Qwen image generation

Qwen is Alibaba's image-generation family. The orchestrator exposes three invocation paths, covering different versions of the model family:

`engine`	Model	Best for	Notes
`sdcpp` (ecosystem `qwen`)	`20b`	Default — Qwen-Image 20B on Civitai workers	`createImage` / `createVariant` / `editImage`. Version picker (`latest`, `2509`, `2512`, `2511`). LoRA support.
`qwen`	`3.0-pro` … `edit`	The full Alibaba-hosted catalog, including the newest releases	`createImage` / `editImage`. Explicit `width`/`height`. No LoRA support.
`fal`	`qwen2`	The Qwen-Image-2 tier under a stable, FAL-shaped request	`createImage` / `proCreateImage` / `editImage` / `proEditImage`. `imageSize` enum instead of width/height. No LoRA support.

Default choice for new integrations: engine: "sdcpp", ecosystem: "qwen", model: "20b". Reach for engine: "qwen" when you want a model Civitai doesn't host itself — Qwen-Image 3.0 Pro, Max, or the dedicated edit models.

Prerequisites

A Civitai orchestration token (Quick start → Prerequisites)
For editImage / createVariant: one or more source image URLs, data URLs, or Base64 strings

sdcpp — Qwen-Image 20B (default path)

Text-to-image (`createImage`)

http

POST https://orchestration.civitai.com/v2/consumer/workflows?wait=60
Authorization: Bearer <your-token>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "steps": [{
    "$type": "imageGen",
    "input": {
      "engine": "sdcpp",
      "ecosystem": "qwen",
      "model": "20b",
      "operation": "createImage",
      "version": "latest",
      "prompt": "A photorealistic portrait of a woman with flowers in her hair, golden hour lighting, highly detailed",
      "width": 1024,
      "height": 1024,
      "cfgScale": 2.5,
      "steps": 20
    }
  }]
}

Set your Civitai API token via the Token button in the navbar to enable Try It.

Request body — edit to customize (e.g. swap the image URL or prompt)

Valid JSON

Common sdcpp-qwen parameters:

Field	Default	Range	Notes
`model`	— ✅	`20b`	Currently only `20b` is exposed.
`version`	`latest`	`latest` / `2509` / `2512` (create + variant) / `2511` (edit)	Model release snapshot. `latest` follows whichever is current.
`prompt`	— ✅	≤ 10 000 chars	Natural-language works well on Qwen.
`negativePrompt`	(none)	≤ 10 000 chars	Optional.
`width` / `height`	`1024`	`64`–`2048`, divisible by 8	Qwen-Image 20B is trained at 1024². Well-behaved aspect ratios stay near that pixel count. On `editImage` / `createVariant`, width/height are inferred from the source image if omitted; you may still supply them explicitly.
`cfgScale`	`2.5`	`0`–`30`	Lower than most image models — `2`–`4` is the sweet spot.
`steps`	`20`	`1`–`150`	`20`–`30` typical.
`sampleMethod`	`euler`	enum	`SdCppSampleMethod`.
`schedule`	`simple`	enum	`SdCppSchedule`.
`loras`	`{}`	`{ airUrn: strength }`	Stack multiple; `0.6`–`1.0` strengths typical.
`quantity`	`1`	`1`–`12`	Number of images per call.
`seed`	random	int64	Pin for reproducibility.

Picking a `version`

`version`	Available on	Notes
`latest`	all ops	Follows whatever release Civitai is currently pinning to. Recommended unless you need reproducibility against a specific release.
`2509`	all ops	September 2025 release snapshot.
`2512`	create / variant	December 2025 release — latest generation-side release at the time of writing.
`2511`	edit	November 2025 release — edit-specific snapshot.

json

{
  "steps": [{
    "$type": "imageGen",
    "input": {
      "engine": "sdcpp",
      "ecosystem": "qwen",
      "model": "20b",
      "operation": "createImage",
      "version": "2512",
      "prompt": "A majestic mountain landscape at sunrise, cinematic composition",
      "width": 1024,
      "height": 1024,
      "cfgScale": 2.5,
      "steps": 20
    }
  }]
}

Set your Civitai API token via the Token button in the navbar to enable Try It.

Request body — edit to customize (e.g. swap the image URL or prompt)

Valid JSON

Pin to a specific version when you need reproducible output or are comparing generations across a larger experiment; stick to latest for day-to-day use.

With LoRAs

LoRAs are a map of AIR URN → strength:

json

{
  "steps": [{
    "$type": "imageGen",
    "input": {
      "engine": "sdcpp",
      "ecosystem": "qwen",
      "model": "20b",
      "operation": "createImage",
      "prompt": "A detailed anime character in a magical forest, ethereal lighting",
      "width": 1024,
      "height": 1024,
      "cfgScale": 2.5,
      "steps": 20,
      "loras": {
        "urn:air:qwen:lora:civitai:123456@789012": 0.8
      }
    }
  }]
}

Set your Civitai API token via the Token button in the navbar to enable Try It.

Request body — edit to customize (e.g. swap the image URL or prompt)

Valid JSON

Only Qwen-tagged LoRAs work on the qwen ecosystem. Browse the Civitai Qwen LoRA catalog for AIR URNs.

Image-to-image (`createVariant`)

Pass a single source image and a prompt; the model re-imagines it. strength controls how much of the source to preserve — 0.0 returns the source unchanged, 1.0 discards it entirely. Width and height are inferred from the source.

json

{
  "steps": [{
    "$type": "imageGen",
    "input": {
      "engine": "sdcpp",
      "ecosystem": "qwen",
      "model": "20b",
      "operation": "createVariant",
      "prompt": "Turn it into a winter scene with snow falling",
      "image": "https://image.civitai.com/.../source.jpeg",
      "strength": 0.7
    }
  }]
}

Set your Civitai API token via the Token button in the navbar to enable Try It.

Request body — edit to customize (e.g. swap the image URL or prompt)

Valid JSON

Note image is a plain string URL (not a { url: ... } wrapper), and the field is strength (default 0.7).

Edit image (`editImage`)

Pass up to 10 reference images via images[] — Qwen-Image's edit variant accepts more sources than most edit pipelines:

json

{
  "steps": [{
    "$type": "imageGen",
    "input": {
      "engine": "sdcpp",
      "ecosystem": "qwen",
      "model": "20b",
      "operation": "editImage",
      "prompt": "Add a rainbow in the sky",
      "images": [
        "https://image.civitai.com/.../source.jpeg"
      ]
    }
  }]
}

Set your Civitai API token via the Token button in the navbar to enable Try It.

Request body — edit to customize (e.g. swap the image URL or prompt)

Valid JSON

Width/height are inferred from the source image(s) when omitted.

qwen — the Alibaba-hosted catalog

engine: "qwen" reaches Alibaba Model Studio directly, which is where the newest Qwen image models land first. Two operations — createImage and editImage — with the model chosen by model:

json

{
  "steps": [{
    "$type": "imageGen",
    "input": {
      "engine": "qwen",
      "model": "2.0",
      "operation": "createImage",
      "prompt": "A photorealistic portrait of a woman with flowers in her hair, golden hour lighting",
      "width": 1328,
      "height": 1328
    }
  }]
}

Set your Civitai API token via the Token button in the navbar to enable Try It.

Request body — edit to customize (e.g. swap the image URL or prompt)

Valid JSON

Picking a `model`

`model`	Operations	Sizing	`quantity`	Notes
`3.0-pro`	create, edit	512–2048 per side	1–6	Newest generation. Lowest throughput of the family — reserve it for hero shots.
`2.0-pro`	create, edit	512–2048 per side	1–6	Strongest generally-available tier: text rendering, realistic texture, prompt adherence.
`2.0`	create, edit	512–2048 per side	1–6	Default for `createImage`. Accelerated; balances quality and throughput.
`max`	create	5 fixed presets	1	Higher realism, fewer artifacts. Text-to-image only.
`plus`	create	5 fixed presets	1	Cheapest tier; leans artistic, strong at text-in-image.
`edit-max`	edit	512–2048 per side	1–6	Strongest editor — industrial design, geometric reasoning, character consistency.
`edit-plus`	edit	512–2048 per side	1–6	Default for `editImage`. Cheapest editor.
`edit`	edit	not settable	1	Original edit model. Output matches the input image's shape.

max and plus accept only Alibaba's fixed presets — 1664×928, 1472×1104, 1328×1328, 1104×1472, 928×1664. Any other width/height snaps to whichever preset is closest in aspect ratio, so 1024×1024 becomes 1328×1328 rather than erroring.

Omit width and height entirely to let the model choose: on createImage it infers a resolution from the prompt, and on editImage it matches the input image's aspect ratio at roughly 1024².

Parameters

Field	Default	Range	Notes
`prompt`	— ✅	≤ 5 000 chars	Natural-language works well on Qwen.
`negativePrompt`	(none)	≤ 500 chars	Optional.
`width` / `height`	(model chooses)	512–2048 each	See the sizing rules above.
`quantity`	`1`	`1`–`6`, model-dependent	`max`, `plus` and `edit` generate one image per request.
`promptExtend`	`true`	boolean	Model-side prompt rewriting. On by default, and it dominates latency — measured on `3.0-pro` at 2048×1152: 11 s off vs 98 s on. Set `false` to send your prompt verbatim and generate far faster.
`watermark`	`false`	boolean	Adds Alibaba's "Qwen-Image" watermark bottom-right.
`seed`	random	int32	Pin for reproducibility.
`images`	— ✅ on `editImage`	1–3	Referenced in prompts as "Image 1", "Image 2", "Image 3" — order matters.

Text-to-image on the pro tier

json

{
  "steps": [{
    "$type": "imageGen",
    "input": {
      "engine": "qwen",
      "model": "2.0-pro",
      "operation": "createImage",
      "prompt": "An epic fantasy battle scene with dragons, cinematic lighting, intricate details",
      "width": 2048,
      "height": 1152
    }
  }]
}

Set your Civitai API token via the Token button in the navbar to enable Try It.

Request body — edit to customize (e.g. swap the image URL or prompt)

Valid JSON

Edit image (`editImage`)

json

{
  "steps": [{
    "$type": "imageGen",
    "input": {
      "engine": "qwen",
      "model": "edit-plus",
      "operation": "editImage",
      "prompt": "Make it daytime",
      "images": [
        "https://image.civitai.com/.../source.jpeg"
      ]
    }
  }]
}

Set your Civitai API token via the Token button in the navbar to enable Try It.

Request body — edit to customize (e.g. swap the image URL or prompt)

Valid JSON

With multiple references, name them in the prompt — e.g. "Put the jacket from Image 2 on the person in Image 1".

fal — Qwen-Image-2 under the FAL request shape

The commercial Qwen-Image-2 tier, including Pro via the proCreateImage and proEditImage operations, using engine: "fal", model: "qwen2":

json

{
  "steps": [{
    "$type": "imageGen",
    "input": {
      "engine": "fal",
      "model": "qwen2",
      "operation": "createImage",
      "prompt": "A photorealistic portrait of a woman with flowers in her hair, golden hour lighting",
      "imageSize": "square_hd"
    }
  }]
}

Set your Civitai API token via the Token button in the navbar to enable Try It.

Request body — edit to customize (e.g. swap the image URL or prompt)

Valid JSON

Now served by Alibaba

This path executes on Alibaba Model Studio rather than FAL. Nothing about the request, the response, or the price changed — but if you're starting fresh, engine: "qwen" above exposes the same models with explicit dimensions and a wider catalog.

FAL-specific parameters

Field	Default	Range	Notes
`prompt`	— ✅	≥ 1 char	Natural-language works well on Qwen.
`negativePrompt`	(none)	≤ 500 chars	Much tighter limit than sdcpp's 10 000.
`imageSize`	`square_hd`	`square_hd` / `square` / `portrait_4_3` / `portrait_16_9` / `landscape_4_3` / `landscape_16_9`	Enum, not width/height. FAL doesn't accept arbitrary dimensions on Qwen2.
`quantity`	`1`	`1`–`10`	Slightly lower ceiling than sdcpp's 12.
`enablePromptExpansion`	`true`	boolean	Model-side prompt expansion — Qwen rewrites your prompt before generation. On by default.
`enableSafetyChecker`	`false`	boolean	FAL's safety filter. Off by default.
`seed`	random	int32	Pin for reproducibility.

FAL Qwen2 does not support LoRAs or uCache — use the sdcpp path when you need either.

Pro tier (`proCreateImage` / `proEditImage`)

The Pro tier keeps the same input shape but routes to a higher-quality backing model. Swap the operation to proCreateImage for text-to-image or proEditImage for editing:

json

{
  "steps": [{
    "$type": "imageGen",
    "input": {
      "engine": "fal",
      "model": "qwen2",
      "operation": "proCreateImage",
      "prompt": "An epic fantasy battle scene with dragons, cinematic lighting, intricate details",
      "imageSize": "landscape_16_9"
    }
  }]
}

Set your Civitai API token via the Token button in the navbar to enable Try It.

Request body — edit to customize (e.g. swap the image URL or prompt)

Valid JSON

Pro costs more and is slower, but delivers stronger prompt adherence and finer detail. Use for hero shots where quality matters more than throughput.

Edit image (FAL)

FAL's edit operation accepts 1–3 reference images (vs sdcpp's 10):

json

{
  "steps": [{
    "$type": "imageGen",
    "input": {
      "engine": "fal",
      "model": "qwen2",
      "operation": "editImage",
      "prompt": "Make it daytime",
      "images": [
        "https://image.civitai.com/.../source.jpeg"
      ]
    }
  }]
}

Set your Civitai API token via the Token button in the navbar to enable Try It.

Request body — edit to customize (e.g. swap the image URL or prompt)

Valid JSON

Swap to proEditImage for the Pro tier variant.

Reading the result

Both engines emit the standard imageGen output — an images[] array, one entry per quantity:

json

{
  "status": "succeeded",
  "steps": [{
    "name": "0",
    "$type": "imageGen",
    "status": "succeeded",
    "output": {
      "images": [
        { "id": "blob_...", "url": "https://.../signed.jpeg" }
      ]
    }
  }]
}

Blob URLs are signed and expire — refetch the workflow or call GetBlob for a fresh URL.

Runtime

Path	Typical wall time per 1024×1024 image	`wait` recommendation
sdcpp Qwen-Image 20B	15–35 s	`wait=60` usually fine for `quantity: 1`
`qwen`, `promptExtend: false`	10–15 s	`wait=60` usually fine
`qwen`, `promptExtend: true` (default)	60–100 s	Prompt rewriting adds ~60–90 s. Submit with `wait=0` and poll, or turn it off
`fal` Qwen2 (create / edit)	10–30 s	`wait=60` usually fine
`fal` Qwen2 Pro (`proCreateImage` / `proEditImage`)	20–60 s	`wait=60` sometimes; fall back to `wait=0` on busy periods

Large quantity or atypical aspect ratios push toward the 100-second request timeout — submit with wait=0 and poll.

Cost

Billed in Buzz on the workflow's transactions. Use whatif=true for an exact preview; see Payments (Buzz) for currency selection.

sdcpp Qwen-Image 20B — per-pixel + per-step scaling, with editImage carrying a flat higher base:

createImage / createVariant:
  total = 30 × (width × height / 1328²) × (steps / 20) × quantity

editImage:
  total = 40 × (width × height / 1024²) × (steps / 20) × (1 + (numImages − 1) × 0.1) × quantity

Shape	Buzz
`createImage`, 1024²/`steps: 20`/`quantity: 1`	~18
`createImage`, 1328²/`steps: 20`/`quantity: 1`	~30
`createImage`, 1024²/`steps: 20`/`quantity: 4`	~72
`editImage`, 1 ref, 1024²/`steps: 20`	40
`editImage`, 3 refs, 1024²/`steps: 20`	48

Alibaba-hosted models (engine: "qwen") — flat per generated image, no pixel or step scaling:

total = base × quantity

`model`	Buzz per image
`2.0`, `edit-plus`*	45.5 / 39
`plus`	39
`edit`	58.5
`3.0-pro`, `2.0-pro`, `max`, `edit-max`	97.5

* 2.0 is 45.5; edit-plus is 39.

FAL Qwen2 (engine: "fal") — fixed per operation, per image. createImage / editImage are cheapest; proCreateImage / proEditImage cost meaningfully more. Use whatif=true to confirm pricing for your shape.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
`400` with "ecosystem must be qwen"	Typo	Lowercase `"qwen"` — not `"Qwen"` or `"qwen2"` (that's the fal `model`, not the sdcpp ecosystem).
`400` with "version must be one of"	Picked a version that isn't valid for that operation	Edit supports `latest`/`2509`/`2511`; create + variant support `latest`/`2509`/`2512`.
`400` with unexpected "width/height" error on edit/variant	Dimensions conflict with source resolution	Omit `width`/`height`; they auto-populate from the source.
`400` with "imageSize must be one of" on fal	Arbitrary dimensions on the `fal` path	The `fal` path uses the enum — pick `square_hd`, `landscape_16_9`, etc. Use `engine: "qwen"` or the sdcpp path for arbitrary dimensions.
`400` "does not support custom output dimensions" on `engine: "qwen"`	`width`/`height` sent to `model: "edit"`	That model always matches the input image — omit both fields.
`400` "generates at most 1 image(s)"	`quantity > 1` on `max`, `plus` or `edit`	Those models return a single image per request; submit multiple steps instead.
Prompt visibly rewritten before generation	`promptExtend` defaults to `true` on `engine: "qwen"`	Set `promptExtend: false` to send it verbatim.
`400` with "images maxItems"	More than 10 source images on sdcpp `editImage`, or more than 3 on fal `editImage`	Trim the array.
LoRA has no effect	Only the sdcpp path supports LoRAs	Switch to `engine: "sdcpp"`, `ecosystem: "qwen"`.
Output ignores the prompt	`cfgScale` too low (Qwen wants ~2.5, far below SD1/SDXL's 7) or `enablePromptExpansion` rewriting your carefully-tuned text	Bump `cfgScale` toward 4 on sdcpp; set `enablePromptExpansion: false` on fal.
Request timed out (`wait` expired)	Large `quantity`, Pro tier on busy queue	Resubmit with `wait=0` and poll.
Step `failed`, `reason = "blocked"`	Prompt or input image hit content moderation	Don't retry the same input — see Errors & retries → Step-level failures.

SubmitWorkflow — operation used by every example here
GetWorkflow — for polling
Flux 2 / Flux 1 image generation — alternative open-weights families
SDXL / SD1 image generation — classic Stable Diffusion ecosystems
Image upscaling — chain after imageGen for higher-res output
Prompt enhancement — LLM-rewrite a prompt before feeding it in via $ref
Full parameter catalog: the Qwen20b<Operation>Input (sdcpp), QwenApiCreateImageGenInput / QwenApiEditImageGenInput (qwen) and Qwen2<Operation>FalImageGenInput / Qwen2Pro<Operation>FalImageGenInput (fal) schemas in the API reference
imageGen endpoint OpenAPI spec — standalone OpenAPI 3.1 YAML covering the full imageGen surface; import into Postman / OpenAPI Generator

Qwen image generation ​

Prerequisites ​

sdcpp — Qwen-Image 20B (default path) ​

Text-to-image (createImage) ​

Picking a version ​

With LoRAs ​

Image-to-image (createVariant) ​

Edit image (editImage) ​

qwen — the Alibaba-hosted catalog ​

Picking a model ​

Parameters ​

Text-to-image on the pro tier ​

Edit image (editImage) ​

fal — Qwen-Image-2 under the FAL request shape ​

FAL-specific parameters ​

Pro tier (proCreateImage / proEditImage) ​

Edit image (FAL) ​

Reading the result ​

Runtime ​

Cost ​

Troubleshooting ​

Related ​

Qwen image generation

Prerequisites

sdcpp — Qwen-Image 20B (default path)

Text-to-image (`createImage`)

Picking a `version`

With LoRAs

Image-to-image (`createVariant`)

Edit image (`editImage`)

qwen — the Alibaba-hosted catalog

Picking a `model`

Parameters

Text-to-image on the pro tier

Edit image (`editImage`)

fal — Qwen-Image-2 under the FAL request shape

FAL-specific parameters

Pro tier (`proCreateImage` / `proEditImage`)

Edit image (FAL)

Reading the result

Runtime

Cost

Troubleshooting

Related