Flux 1 + LightningAI + ComfyUI : Use FLUX-1 for FREE without GPU! (Flux-1 Schnell Installation)

AICodeKing
7 Aug 202408:27

TLDRThis video introduces Flux 1, a new text-to-image model by Black Forest Labs, which has gained attention as an open-source alternative to Stable Diffusion 3. Flux 1 offers a pro model, a dev model, and a schel model, with the latter being fully open source and suitable for both personal and commercial use. The video demonstrates how to use Flux 1 for free through hosted demos and by setting it up with ComfyUI on Lightning AI, a platform that provides a free tier with GPU support. Viewers learn how to generate images with simple prompts, highlighting Flux 1's ease of use and quality in comparison to other models.

Takeaways

  • 😀 Stable Diffusion 3's launch was controversial due to its restrictive license and the departure of its founders.
  • 🔄 Flux-1 is a new text-to-image model created by the founders who left Stability AI to form Black Forest Labs.
  • 🚀 Flux-1 offers three models: Pro, Dev, and Schel, with the Pro model being the best but only available via API and not open source.
  • 💡 The Dev model is open source but limited to personal use under a non-commercial license, while the Schel model is fully open source and suitable for both personal and commercial use.
  • 🌟 The Schel model is highly praised for its ability to generate high-quality images with simple prompts and is considered better than Stable Diffusion 3.
  • 🆓 Users can try Flux-1 for free using hosted demos or by setting it up with ComfyUI and Lightning AI.
  • 🔎 Replicate Flux Schnell can be accessed via Google search and allows users to generate images with simple prompts for free.
  • 💻 To gain full control, ComfyUI can be set up locally but requires a powerful GPU, or alternatively, can be used through Lightning AI's free tier.
  • 🔗 Lightning AI offers a VS Code interface with terminal, providing a GPU-enabled computer experience with a free tier of 22 hours per month.
  • 🛠️ The tutorial guides users through setting up ComfyUI with Flux-1 on Lightning AI, including downloading the model and configuring the workflow.
  • 📸 Once set up, users can generate images with custom prompts and resolutions, and even perform image-to-image transformations using different workflows.

Q & A

  • What was the initial reaction to the launch of Stable Diffusion 3?

    -The launch of Stable Diffusion 3 was not well received due to its restrictive license that allowed it to be used only for personal use, and the departure of the founders from the company, which led to a change in vision.

  • Who are the founders of Flux-1 and what is their connection to Stability AI?

    -Flux-1 is created by the founders who left Stability AI to form their own company, Black Forest Labs.

  • What are the three models released by Black Forest Labs in Flux-1?

    -The three models released are the Pro model, the Dev model, and the Schel model, with the Pro model being the best but only available via API, the Dev model being open source but for personal use only, and the Schel model being fully open source for both personal and commercial use.

  • Why is the Schel model of Flux-1 considered a good alternative to Stable Diffusion 3?

    -The Schel model is considered a good alternative because it is fully open source with an Apache 2 license, making it usable for both personal and commercial use, and it does not require very detailed prompts to generate high-quality images.

  • How can one try Flux-1 for free without any GPU requirements?

    -One can try Flux-1 for free using hosted demos like Replicate, or by setting it up with ComfyUI and using Lightning AI, which provides a free tier with GPU support and persistent storage.

  • What is ComfyUI and how does it relate to Flux-1?

    -ComfyUI is a user interface that can be configured to work with the Flux-1 Schel model, allowing users to generate images with more control and without the need for a powerful GPU.

  • What is Lightning AI and how does it differ from Collab?

    -Lightning AI is a platform similar to Collab but provides a VS Code interface with terminal access, essentially offering a computer with a GPU. It has a free tier with 22 hours of usage per month and persistent storage.

  • How can one access the free tier of Lightning AI?

    -To access the free tier of Lightning AI, one needs to sign up, go to the studio templates option, search for ComfyUI, and follow the steps to create a new studio and set up the environment.

  • What is the purpose of the 'wget' command used in setting up ComfyUI with Flux-1 on Lightning AI?

    -The 'wget' command is used to download the model from a provided URL, ensuring that the latest version of the Flux-1 Schel model is installed for use with ComfyUI.

  • How does the process of generating an image with Flux-1 through ComfyUI differ from using Stable Diffusion?

    -With Flux-1 and ComfyUI, users can generate images with simpler prompts compared to Stable Diffusion, which often requires more detailed prompts. Flux-1 is also noted for generating images that are on par with mid-journey quality.

  • What are the additional features or capabilities of ComfyUI that can be utilized with Flux-1?

    -ComfyUI allows for image generation with various settings such as resolution, steps, and other parameters. It also supports different workflows for image-to-image transformations, which can be found and downloaded from the internet.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Introduction to Flux: An Open-Source Text-to-Image Model

This paragraph introduces the audience to Flux, a new text-to-image model developed by the founders of Stability AI who left to form Black Forest Labs. Flux has generated significant interest due to its open-source nature and high-quality image generation capabilities. The paragraph discusses three models: Pro, Dev, and Schel, with the Pro model being the best but only available through API, the Dev model being open source but with a non-commercial license, and the Schel model being fully open source with an Apache 2 license, suitable for both personal and commercial use. The Schel model is highlighted for its ability to generate high-quality images with simple prompts, making it an attractive alternative to Stable Diffusion 3.

05:01

🔧 Setting Up Flux with Comfy UI and Lightning AI for Free Image Generation

The second paragraph provides a step-by-step guide on how to use Flux for free image generation. It starts with using the free hosted demo on Replicate to generate an image with a simple prompt. The guide then moves on to setting up Comfy UI with Lightning AI, which offers a free tier with 22 hours of GPU usage per month and persistent storage. The process involves signing up for Lightning AI, setting up a studio with Comfy UI, downloading the Flux model, and configuring the workflow. The paragraph concludes with instructions on how to generate an image using Comfy UI, emphasizing the ease of use and the ability to create high-quality images with simple prompts. The author also shares their personal experience with Flux, recommending it over other models like Mid Journey.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Flux-1

Flux-1 is a text-to-image model released by Black Forest Labs, the company formed by the founders who left Stability AI. It has gained significant attention due to its open-source nature and high-quality image generation capabilities. In the video, Flux-1 is presented as an alternative to Stable Diffusion 3, which faced backlash due to its restrictive license. The script mentions different models of Flux-1, including the Pro, Dev, and Schel models, with the latter being fully open source and suitable for both personal and commercial use.

💡Stable Diffusion 3

Stable Diffusion 3 is a text-to-image model that faced criticism upon its release due to a license that restricted its use to personal use only. The video script discusses the negative reception of Stable Diffusion 3 and how it was overshadowed by the release of Flux-1. The script contrasts the two models, highlighting the more permissive licensing and better performance of Flux-1.

💡Black Forest Labs

Black Forest Labs is the company founded by the team that left Stability AI. They are responsible for the development of Flux-1. The video script positions Black Forest Labs as a key player in the AI-generated image space, offering a more open and flexible alternative to existing models like Stable Diffusion 3.

💡ComfyUI

ComfyUI is a user interface for interacting with AI models like Flux-1. It allows users to input prompts and generate images without the need for a powerful GPU, as it can be run on platforms like Lightning AI. The script demonstrates how ComfyUI can be set up and used to generate images with Flux-1, emphasizing its ease of use and accessibility.

💡Lightning AI

Lightning AI is a platform that provides a GPU-accelerated environment for running AI models, similar to Collab but with a VS Code interface. The video script recommends Lightning AI as a way to use ComfyUI and Flux-1 for free, taking advantage of its free tier that offers a significant amount of GPU hours per month.

💡Replicate

Replicate is a service mentioned in the script for trying out Flux-1 for free. The video instructs viewers to search for 'replicate flux Schnell' to access a free hosted demo of Flux-1, allowing them to generate images using simple prompts without any initial setup.

💡API

API, or Application Programming Interface, is a set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. In the context of the video, the Pro model of Flux-1 is only available via their API, meaning users must interact with the model through this interface rather than downloading and running it locally.

💡Non-commercial License

A non-commercial license restricts the use of a product, in this case, the Dev model of Flux-1, to personal use only and does not allow for commercial exploitation. The script explains that while the Dev model is open source, it can only be used locally and not for commercial purposes.

💡Apache 2 License

The Apache 2 License is an open-source license that allows for the free use, modification, and distribution of software, with certain conditions. The Schel model of Flux-1 is mentioned as being fully open source under this license, making it usable for both personal and commercial use without the restrictions of the non-commercial license.

💡Prompt

In the context of AI-generated images, a prompt is a text input that describes the image the user wants to create. The video script highlights that Flux-1 does not require very detailed prompts, unlike Stable Diffusion, and can generate high-quality images from simple text descriptions provided by the user.

💡Collab

Collab, likely referring to Google Colaboratory, is a cloud-based Jupyter notebook environment that provides free access to computing resources, including GPUs. The script mentions Collab but suggests Lightning AI as a preferred alternative due to its interface and features.

Highlights

Introduction of Flux 1, a new text-to-image model by Black Forest Labs, the founders who left Stability AI.

Comparison of Flux 1 to Stable Diffusion 3, emphasizing the latter's controversial license and founder departure.

Release of three models: Pro, Dev, and Schel, with varying levels of quality and licensing.

Pro model's excellence but limited availability through API and non-open source nature.

Dev model's open-source status with a non-commercial license and slightly lower quality.

Schel model's full open-source capability under the Apache 2 license for personal and commercial use.

Schel model's ability to generate high-quality images with simple prompts, unlike Stable Diffusion.

Tutorial on using Flux 1 for free through hosted demos and Lightning AI.

Instructions on accessing free Flux 1 demo via Google search and Replicate.

Demonstration of generating an image with a simple prompt on the Flux 1 demo.

Advantages of using Comfy UI for full control over image generation without limits.

Lightning AI as an alternative to Collab, offering a VS Code interface with GPU and persistent storage.

Step-by-step guide on setting up Comfy UI with Flux 1 on Lightning AI, including signing up and accessing templates.

Process of updating Comfy UI to the latest version and installing dependencies via terminal commands.

Downloading the Flux 1 model using a provided URL and terminal commands.

Customization of Comfy UI's start file for local hosting and accessing the UI through a custom port.

Tutorial on setting up the Comfy UI workflow for Flux 1 using metadata images provided by Comfy UI.

Generating an image with Comfy UI using a simple prompt and customizing resolution and steps.

Flexibility of Comfy UI for various image generation tasks, including image-to-image workflows.

Personal endorsement of Flux 1 for its ease of use and quality of generated images, suggesting it as an alternative to Mid Journey.

Call to action for viewer engagement, donations, memberships, and subscription to the channel.