01 Core Formula
Nano Banana responds well to clear, descriptive prompts. You don't need keyword stuffing — name the subject, the visual style and the lighting, then add one or two scene details. Full sentences beat vague one-word lists.
1.1 The Basic Prompt Formula
Start with three required parts — subject, style and lighting — then add optional scene details. Gemini rewrites your prompt internally, so a coherent sentence gives it more to work with than a scattered list.
[Subject] + [Style] + [Lighting] + optional [Background] [Detail] [Mood]
Subject
The main person, object or scene. Be specific: 'a tabby cat' beats 'a cat'.
Style
The visual treatment: photorealistic, anime, 1970s film still, studio product shot.
Lighting
Golden hour, softbox, neon backlight, overcast window light — light sets the mood fast.
Background
Keep it simple unless the environment is the point.
Detail
One or two telling specifics: texture, color accent, worn edges, shallow depth of field.
Mood
A single emotional word: serene, tense, playful, lonely.
Botanical Still Life
Prompt
A botanical still life of eucalyptus, dried pampas grass and a single pink ranunculus arranged in a matte ceramic vase. Soft natural window light from the left, pale linen backdrop, gentle shadows. Editorial product photography, muted earth tones, high detail.
Subject + style + light in one sentence. Preloaded in Nano Banana 2 at 4:5 / 1K — a cheap way to test the composition.
1.2 Detail, Medium and Surface
Nano Banana is good at material and surface language. Describe what something is made of and how the light hits it and the texture usually follows. Pro gives finer detail the most room to survive.
Oil Painting Landscape
Prompt
An oil painting of a misty mountain lake at dawn, pine-covered slopes reflected in still water, a small wooden rowboat tied to a weathered dock. Visible brushstrokes in the clouds, impasto texture in the foreground reeds. Warm ochre and cool teal palette, cinematic composition.
Preloaded in Nano Banana Pro at 16:9 / 2K / PNG. The Pro tier preserves brushstroke and surface detail better than Lite.
02 Canvas and Aspect Ratios
Nano Banana 2 and Lite support an unusually wide set of aspect ratios, including extreme portrait and landscape formats. Pro drops the wildest extremes and is better for standard publishing crops.
2.1 Choosing a Ratio
Pick the ratio for the publishing channel: 1:1 for feeds, 9:16 for stories, 16:9 for widescreen, 21:9 for cinematic banners. When the channel is flexible, let the subject decide — tall subjects read better in portrait, landscapes in landscape.
Cinematic Wide Banner
Prompt
A panoramic sci-fi cityscape at twilight, sleek towers reflecting violet and amber neon lights, a single hover-cab crossing a rain-slicked bridge. Cinematic concept art, atmospheric haze, 21:9 ultra-wide framing.
Preloaded at 21:9 / 2K / PNG. The 21:9 ratio is available on all three Nano Banana tiers.
2.2 Extreme Aspect Ratios
Nano Banana 2 and Lite add extreme ratios such as 1:4, 1:8, 4:1 and 8:1. These are useful for tall book covers, phone wallpapers or ultra-wide billboard crops. Pro does not support these extremes — switch to 2 or Lite for them.
Tall Book Cover
Prompt
A tall vertical fantasy book cover: a lone hooded figure standing at the entrance of an ancient glowing library, shelves disappearing into darkness above. Magical particles drift in the air, deep indigo and gold palette, painted illustration style, dramatic vertical composition.
Preloaded in Nano Banana 2 Lite at 1:4. Lite is the cheapest way to experiment with extreme portrait crops.
03 Image References and Edits
Nano Banana accepts uploaded images as references. Upload a sketch to turn it into a render, upload several shots of a character to keep design consistent, or hand it a product photo and ask for a new finish.
3.1 Upload and Prompt
The simplest edit: upload one image and describe what you want changed or kept. Gemini processes the input image at high fidelity automatically, so you don't need any extra fidelity switch.
Sketch to Render
Prompt
Turn this pencil sketch into a clean 3D product render of a minimal wireless speaker. Soft studio lighting, matte off-white plastic body, warm fabric grille, rounded corners. Floating at a slight angle on a neutral gray background, subtle reflection underneath.
Upload your sketch image in image-to-image mode. Preloaded in Nano Banana 2 at 1:1 / 2K for a quick, high-quality iteration.
3.2 Multi-Reference Consistency
For character or product consistency, upload multiple reference images and describe the exact pose or angle you want. Nano Banana 2 accepts the most references of the three tiers, so it is the natural choice for consistency work.
Character Turnaround Pick
Prompt
A brave young explorer in a khaki safari jacket, leather satchel and wide-brimmed hat, standing in a jungle clearing. Use the uploaded character references to keep the face, outfit and color scheme consistent. Soft dappled sunlight through the canopy, adventure-storybook illustration style.
Upload 2–4 reference images of the same character. Preloaded in Nano Banana 2 at 1:1 / 1K; the tier accepts up to 14 reference images.
3.3 High-Fidelity Edits
When the input is already a high-resolution photo and you want to preserve that fidelity, use Pro at a larger resolution. Good for product reskins, background swaps on portraits and material changes.
Product Reskin
Prompt
Take the uploaded product photo and change the sneakers to a deep navy suede with off-white sole stitching, keeping the same studio lighting, shadow and camera angle. Premium e-commerce product photography, crisp detail, no extra props.
Upload the original product shot. Preloaded in Nano Banana Pro at 1:1 / 4K / PNG — the settings that best preserve source detail.
04 Quality, Resolution and Output Format
Nano Banana pricing depends on resolution. Use Lite or 1K for fast drafts; reserve 2K and 4K for final assets. Output format matters too: PNG for archival, JPG for smaller files. Lite has no format choice — it always outputs at 1K.
4.1 Draft Cheap and Fast
Lite is the cheapest way to iterate. It outputs at 1K only, but that is already enough to judge composition, style and color direction. Use it for thumbnails, app icons and social posts.
App Icon Exploration
Prompt
A modern app icon for a habit tracker: a friendly paper airplane leaving a dotted loop trail, rounded square icon, soft gradient background in mint and cream. Flat vector style, clean shapes, no text.
Preloaded in Nano Banana 2 Lite at 1:1 / 1K. The cheapest preset in the Nano Banana family.
4.2 Final Resolution: 2K and 4K
When the concept is locked, rerun the winning prompt at the largest resolution you need. 4K is best for hero assets, large prints and crops; 2K is the balanced default for most production work.
Hero Cinematic Frame
Prompt
A cinematic wide shot of a lone astronaut standing on a rust-red Martian ridge at sunset, a small habitat module glowing warm in the valley below. Dust particles catch the golden light, vast alien sky with two small moons. Epic sci-fi concept art, highly detailed, film grain.
Preloaded in Nano Banana 2 at 16:9 / 4K / PNG. The most expensive preset — use it only once the prompt is already tested at a smaller size.
4.3 Output Format
PNG is the default and the safest for further editing. JPG is smaller and works well for web and social use. Lite does not expose a format selector — it always returns the model's default format.
Social Media Photo
Prompt
A candid lifestyle photo of two friends laughing over coffee at a sunlit café, warm wooden table, soft bokeh background. Natural window light, authentic moment, slightly desaturated film look.
Preloaded in Nano Banana 2 at 4:3 / 1K / JPG — a good balance of quality and file size for web and social use.
05 Moderation and Limitations
Nano Banana shares Google's content policies with other Gemini models, plus a few practical limits. Knowing them upfront saves you from surprise blocks and disappointment.
5.1 Content Moderation
All prompts and outputs are filtered. If a request is blocked, the error code is content_rejected — retrying the same prompt won't help.
Fantasy Creature
Prompt
A friendly baby dragon with iridescent scales curled around a stack of old spellbooks in a cozy wizard's attic. Warm candlelight, dust motes, storybook illustration style.
Fantasy and stylized content is usually fine. Avoid requests for realistic violence, gore or sexual content — those will hit the safety filter regardless of artistic framing.
5.2 Text, Layout and Consistency
Nano Banana handles short phrases better than long passages, but text rendering can still drift. Layout-sensitive compositions — precise grids, aligned UI mocks, exact packaging dimensions — are also hard to control. Treat the output as a starting image and plan to refine text in a design tool.
Packaging Flatlay
Prompt
A flatlay product photo of a premium chocolate box, a single open sleeve revealing dark chocolate squares, gold foil accents, scattered cocoa nibs. Soft overhead light, cream marble background, luxury packaging photography.
The layout and product form come out well; any text on the box will likely need to be added or corrected afterward in a design tool.