cost isn't really a consideration, it's just that you can already do it. For everyone else, you can probably get by just using things like Google's AI Studio for free.

Nit: the link there was `Text-to-Image` while this is `Image Editing`

Still useful comments, as the models mostly overlap

As generative AI eats away at the high royalty, restrictive license, consent evading, stereotype reinforcing business model of stock photo companies, it will be a challenge to resist the schadenfreude.

Yeah, I couldn't help myself on that one! It's a reference to the Cypress Creek promotional video from the Simpsons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foU9W7AkKSY

Simpsons, the Frank Scorpio episode. The advertisement for the company town shows a beggar slowly fading out and being replaced by a mailbox.

Yes, though it might be GPT-5 UI.

Actually 5. The gemini result is pretty correct. And for that test, IMO only gemini properly preserved the original aesthetic. All others don't have the dark/scary mood.

Not always! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydactyl_cat

I also do similar work and have run tests on many models. I have listed a few here with sample images using one prompt with a single run. I know it isn't a comprehensive review like OP, but it's something. My personal preference through experience is epicRealismXL.

https://imgchest.com/p/xny8e23jpyb