The Hexcoded blog

Models

Which model to use, and when. Capability comparisons, per-model guides, and what each one is actually good at for narrative work.

Models
Page 2 of 3
A photographer reviewing three near-identical prints on a light table
Models
Nano Banana Pro vs Nano Banana 2 vs 2 Lite

Same references, same aspect ratios, three different resolution ranges. And the one without "Pro" in the name has the most options.

A film strip held up to the light between two hands, the end frames bright
Models
Which models take a start frame, and which take both

Twelve models interpolate between two anchors. Five take a start frame only, and one has no frames section at all.

A director watching two takes side by side on a split monitor
Models
Kling 3.0 Omni vs Kling 3.0 Turbo

Same duration, same resolutions, same aspect ratios. Two settings differ, and both of them decide the workflow.

One long unbroken horizontal bar beside a row of short segmented bars
Models
When to use a 30-second single take instead of cuts

A long continuous take removes every continuity problem at once, and introduces one that's harder to fix.

Three vertical frames of a speaking figure, each cropped to a different duration bar beneath it
Models
Kling, Seedance or Veo for a dialogue scene?

Three models, three different answers, and the deciding factor is usually duration rather than anything about faces.

Two panels side by side, one showing a batch counter and the other showing the row absent
Models
GPT Image 2 vs GPT Image 1 Mini

Same sixteen references, and that's where the similarity ends. One batches ten at a time — and it isn't the one whose description says so.

A film clapperboard photographed from above, its slate fields replaced with document rule lines and a signature block
Models
Which AI video models can you legally ship a commercial project on?

Every model comparison ranks output quality. None of them rank the risk that a studio's lawyer turns up.

Two input panels feeding into one output frame, with a motion arc drawn between them
Models
What Motion mode does, and when to use it

One pipeline, two mandatory inputs, and a prompt field that must not describe motion. It's the only mode where writing more makes the output worse.

Three panels side by side, the first two identical and the third with a shorter reference row
Models
FLUX.2 Max vs Pro vs Klein 4B

Klein halves the references. Max and Pro are identical on every setting the picker shows, which leaves the descriptions doing all the work.

Four stacked bars of descending length, with one shorter bar carrying an extra marker
Models
Seedance 2.5 vs 2.0 vs 2 Fast vs 2 Mini

Four models, and the flagship isn't the most capable on every axis. One of the cheaper two does 4K and it doesn't.

Two panels side by side, one showing an image icon and the other showing it crossed out
Models
Wan 2.7 vs Wan 2.6

These aren't two versions of the same model. One composes from references; the other restyles footage and won't take an image at all.

Two panels side by side, the newer one with fewer resolution options than the older
Models
Seedream 5.0 Pro vs Seedream 4.5

The newer Pro model caps at 2K. The older one does 4K and generates fifteen at once. Three settings differ and none runs the way the version numbers suggest.

Everything to learn about content creation, in your inbox.

A weekly digest of new posts. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

We’ll only use this for the blog digest. Privacy policy