Mastering Nano Banana: Image Creation and Editing in Geminii

Introduction

Nano Banana is Google’s code name for its latest image model inside Gemini. It can create images from plain text and edit existing photos with simple instructions. You can blend reference images, keep a character or style consistent across a set, apply artistic looks to photos, and refine results in a normal back-and-forth chat. It builds on Google’s Imagen 4 research and brings more control and higher fidelity than earlier tools.

This guide shows you how to access Nano Banana, use it step by step, write effective prompts for common styles, apply it to real work, and understand features, best practice, limits, safety, and pricing.

Getting started

For everyday use in the Gemini app

1. Sign in at gemini.google.com or use the Gemini mobile app.
2. Start a new chat. Tap the Image icon in the prompt bar.
3. Type what you want to see. Attach images if you are editing or blending.
4. Submit. Results appear within seconds.
5. Refine with plain language. For example, “warm the lighting” or “add a red hat.”
6. Download the full-size image. Images are typically up to 1024×1024. Google adds a visible watermark and an invisible SynthID mark.

Free use includes daily limits. Heavier use is available through Google One’s AI plans.

For developers and advanced users

1. Open Google AI Studio or Vertex AI and select the “Gemini-2.5-Flash-Image-Preview” model.
2. Create an API key. Enable billing if you plan to build.
3. Call the model from code with a text prompt and optional image inputs.
4. Store the returned image bytes and serve or save them.

Budget roughly a few cents per standard image. Exact costs vary by plan and size.

Quick setup recap

• Sign in
• Open Gemini or AI Studio
• Choose Image mode or the image model
• Provide prompt and up to three input images
• Submit
• Refine
• Download or share

Writing prompts that work

Nano Banana responds best to clear, descriptive language. Think in full sentences. Specify subject, setting, light, mood, and style.

Photorealism

Treat it like a photography brief.

Prompt

“Create a sharp photograph of a mountain lake at sunrise. Crystal water reflects a pink and orange sky. In the foreground a family of ducks swims. Wide-angle look, natural light, high detail. Soft bokeh in the distance.”

Add camera language if you like: 85 mm portrait, macro, golden hour, HDR detail.

Illustration and art styles

Name the medium and tone.

Prompt

“Generate a watercolor illustration of a medieval hilltop castle. Tall, slightly crooked towers outlined in ink. Pastel blues and greys. Below, tiny villagers working the fields. Gentle storybook mood.”

Swap watercolor for oil painting, pencil sketch, comic book, anime, pixel art, and so on.

Surreal and fantasy

Combine unexpected elements and set the mood.

Prompt

“Produce a surreal scene with a giant banana-shaped hot air balloon drifting above a futuristic city. Neon buildings with curved, organic lines. Two moons in the sky. Paint as sci-fi concept art with dramatic light and high detail.”

Follow with “Make it more dreamlike” if you want to push it further.

Logos and graphic marks

Keep it concise and structured.

Prompt

“Create a modern minimalist logo for a coffee shop named ‘Java Haven’. Simple cup icon. Rising steam suggests a house roof. Warm brown and cream palette. Place ‘Java Haven’ under the icon in a clean, bold font.”

Short text works best. Plan to tidy typography in a vector tool if needed.

Prompt tips in one line

Lead with a verb, describe subject and scene, state style, control light and camera, and keep any in-image text short.

Practical use cases

Marketing and advertising

• Generate lifestyle shots for product concepts
• Mock up ads and social posts in a consistent style and palette
• Place brand marks into scenes for quick comps

Storyboarding and visual storytelling

• Visualize scenes from a script in minutes
• Keep a character consistent within a session by reusing a reference image
• Iterate poses, lighting, and camera angles while you write

Education and course building

• Create custom diagrams and scene illustrations to match your lesson
• Switch between photoreal images and schematic drawings to aid clarity

Interior and architecture concepts

• Re-dress a room from a photo with new furniture and color
• Explore multiple decor styles side by side for client choices

Key features at a glance

• Text-to-image for photos, art, icons, and diagrams
• Text-driven edits of uploaded images, from object changes to background swaps
• Multi-image blending for composition and style transfer with up to three inputs
• Style transfer by reference image or by description
• Conversational refinement that remembers context in a session
• Improved text rendering for short titles, labels, and simple logos

Best practices

1. Be specific. Describe subject, light, palette, mood, and camera.
2. State intent. “For a children’s book cover” or “for a product hero image” helps.
3. Iterate. Start simple, then adjust one variable at a time.
4. Stage complex scenes. “First the background forest. Then add a knight. Finally, give the knight a glowing sword.”
5. Phrase positives. Describe what should be present rather than “no X.”
6. Control framing. Say close-up, wide shot, portrait, rule of thirds, or 16:9.
7. Use style keywords wisely. High detail, cinematic lighting, impressionist, cyberpunk, pencil sketch.
8. Experiment. Re-run prompts with small changes and save your best seed images.

Limits and what to expect

• Style variance. Niche styles may need retries or a reference image.
• Text in images. Short words work. Long paragraphs do not.
• Character consistency. Best within a session using a reference. Save your anchors.
• Aspect ratios and counts. Treat exact ratios and large object counts as guidance, not guarantees.
• Input caps. Up to three input images work best.
• No video input or output. Still images only.
• Occasional artifacts. Correct with a follow-up prompt or regenerate.

Safety and policy

• Content rules block explicit, violent, hateful, or illegal prompts.
• Watermarking uses SynthID and a visible mark for transparency.
• Copyright. Use outputs responsibly. Avoid requests for protected characters and marks.
• Privacy. Do not generate or edit identifiable people without consent. Extra care with images of minors.
• Bias. If you see a skewed result, adjust the prompt and report issues with feedback tools.

Access and pricing

• Consumers. Use the Gemini app for free with daily limits. Google One AI plans raise limits and unlock advanced models.
• Developers. Use AI Studio or Vertex AI with pay-as-you-go pricing. Expect a few cents per standard image, with plan and size variation. Monitor usage and set budget alerts.

Sample prompt kit

Copy, tweak, and reuse.

Product lifestyle

“Photograph of a stainless steel thermal bottle on a snowy ridge at blue hour. A trekker’s gloved hand holds it. Breath mist visible. Shallow depth of field. Subtle brand mark on the bottle. 16:9 horizontal.”

Course diagram

“Flat diagram of the water cycle for a classroom poster. Clear labels for evaporation, condensation, precipitation, collection. Simple shapes, high contrast, clean sans serif titles. White background.”

Storyboarding frame

“Concept art frame of the same heroine as image 1. Night street in a neon city. She runs down an alley chased by two small drones. Wet ground reflections. Three-quarter angle. Dynamic motion blur.”

Interior redress

“Edit this living room photo to mid-century modern style. Low teal sofa, walnut coffee table, sunburst clock, geometric rug, warm lamp glow.”

Logo seed

“Flat icon logo of a shield with a lightning bolt. Blue and white palette. No text. Clean, balanced proportions.”

Surreal poster

“Surreal banana-shaped hot air balloon above a glowing cityscape with two moons. Cinematic lighting. Title at top: ‘Skyward Fruit’. Minimal, legible type.”

Clear answer

You can use Nano Banana inside Gemini to generate and edit images from natural language, blend up to three inputs, keep style or character consistency within a session, and refine through conversation. For everyday use, start in the Gemini app. For development, use AI Studio or Vertex AI and call the “Gemini-2.5-Flash-Image-Preview” model. Write prompts in full sentences that specify subject, light, style, and framing. Iterate. Keep safety, limits, and cost in mind.

How this method works, step by step

1. Choose your workspace: Gemini app or AI Studio.
2. Set the task: new image or edit.
3. Prepare inputs: text prompt plus up to three reference images.
4. Describe the scene with concrete details and a style.
5. Generate once to get a base.
6. Refine with short follow-ups that change one variable at a time.
7. Export the keeper and, if needed, retouch type or vectors in a design tool.
8. Save anchor images for character or style consistency next time.

Alternative angles you might try

• Build a small “prompt library” for your brand styles and reuse them across campaigns.
• Start each project with three rough looks: photoreal, flat illustration, and painterly, then pick a lane.
• Pair Nano Banana with a vector tool for perfect logos and polished typography.
• Use a reference-first workflow. Generate a strong character or product angle once and reuse it as a seed for all later shots.

Action plan

1. Open Gemini and generate one photoreal scene and one illustration using the sample prompts.
2. Upload a room photo and run the interior redress edit.
3. Create a simple brand icon with the logo seed, then clean it in your vector editor.
4. Save your three best outputs as references.
5. Build a one-page prompt sheet with your preferred style words, lighting terms, and aspect ratios.
6. For development use, create an API key in AI Studio and run one code call to the image endpoint.
7. Set a light budget and usage alert if you plan to generate at scale.

Happy creating with Nano Banana.