---
title: "The image model race just split into four lanes"
url: https://daily.dev/posts/the-image-model-race-just-split-into-four-lanes-bkf01m54q
source_url: https://heatherbcooper.substack.com/p/the-image-model-race-just-split-into
type: article
source: "Visually AI"
published: 2026-07-17T13:48:56.611Z
updated: 2026-07-17T13:49:20.183Z
tags: ["genai", "prompt-engineering"]
reading_time: 6
upvotes: 0
comments: 0
language: en
---

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# The image model race just split into four lanes

**[Visually AI](https://daily.dev/sources/heatherbcooper)** · 6 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

Four leading AI image models are compared across distinct strengths: GPT Image 2 excels at text-heavy and fact-rich layouts; Nano Banana Pro (Google DeepMind) leads in realism and style matching with up to 14 reference images; Seedream 5.0 Pro (ByteDance) introduces layer separation and sketch editing for a design-file workflow; and Ideogram v4 is open-weight and optimized for typography and brand assets. The key takeaway is that no single model is universally best — each fits different creative workflows. Seedream 5.0 Pro's layer export feature is highlighted as a notable innovation, allowing finished AI images to be split into editable layers for Figma or Photoshop. The post also includes sample image and video prompts for practical use.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://heatherbcooper.substack.com/p/the-image-model-race-just-split-into>

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---

Tags: [#genai](https://daily.dev/tags/genai), [#prompt-engineering](https://daily.dev/tags/prompt-engineering)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/the-image-model-race-just-split-into-four-lanes-bkf01m54q)