The original FLUX.1 Tools lineup exposed four different ways of steering a generated image. Mixing up a mask, an edge map, a depth map and a reference image leads to the wrong tool being chosen.
Original four-tool structure
The Black Forest Labs announcement describes FLUX.1 Fill for masked inpainting and outpainting, Depth for depth-guided structure, Canny for edge-guided structure, and Redux for variation or reference-based recomposition. They were introduced as specialized additions to the FLUX.1 ecosystem, including different API and weight paths. The currently served announcement also includes a deprecation notice for Depth and Canny; without a dated retirement document, this article does not assign that retirement to a precise day at the October 2026 cutoff.
A mask is not a reference
For an inpainting task, mark a region the system may replace. For canvas expansion, define a new border area without pretending the added pixels came from the original camera. Edge conditioning constrains contours, while a depth guide more directly encourages a spatial arrangement. Redux uses an input image as material for variations. These distinctions can be taught with one fictional room illustration: remove a chair with Fill, maintain room depth with Depth, preserve window outlines with Canny or remix style with Redux.
Safe control sequence
Begin with a lawful reference and an untouched export. State what must be preserved, such as the position of a doorway and the proportions of a table. Pick the operation that matches those constraints, then inspect edge seams, mirrored objects, impossible shadows and copied private details. A mask should cover enough neighboring pixels to blend transitions, but not a real-world identifying feature that must remain true. When an output will serve as evidence of a property, report that a synthetic edit has occurred.
Version and retirement cautions
A current BFL Help page uses the term “FLUX Tools” for newer specialized services, which is not identical to this historically documented set. An editor must not import newer endpoint behavior into the original Fill/Redux/Depth/Canny record. For production code, pin the endpoint and checkpoint identifier, date last known working and failure fallback. The living deprecation notice is a strong warning that an old example snippet could break; treat runtime compatibility as review until a timestamped API contract is checked.
Rights, limitations and alternatives
[dev] weights and [pro] API variants can carry different permission obligations. A visually consistent architectural retexture does not prove accurate materials or safe construction advice. Manual masking in a photo editor is an alternative when exact pixel preservation matters; ControlNet and IP-Adapter offer other kinds of conditioning, but a consistent comparison requires actually running them. This article does not claim hands-on tests, regional entitlements or fixed inference costs.
Verification and approval checklist
Research cutoff: 25 October 2026. The dated first-party releases below support the historical capabilities described here; no independent output or application test was performed. Before a live deployment, verify the exact model or interface version, permitted references, commercial license and data-handling terms for the intended region and account. Do not assume a historical launch proves a present-day price, usage allowance, endpoint, export right or support status. Those unresolved fields remain with AI 10, AI 11 and the shared-data QA team. Keep the original prompt and inputs, the selected output, the rejected variants and the person responsible for final image, copy and rights approval.
Reference-image and rights boundary
The described FLUX.1 Tools (2024) workflow (FLUX.1 Tools original 2024 lineup) is based on documentary source material, not an independently generated portfolio or test. A reviewer should compare the exact version and reference controls in the intended interface and clear the rights to every uploaded photo, likeness, logo and final asset. Do not infer guaranteed visual consistency, commercial permission or worldwide availability from a product feature page.
Sources & Further Reading
- FLUX.1 Tools historical release and revisions — Black Forest Labs; original launch page dated 2024-11-01; page also has an undated subsequent deprecation notice; checked for historical scope on 2026-10-25.
- FLUX.1 family announcement — Black Forest Labs; original dated source 2024-08-01; checked for historical scope on 2026-10-25.