Kontext Max is 13 credits per edit against Flux Edit at 7, and the premium buys a stronger transformation. The useful framing is a ladder: 7 credits for a light touch, 13 for a real change, 33 on Smart Edit for something multi-step.
Most people reach for the wrong rung, usually by setting strength too high on the cheap one.
TL;DR
- Kontext Max: 13 credits per edit. Flux Edit: 7. Smart Edit: 33
- The strength setting decides more than the tool does. Start low
- Kontext Max is the best of these at editing text in an existing image, and still not dependable
- Regenerating from scratch is 6 credits on Seedream 5, which is sometimes the better answer
- Keep strength low on faces, or identity drifts
The edit ladder
Canon 8frame prices, a credit is $0.01 at pack rate:
| Tool | Credits | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Flux Edit (FLUX.2 pro) | 7 | Colour, light, texture, small cleanup |
| Kontext Max | 13 | Style change, object change, stronger transformation |
| Smart Edit | 33 | Complex multi-step edits |
| Background removal | 12 | Isolating a subject |
| Generate new instead | Seedream 5, 6 | When you are not keeping much anyway |
Note the last line. Generating a fresh image at 6 credits is cheaper than editing at 13. The reason to edit is that you keep what was already right, which saves the attempts you would otherwise spend getting back to it. If you are changing most of the image, regenerate.
The strength setting
Every image-to-image tool has a control called strength, denoise, or transformation amount, and interfaces explain it badly. It determines how much of your original survives.
- Low, roughly 0.2 to 0.35. Colour, light, texture, minor cleanup. Composition and subject stay exactly.
- Medium, 0.4 to 0.6. Style changes while keeping composition. This is where most good results live.
- High, 0.7 and up. Your image becomes a loose suggestion. You are effectively doing text-to-image with a hint.
The mistake almost everyone makes: setting it high because the result looks more impressive, then losing the thing that made them start from an image.
Start low and increase. The correct setting is the lowest one that achieves the change.
What Kontext Max handles that Flux Edit does not
Style transfer at medium strength. Your photograph rendered as an illustration, keeping the composition.
Object replacement. Changing what something is rather than how it looks.
Text editing. This is the notable one: Kontext Max is the best of the three at changing text inside an existing image, and it is still not dependable. For anything where the words matter, generate a clean plate and set type in your editor.
Larger compositional adjustments while keeping the subject.
Where each rung is correct
Flux Edit at 7: fixing a colour cast, adjusting light, removing a distracting object, cropping, unifying a grade across a set. The workhorse.
Kontext Max at 13: a real change to what is in the image, a style shift, a text correction attempt.
Smart Edit at 33: a multi-step edit where several things change together. Expensive, so reserve it for when the alternative is four separate passes.
The iteration pattern that converges
Edit the result, not the original. Each pass at 7 or 13 credits compounds toward what you want, whereas re-prompting samples the space randomly.
- Base image, 6 credits on Seedream 5.
- Fix one thing, 7 credits, low strength.
- Fix the next thing on that result, 7 credits.
- One stronger change if needed, 13 credits on Kontext Max.
- Upscale once at the end, 13 credits on Clarity.
Five passes and an upscale is about 53 credits, fifty-three cents, and it lands somewhere specific.
Where edits fail
Faces at medium or high strength. Identity drifts. For a real person, keep strength very low or do not edit the face at all.
Precise geometry. A product's exact shape shifts. For product work, low strength only, and check against the real item.
Adding something in an exact position. A masked inpaint handles this better than a global edit.
Text, reliably. Best of a bad set. Plate plus type is the route that works.
FAQ
How much does Kontext Max cost? 13 credits per edit. Flux Edit is 7, Smart Edit is 33.
What strength should I use? The lowest that achieves the change. Start at 0.3.
Can I edit text in an image? Kontext Max is the best option here and still unreliable. Generate a clean plate and set type in your editor.
Should I edit or regenerate? Edit when you are keeping most of the image. Regenerate at 6 credits when you are not.
Lowest strength that works, edit the result not the original. The 8frame canvas is free and unlimited, and generation is paid from $19/month.