Vintage & Retro Comparison

Flux Ultra 1.1 vs Seedream 4.5

Film grain, retro aesthetic, and nostalgic filters — see how these models compare with real AI-generated outputs.

Full comparison

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Vintage & retro visuals live or die by the details: believable film grain, era-appropriate color response, gentle halation, and the kind of imperfections that feel intentional rather than “added on.” On Influencer Studio, Flux Ultra 1.1 and Seedream 4.5 both produce high-quality images at the same per-image cost, but they approach nostalgic aesthetics differently.

Flux Ultra 1.1 leans into premium, photorealistic rendering—great when you want a retro look that still feels like a real photograph. Seedream 4.5 stands out for its editing workflow (image-to-image), making it easier to iterate on a specific vintage reference and dial in grain, tone, and wear while preserving composition.

Vintage & Retro — Side-by-Side Results

Prompt

"A 20s woman with shoulder-length wavy dark hair in a loose vintage band tee and high-waisted light-wash jeans holds her phone slightly above eye level for a casual selfie, glancing near the camera mid-laugh while balancing an iced coffee in her other hand. She’s in a sunlit corner of a cozy neighborhood café by a window with handwritten menu boards in the background, natural morning light hitting her face. Vintage 90s disposable-camera look with film grain, slightly faded colors, warm nostalgic tone, subtle light leak and soft blur like an old printed photo."

Feature Comparison

FeatureFlux Ultra 1.1Seedream 4.5
ProviderBlack Forest LabsByteDance
Subcategoriestext-to-imagetext-to-image, image-to-image
1080p / 2k ModeYesYes
4k ModeNoNo
NSFW RatingStrictLow
Aspect Ratio1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 3:4, 4:3, 21:91:1, 16:9, 9:16, 3:4, 4:3
Starting Price16 credits16 credits

Flux Ultra 1.1 Strengths

  • Photorealistic vintage results: strong for “shot on film” realism with convincing lighting and texture
  • Exceptional micro-detail helps film grain and subtle lens character read naturally (not like a uniform overlay)
  • Crisp subject rendering supports retro editorial and catalog-style looks where details must stay intact
  • Premium-quality output is well-suited to print-like retro posters, album covers, and lifestyle scenes

Seedream 4.5 Strengths

  • Image-to-image editing makes it easier to keep an existing scene while adding nostalgic grading, grain, and wear
  • Versatile style range: adapts well across decades (’70s warm tones, ’80s flash, ’90s disposable camera vibes)
  • Efficient iteration for “make it more vintage” adjustments without restarting from scratch
  • High-resolution output supports retro textures like paper grain, dust, light leaks, and subtle fading

Verdict

If your priority is a highly believable, photorealistic retro image from scratch—where film grain and era cues feel embedded in the scene—Flux Ultra 1.1 is the stronger pick for vintage realism and premium finish.

If your workflow depends on refining a specific look (or matching a reference) through edits—tweaking grain intensity, color cast, fading, and nostalgic artifacts while keeping the same composition—Seedream 4.5 is typically the better choice. With identical pricing (16 credits per image), the decision comes down to whether you need best-in-class “from scratch” realism or faster vintage iteration via editing.

Frequently Asked Questions

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