Qwen releases Qwen-Image-2.1: unified image generation and editing with open weights

Why it matters

Qwen (@Alibaba_Qwen) announced Qwen-Image-2.1 as an open-weight image model for both generation and editing. The official thread highlights a compact, cost-effective design, transparent-image generation, up to 10 reference images, local-region edits, storyboard generation from three-view references, and improved text/portrait aesthetics.