Firefly has become worst

[Mery_Bonjour8363]

About a month ago, I was using Firefly with no issues. I took a short trip, and now that I’m back, I’m shocked to find that the platform has undergone some really disappointing changes.

1. I can no longer enhance the image quality by spending an extra credit — a feature I regularly relied on.

2. The tool no longer respects the composition or style images. Previously, I could upload a photo of a cat for composition and pair it with an impressionist painting for style, and the result would be that cat rendered in an impressionistic style. Now, it either generates a generic impressionist landscape or a distorted, unrecognizable cat. It feels like the quality has regressed.

3. There are now different versions available — Firefly 3, Firefly 4, etc. When I use Firefly 3, the image quality is noticeably poor. The lines are blurry, as if the model is unsure how to render the image. Firefly 4, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to respect the composition image at all.

Finally, I’m aware there’s now a premium option — but I was already paying for this service. Why am I being asked to pay even more just to get back the features and quality I originally had? I understand paying for new and improved tools, but degrading the core experience and locking the previous functionality behind a higher paywall feels unfair and exploitative.

[droopydog500]

Hello @Mery_Bonjour8363,

Thank you for your message. I will try to address each of your points.

I can no longer enhance the image quality by spending an extra credit — a feature I regularly relied on.

Model 4 does not have an upscale capability because there is no fast mode on Model 4.

• Model 3 fast mode is lower resolution than Model 3 upscaled (or fast mode turned off)
• Model 3 Upscaled is the same resolution as Model 4.

These are not equivalent:

Model 3 fast mode : Model 3 Upscaled, and

Model 4 : Model 4 Ultra

There is not a concept of taking a model 4 image and upscaling it to Model 4 Ultra. Model 4 and Model 4 ultra have the same resolution. The quality of the image is better with Ultra, but the resolution is the same.

The tool no longer respects the composition or style images. Previously, I could upload a photo of a cat for composition and pair it with an impressionist painting for style, and the result would be that cat rendered in an impressionistic style. Now, it either generates a generic impressionist landscape or a distorted, unrecognizable cat. It feels like the quality has regressed. [...] Firefly 4, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to respect the composition image at all.

There appears to be a bug with respect to many reference images. It has been reported to the product team and hopefully we will have a solution to this problem soon. The reference image problems are being tracked in this thread: Problems with composition references not being followed since the release of model 4 [merged thread].

Finally, I’m aware there’s now a premium option — but I was already paying for this service. Why am I being asked to pay even more just to get back the features and quality I originally had? I understand paying for new and improved tools, but degrading the core experience and locking the previous functionality behind a higher paywall feels unfair and exploitative.

Are you talking about Model 4 Ultra as being a premium product? While not everyone's experience has been great, I can tell you for the images I have generated, Ultra 4 has been significantly higher quality than Model 4. That said, I have used Firefly all the way back to Model 1. Every model when released had quality issues as it is hard to test a model in pre-production as well as it is tested when the user community starts using it. The quality issues will be resolved over time. These models are not set in stone. They still change after release. That might not provide immediate comfort to you now. But I wanted to provide as transparent an explanation as possible.

My best,
    droopy

[Mery_Bonjour8363 · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the response and the clarification.

I see now that Model 4 doesn’t have an upscaling option because it already outputs at the higher resolution — that clears up my confusion. Since I didn’t see the upscaling button, I assumed the image quality had dropped, especially in terms of definition, so I’m glad to know that’s not the case.

It’s also good to hear that the issue with reference images has been noticed and is being addressed. I honestly thought it had slipped under the radar, so it’s reassuring to know it's being tracked and will likely be fixed in time.

As for the premium features, I get that Ultra offers higher image quality even if the resolution is the same. I also understand that new models take some time to stabilize, and it’s good to know improvements are on the way.

Appreciate the transparency.

[KindaYo]

Same here! I was happely using it to creat artistic content, now all is flat, bad quality, ready shallow filters..

even when I paid the extra credits (which I find unfare, and a theft) I no longer get the triggers i make, instead 

it takes me to very flat results ignoring my prompts.

[SamarthS]

Hi @KindaYo

Could you share the prompt used and the image generated? Please also try the model 4 for better output. 

Thanks

[Sleevesmith]

Can confirm, its trash now no matter what model you use. I used to be able to input a piece of black and white type and say something like, "render this type in messy charcoal" and it would do a pretty servicable job. Now it just renders generic AI slop no matter what you input. zero control, very disappointing.