Nucleus-Imagevs.Lumina-Image 2.0

Which one is better?

In our own test, Nucleus-Image leads. Neither is in the arena. Neither has an API price.

Test images

Same task, the first image of each. The task with the biggest difference is preselected.

Nucleus-Image: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Nucleus-Image62 out of 100

Lumina-Image 2.0: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Lumina-Image 2.016 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:Nucleus-Image ahead

Prompt given to both modelsCreate a square premium product photograph of a brushed titanium wristwatch standing upright on dark green marble. The watch has a cream dial, thin black hands set to 10:10, twelve distinct hour markers, a realistic crown, and a dark brown leather strap. Soft window light from the left, controlled reflections, shallow depth of field, no text, no logo, no extra objects.

What the rating looks at: Materials, reflections, and fine details.

“Ahead”: better in all three rating rounds. “Slightly ahead”: a higher value, but not in every round.

Test protocol of the images

Each test attempt uses the same archived prompt and one request. The first output of that attempt counts. Repeats after technical test failures are disclosed for the affected images. Files are normalized to 1,024 × 1,024 pixels without cropping. Provider resolution, randomness, quality tier and prompt processing can still differ. The images are a practical visual test, not a reconstruction of the arena configuration.

Character and detail

Nucleus-Image: fal, aspect ratio 1:1; Fal has no output-size input, n=1, seed=748477400, Upstream checkpoint documents 1024x1024; estimate reserves 2 MP at Fal's $0.01 per MP rate, estimated cost $0.020000, generated Nov 2, 2026, 3:03 PM. Source

Lumina-Image 2.0: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, estimated cost $0.150000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:38 PM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 985a75b38642a9f0e5e0c0e0c67f1b7f67780d42bd2168fa24e9a7a7a94b0da6

Nucleus-Image image SHA 256: c931159b5d8670025e00457995bc1bf8aa51176bc54271267abbd67808689aae

Lumina-Image 2.0 image SHA 256: 8747df0401d91598486735bfff5d6bac6c139727a8bc50c60bf7f697f678b85f

Infographic

Nucleus-Image: fal, aspect ratio 1:1; Fal has no output-size input, n=1, seed=956072606, Upstream checkpoint documents 1024x1024; estimate reserves 2 MP at Fal's $0.01 per MP rate, estimated cost $0.020000, generated Nov 2, 2026, 3:03 PM. Source

Lumina-Image 2.0: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, estimated cost $0.150000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:38 PM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: ed65cb4e6a51e2336f8b149ad4cbb16e020f07d527ad94362e719d2dcf91d94f

Nucleus-Image image SHA 256: 826d0bab35098adaae1c5a663d88713b7a8faa277a3ded16c1047beda0f169bf

Lumina-Image 2.0 image SHA 256: b937b28f3c3209280c5828e18c85341d3ca443175020ca1e407dae035b5df14f

Product photography

Nucleus-Image: fal, aspect ratio 1:1; Fal has no output-size input, n=1, seed=1580273337, Upstream checkpoint documents 1024x1024; estimate reserves 2 MP at Fal's $0.01 per MP rate, estimated cost $0.020000, generated Nov 2, 2026, 3:03 PM. Source

Lumina-Image 2.0: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, estimated cost $0.150000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:38 PM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: c67fd71e91304458a2feef5c91efa8677260fab0c0099a29a2c52cb579f5b2f3

Nucleus-Image image SHA 256: f8ce2bbfd219cc3ee98d1579426cbae88d0f43880a445301396ab04b5bf2f458

Lumina-Image 2.0 image SHA 256: 74b79fcbad7565e29995c941d2b488d2edde884b307ed99e47fad994424e9dfc

Typography and layout

Nucleus-Image: fal, aspect ratio 1:1; Fal has no output-size input, n=1, seed=689548231, Upstream checkpoint documents 1024x1024; estimate reserves 2 MP at Fal's $0.01 per MP rate, estimated cost $0.020000, generated Nov 2, 2026, 3:03 PM. Source

Lumina-Image 2.0: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, estimated cost $0.150000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:37 PM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 2e012c3d14ee5dd02203a94f394ca80a5038cdebd6032b25a8b8a221f2255419

Nucleus-Image image SHA 256: a92e94eadcf94b661a14dc4308c6f94ca177223fca9965006dc571f5d95bacda

Lumina-Image 2.0 image SHA 256: f132c159d659fb76c94cd82f1decb617c475b9c4095b177d02b73f09f2954df0

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

n/a

Nucleus-Image

not in the arena

n/a

Lumina-Image 2.0

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Nucleus-Image

Rank 65 of 108

Lumina-Image 2.0

Rank 97 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

n/a

Nucleus-Image

no API price

n/a

Lumina-Image 2.0

no API price

Ranks among the 21 image models with an arena rating and the 108 with a GraduallyBench run; prices compared with 28 models with an API price.

Nucleus-Image

Subscription: n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API: No API price known. Access: local.
License: Open weights.

Lumina-Image 2.0

Subscription: n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API: No API price known. Access: local.
License: Open weights.

Subscriptions only count plans that name exactly this model. Subscription prices include VAT, API prices are in dollars.

GraduallyBench from Nov 3, 2026 · Subscription database from Sep 29, 2026 (38 days old)

All data side by side

The better value is bold. For ratings only when the gap is clear.

Kennzahl	Nucleus-Image	Lumina-Image 2.0
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	n/a	n/a
Arena rank	n/a	n/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	n/a	n/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	48	18
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	38	18
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	62	16
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	66	23
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	23	16
API price
Per imagelower is better	n/a	n/a
100 images	n/a	n/a
Profile
Released	n/a	Jan 25, 2025
Weightsopen means: runs locally	open	open
Access	local	local
Parameters	17 billion	2.6 billion
Largest output	not consistently published	not consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	n/a	n/a

API prices for one image at 1,024 × 1,024 pixels according to Artificial Analysis.

Sources: Nucleus-Image model source (verified Nov 1, 2026) · Lumina-Image 2.0 model source (verified Nov 1, 2026)

Arena ratings by category

From blind votes on LMArena. “Ahead” means the lead is clear.

No shared arena score in the stored snapshot

The stored benchmark database contains no measurement for Nucleus-Image and Lumina-Image 2.0 from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

More comparisons

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