Overview
Use the following baseline for an SDXL text-to-image test:
Resolution: 1024 by 1024
Batch size: 1
Seed control: Randomize during exploration; Fixed when an exact image must be regenerated
Steps: 20 for the ordinary example; approximately 5 to 8 for the Lightning example
CFG: 7 or 8
Sampler: Euler for speed, or DPM++ 2M / DPM++ 2M SDE when testing for quality
Scheduler: Karras or Exponential for a quality-oriented test
Denoise: 1.0 for text-to-image from an empty latent
To compare a parameter reliably, fix the seed and leave the remaining settings unchanged. Then alter the setting being evaluated. The workflow's caching behavior will restart execution from the node whose value changed rather than recomputing every unchanged stage.
For rapid exploration, reduce the image dimensions or use a fast sampler. For a Lightning checkpoint, reduce the step count before concluding that the model is slow. For prompt adherence problems, adjust CFG rather than immediately rewriting the entire graph.