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Fable 5 is the best model. Also the priciest.
2026.07.03What's up, Carat crew here. 😄 Today we've got the Anthropic model that tops every test but costs a fortune, a way to make a photo talk without ever turning on a camera, and a prompt that locks your art style no matter the subject. There's also AI writing music beyond the Western scale, plus a prompt that turns your selfie into a black-and-white editorial shoot.
Fable 5 is the best model. Also the priciest.
Anthropic's top model Fable 5 went live worldwide again on the 1st. This time the talk is about cost, not just performance.
One developer had four AIs each build a physics sim, like a toy train tumbling off a broken bridge. Fable 5 came out on top for quality, but it also cost the most to run. One result ran over 5x the price of Opus 4.8.
The list price itself is only about double Opus 4.8. But the harder the task, the more tokens Fable 5 burns to get there, so the real-world gap stretches wider.
📌 3 things worth knowing today
1️⃣ Now your photo can talk, no camera needed
PixVerse just added Lip-Sync to its mobile app. Drop in a photo or video, type your lines, and it makes the mouth move to match.
Type a script and it reads the lines out loud, or upload an audio file, or clone your own voice to drive it. No sitting in front of a camera, so face-on content gets a lot easier to make.
Some users say the free tier adds a watermark and burns credits fast. The upside is PixVerse works on Carat too, so you can make talking-photo videos right away. 👉 Create on Carat
2️⃣ One prompt that keeps your art style locked
A prompt for pinning down your own art style on ChatGPT image is making the rounds. You hand the AI a visual style director role, and it draws anything, a person, a landscape, whatever, in the exact same style.
The style it sets is a quiet, minimalist anime look: low-saturation pastels, barely any outlines, soft shading. Swap the subject and the colors and mood stay the same.
You can pull off the same style with ChatGPT image on Carat. 👉 Create on Carat
3️⃣ AI now makes Arabic traditional music too
A project using Stable Audio to make Arabic traditional music caught people's attention. It landed sounds that live outside the 12 notes of the Western scale.
Arabic music uses tones tucked between the notes we know. AI trained on Western scales struggled with these, so Team Motif retrained Stable Audio on Arabic music data to bring those subtle tones back.
They even built a plugin you can drop straight into your music software, and it won the Stable Audio Challenge against a field of teams.
🧪 Today's prompt
Turn your selfie into a black-and-white editorial shoot
Lee, a local hair designer (@inyeonhair), shared this prompt on Threads. Feed it a single face photo and it turns you into a studio-style black-and-white portrait. Great for salon profiles or social posts.
Here's what we made with it on Carat.
Professional Portfolio Reference Image Analysis
1. MODEL CHARACTERISTICS:
- Age group: Late 20s to early 30s.
- Ethnicity/Nationality: Strictly East Asian, Korean.
- Facial mood: Serene, contemplative, and confident. The subject gazes off-camera to the left in a sharp profile view, with a relaxed jawline and neutral, closed lips.
- Overall styling vibe: High-fashion editorial, sophisticated, mature, and minimalist.
2. SKIN & FACIAL DETAILS:
- Skin tone: Fair with neutral undertones.
- Skin texture & quality: Smooth, satin finish with a natural, healthy glow.
- Highlights & shadows on face: Soft highlights define the bridge of the nose, cheekbone, and chin. Gentle shadows sculpt the jawline and neck.
- Distinctive features: Sharp, elegant jawline and a delicate, straight nose profile.
- Facial structure: Oval face shape with refined, balanced proportions.
3. MAKEUP DETAILS:
- Base/Foundation: Light-to-medium coverage with a natural satin finish.
- Eye makeup: Minimalist style; subtle definition along the upper lash line with a very soft, natural mascara.
- Brows: Neatly groomed, soft, natural arch following the brow bone.
- Cheeks: Barely-there contouring to define the cheekbones under the studio light.
- Lips: Natural lip tone with a soft matte finish.
- Overall makeup style: "No-makeup" makeup look, focusing on clean, natural elegance.
4. CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES:
- Garment type: A tailored, oversized black blazer paired with a matching long, flowing black skirt featuring a high thigh slit.
- Color & shade variations: Deep, solid monochromatic black.
- Fabric & texture: Structured, matte wool-blend suiting fabric for the blazer; fluid, heavy-drape fabric for the skirt.
- Fit & cut: Sharp, padded shoulders on the blazer with a deep V-neckline (worn without an undershirt). The skirt is draped elegantly over the legs.
- Patterns or details: Classic blazer lapels, single-breasted button closure, and flap pockets.
- Accessories: None.
- Styling notes: The look merges masculine tailoring with feminine elegance, creating a powerful, modern silhouette.
5. POSE & BODY LANGUAGE:
- Body position: Seated on a metal folding chair, angled in a three-quarter profile to the left.
- Head tilt: Kept level, turned fully to the left profile.
- Hand placement: Left hand rests elegantly on the backrest of the chair; right arm is relaxed.
- Shoulder positioning: Angled, with the left shoulder slightly raised and pushed back.
- Overall pose mood: Powerful, poised, and statuesque. The legs are crossed at the knees, showcasing long lines and black high-heeled pumps.
6. BACKGROUND & ENVIRONMENT:
- Setting type: Minimalist photo studio.
- Color palette of background: Monochromatic gradient from medium gray to light gray.
- Depth of field: Deep depth of field; both the subject and the chair are sharply defined against the seamless backdrop.
- Visible elements: A simple, industrial metal folding chair.
- Background-subject relationship: The clean, uncluttered background emphasizes the graphic silhouette of the subject.
7. CAMERA ANGLE & LIGHTING:
- Camera angle: Eye-level, positioned slightly to the side to capture the profile and leg line.
- Framing: Full-body portrait.
- Focal length feel: Standard portrait lens (around 85mm) with minimal distortion.
- Lighting type: Studio softbox lighting.
- Light direction: Key light from the front-left, creating a soft gradient across the body and casting a gentle shadow to the right.
- Light quality: Soft, diffused, and highly flattering.
- Shadows & highlights: Smooth transitions between light and shadow, highlighting the contours of the legs and the texture of the clothing.
8. OVERALL MOOD & ATMOSPHERE:
- Emotional tone: Sophisticated, quiet, and strong.
- Photographic style: Fine-art fashion editorial, black and white portraiture.
- Color grading: Classic high-contrast black and white with rich tonal gradations.
- Color palette: Monochromatic (pure black, varied grays, and crisp whites).
- Overall visual impact: Striking and timeless, relying on strong lines, contrast, and elegant composition.
[ASPECT RATIO]
Aspect ratio: 3:4
[QUALITY]
8k, highly realistic, professional black and white portrait photography, clean elegant studio lighting, ultra-detailed skin textures.
Make yours on Carat right now. 👉 Create on Carat
That's it for today. From weighing what top-tier performance is really worth, to photos that talk, to music from beyond the Western scale, plenty to actually try. Catch you tomorrow. 😊
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