I put Luma’s new Photon image model to the test with these 7 prompts

Dream Machine from Luma Labs is one of the most powerful AI creation tools on the market and its underlying Photon image model is among the best of its kind. What makes this AI image generator stand out isn’t the image quality or realism but the prompt adherence and collaboration capabilities.

Photon is a creative and personalizable text-to-image model that is significantly cheaper than others offering a similar capability. A new Photon Flash version of the underlying model, coming soon to Dream Machine, makes it even less expensive and allows for high-resolution images in under two seconds.

Cofounder and CEO of Luma Labs, Amit Jain says the model was built to bring an end to the "AI look" and make it something usable by designers, movie makers, photographers and visual thinkers.

The proof of the quality of a model isn’t in the words used to describe it but in its use. So, I’ve come up with several prompts to put Photon the test and shared them below so you can try them for yourself inside Dream Machine.

Creating the prompts

I’ve come up with less descriptive prompts than I’d use for Midjourney or Flux because Photon is designed as a collaboration tool. You start with an idea and it expands on it through the Dream Machine platform.

To put it to the test I’ve mixed realism with creativity. The idea is, to create prompts that are easily adapted to create something closer to the idea in your head.

1. Cityscape at Sunset

Prompt: “A bustling London street at golden hour, with double-decker buses, people in business attire, and the warm glow of the setting sun reflecting off glass skyscrapers.”

For the first prompt I started with a simple city scene. What better place than London, the greatest city in the world. I asked for modern double-decker buses and business people walking across the street. I refined this one several times by going back and using the reply button that lets you converse with Dream Machine.

2. Wildlife in Action

Prompt: “A tiger mid-leap in a dense Indian jungle, with sunlight streaming through the canopy and dust particles visible in the air.”

This image of a tiger mid-leap didn't start out this way. I used the initial prompt but then once loaded I was able to make a few simple changes at the touch of a button using drop down menus linked to keywords.

3. Modern Kitchen Interior

Prompt: “A sleek, minimalist kitchen with white marble countertops, stainless steel appliances, and a bowl of fresh fruit on the island.”

The original version of this had white counters, but that is so boring. I made a few tweaks by asking Dream Machine to make it more rustic, add some terracotta and steel. This was the final result. Now, if only I could afford this kitchen for real.

4. Rainy Day

Prompt: “A cobblestone street in Paris during a rainy afternoon, with people holding colorful umbrellas and a reflection of the Eiffel Tower in a puddle.”

While this is technically photorealistic, there is something beautiful and watercolor-esq about the image. This is one where I took the first result as it captured what I wanted. I'd print this and put it on my wall. Although I'd make some refinements using the reply function to remove some umbrella double-ups.

5. Alpine Landscape

Prompt: “A Swiss mountain village nestled between snow-capped peaks, with wooden chalets and smoke rising from chimneys on a crisp winter morning.”

There is something wonderfully serene about snow, particularly mountain snow. The first version of the image didn't have any Christmas lights or reindeer but I was able to use the reference feature to add festive features. I used the original image with the prompt: "Santa's hometown."

6. Cafe Vibes

Prompt: “A rustic outdoor café in Rome, with cappuccinos on wooden tables, vines hanging over pergolas, and a cat lounging in the corner.”

This is somewhere I'd love to sit and spend the entire day, slowly sipping on an espresso as the world moves in front of me. Not sure about the weirdly large and misshapen cat though.

That is why I like Dream Machine, I'm sharing the original, poor image rather than the finished product. This is where you start, you can then enhance it, adapt any element of it and recreate it.

7. Fantasy Creature

Prompt: “A majestic winged lion standing atop a glowing crystal mountain, with an aurora dancing across the night sky in the background.”

Finally I embraced my more whimsical side by seeing if Luma Photon could create a more "out there" image. In this case my favorite animal, the Lion, stood proud atop a crystal mountain with majestic wings. I was fully ready to have to request changes as I didn't expect it to get it on the first shot — I was wrong.

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