FLUX.1 [schnell]
Black Forest Labs · Image generation · 12B · Released 1 August 2024
Commercial use permitted
Open weights
Apple Silicon
The fast, Apache 2.0 member of Black Forest Labs' FLUX.1 family. It generates high-quality images, including genuinely readable text, in as few as one to four steps, which keeps it quick even on mid-range hardware.
Strengths
- Very fast generation, one to four steps
- Renders readable text in images, a weak point for older models
- Apache 2.0, so fully usable commercially
Weaknesses
- Slightly lower peak quality than FLUX.1 [dev]
- A 12B model needs 12GB or more, or quantisation, to run comfortably
- A smaller fine-tune and LoRA ecosystem than SDXL
Hardware requirements
| Quantisation | Approx. VRAM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GGUF Q4 | ~8GB | Quantised with offloading, fits an 8GB to 12GB card |
| FP8 | ~12GB | A good balance on a 16GB card |
| FP16 | ~24GB | Full precision, including the text encoder |
Optimised builds available for Apple Silicon.
Licence
Apache 2.0 — read the licence
Availability
Recommended for
- Fast local image generation on a mid-range card
- Commercial work that needs a permissive image model
- Images with text, such as posters or UI mockups
Catalogue entry last verified 30 July 2026. Specifications change; verify anything you are about to spend money on.