Gemini’s image models
Nano Banana is the name for Google DeepMind’s family of Gemini image generation and editing models. Beyond producing an image from text, it supports editing part of a reference image, combining elements from several images, and refining a result through conversation.
The name began as a nickname for Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, and as the lineup grew it became the brand for Gemini’s image capabilities overall.
The four models
- Nano Banana 2 Lite: lightweight, prioritizing speed and low cost
- Nano Banana 2: the general-purpose model, balancing quality and speed
- Nano Banana Pro: higher quality, aimed at complex instructions, text, and diagrams
- Nano Banana: the original, built on Gemini 2.5 Flash Image
Nano Banana 2 for everyday work such as blog images, 2 Lite for producing many images quickly, and Pro for brand assets and infographics is a workable division.
What it is good at
Nano Banana combines Gemini’s ability to understand an image with its ability to generate one, which makes conversational editing its strength: keep the person, change the background; make this product blue.
Newer models improved high-resolution output, text rendered inside images, handling of multiple reference images, and consistency of people and products. Availability through Google AI Studio and the Gemini API also makes it suitable for building into your own applications.
Compared with ChatGPT Images
ChatGPT Images is strong on convenience — generating and revising an image within the flow of a conversation. Nano Banana runs in Google’s Gemini environment and lets you pick a model along the speed-to-quality range.
Both support conversational generation and editing, and neither is universally better. Choose by which assistant you already use, how many reference images you need, how fast it has to be, and whether you are building against an API.
Cautions
Generated images can look convincing while getting text, maps, or product details wrong. Even with a model that can consult Google Search, check before publishing. Images generated or edited with Nano Banana carry a SynthID watermark identifying them as AI-produced.
Model names and terms change quickly, so when you see only “Nano Banana”, confirm which generation and model is meant.