Nano Banana vs Nano Banana 2 for Image Generation
Nano Banana 2 is the stronger pick for typography, anatomy, structured graphics, reference-based edits, and relighting in this run. Nano Banana is the better fit for restrained product work, precise counting and attribute binding, and lower credit use, while some editing and outpainting tasks ended in ties.
Side-by-side facts
| Feature | Nano Banana | Nano Banana 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | ||
| Availability on Banana Pie | Available now | Available now |
| Credits from | 20 credits | 40 credits |
| Max resolution | — | 4K |
| Reference images | Up to 8 | Up to 8 |
Scenario by scenario
Both models ran the identical prompt under our fixed suite - the images are the published runs, shown exactly as generated.
Product material and lighting
Better here: Nano BananaLeft follows the requested restrained product setup more closely, especially in its simpler reflection and more coherent lighting behavior.
- Exactly one transparent rectangular perfume bottle is visible, with no text, logo, or extra objects: Left does better. It shows one clearly defined bottle and no visible text, logo, or unrelated objects; Right also has no visible text or logo, but its pronounced bottle-shaped reflection to the right can read as a second bottle rather than one subtle reflection.
- The bottle is visibly filled halfway with amber liquid: Tie. Both bottles visibly contain amber liquid with the liquid line close to the midpoint of the main rectangular body.
- The glass refraction and the reflection on the wet black stone are physically coherent: Left does better. Its glass edges, amber transmission, and downward reflection broadly align with the bottle, while Right shows a displaced upright bottle-shaped reflection to the right and unusually strong projected amber streaks that are less coherent.
- Upper-left lighting produces consistent highlights and a plausible contact shadow: Left does better. Its upper-left highlights and shadow extending down and right are consistent, with a clear contact point at the base; Right has the same general direction but more complicated, less natural-looking shadow and caustic patterns.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
A premium product photograph of exactly one transparent rectangular perfume bottle, half filled with amber liquid, standing upright on wet black stone. Light comes from the upper left, creating coherent refraction, a contact shadow, and one subtle reflection. No text, logo, plants, or extra objects.
Multilingual typography
Better here: Nano Banana 2Right wins because it reproduces all four requested lines exactly while preserving the specified colors and centered layout. Left follows the overall format but misspells the Chinese line as "月光佈籃".
- Exactly four centered text lines and no additional text: Tie. Both posters visibly contain four centered lines with no extra text.
- Exact wording and order: Right does better. Right reads exactly "MOONLIGHT MARKET", "月光市集", "18 OCT", and "RIVER HALL" in order; left instead renders the second line as "月光佈籃".
- Required colors: Tie. Both render their Chinese line in red and the other three lines in black.
- Legibility, spacing, and alignment: Right does better. Both are clear and centered, but right presents the requested characters cleanly and has more consistent typographic styling; left's malformed Chinese line reduces legibility despite otherwise orderly alignment.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Design a clean cream-colored vertical event poster. Show exactly four centered text lines and no other text: "MOONLIGHT MARKET", "月光市集", "18 OCT", and "RIVER HALL". Render "月光市集" in red and all other lines in black.
Human anatomy and contact
Better here: Nano Banana 2RIGHT more clearly satisfies the anatomy and contact requirements, especially by keeping the two hands visually separate and making the shaping technique easy to read.
- Exactly two fully visible hands: RIGHT does better; it shows two clearly separated hands belonging to one visible potter, with no extra hands or people. LEFT also shows only two hands, but they overlap heavily, obscuring their outlines.
- Five distinct, naturally formed fingers: RIGHT does better; five fingers can be distinguished on the lower hand, and the upper hand's finger arrangement is substantially clearer. In LEFT, the overlapping hands and clay bowl obscure multiple digits, so five distinct fingers per hand cannot be verified.
- Anatomically plausible contact: RIGHT does better; the upper fingers shape the bowl's interior while the lower hand supports the exterior, with plausible joints and contact. LEFT's tightly merged, overlapping fingers make the anatomy and division between the hands less convincing.
- Recognizable pottery action: RIGHT does better; the clay bowl, rotating wheel, potter, and coordinated interior/exterior shaping action are all immediately clear. LEFT clearly shows a bowl and wheel, but the overlapping hands make the shaping action less legible.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
A photorealistic close-up of an adult potter shaping a clay bowl on a spinning wheel. Both hands are fully visible, each with five natural fingers touching the clay. No other people or hands. Soft window light.
Counting and attribute binding
Better here: Nano BananaLEFT follows the prompt more completely because it avoids the additional background objects visible in RIGHT, while still satisfying the requested counts, arrangement, colors, shapes, materials, and handle direction.
- Object count and placement: tie; both images visibly show exactly three red cubes in a row on the left, two blue spheres on the right, and one yellow mug centered behind them.
- Color, shape, and material binding: right does better; both bind the requested colors and shapes correctly, but the right image shows clearer wood grain on the cubes, glass transparency in the spheres, and a visibly ceramic mug surface.
- Mug handle direction: tie; in both images, the mug handle is clearly on and pointing toward the right.
- No additional objects or text: left does better; the left image contains only the requested objects and no visible text, while the right image includes additional background items, notably a potted plant. No text is visible in either image.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
On a matte gray table, exactly three red wooden cubes form a row on the left, exactly two blue glass spheres sit on the right, and one yellow ceramic mug stands centered behind them. The mug handle points right. No other objects or text.
Advertising composition
Better here: Nano Banana 2Right has the clearer lower-right shoe placement and stronger separation among the required elements, while Left handles the empty top area more faithfully. Both add the forbidden shoe text "AERO". Right has a narrow overall edge.
- Exactly one silver shoe and orange trail: Right does better. Both show one silver shoe and a trail entering from the bottom-left, but Right keeps the shoe more clearly concentrated in the lower-right; Left's shoe extends substantially toward the lower-left.
- Visible text: Tie. Left visibly renders "RUN LIGHT", "42", "KM", and "AERO"; Right also visibly renders "RUN LIGHT", "42", "KM", and "AERO". Both spell the required wording correctly, but both violate the restriction by adding "AERO" on the shoe.
- Top spacing and headline: Left does better. Its upper area is clearly empty and "RUN LIGHT" sits directly below that space in the upper-left. Right also leaves space above the headline, but the empty band appears shallower and the headline begins closer to the top.
- Visibility and hierarchy: Right does better. Its headline, shoe, trail, and round "42 KM" badge are all distinct and fully visible. On Left, the badge overlaps and obscures part of the shoe, making the required elements less clearly separated.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Create a vertical social ad for a fictional running shoe named AERO. Keep the top 15 percent empty. Directly below it, place the headline "RUN LIGHT" in the upper-left. Show exactly one silver shoe in the lower-right, an orange trail curving from the bottom-left, and a round badge reading "42 KM". No other shoes or text.
Structured UI graphic
Better here: Nano Banana 2RIGHT follows the requested structure more precisely. LEFT adds plan values and fails to preserve the exact row labels in two columns.
- Title and columns: Tie. Both render the exact title "CHOOSE YOUR PLAN" and exactly three columns labeled "STARTER", "PRO", and "TEAM".
- Rows: Right does better. Each right column contains exactly the three aligned labels "PROJECTS", "STORAGE", and "SUPPORT". Left adds values to several labels and replaces the PRO and TEAM support labels with "Priority Email" and "24/7 Live Chat".
- Buttons: Tie. Both show exactly one blue button labeled "SELECT" in each column.
- Alignment and additional text: Right does better. Its three columns are evenly sized and aligned with no extra text. Left includes additional plan details such as "PROJECTS: 5", "STORAGE: 10GB", "SUPPORT: Email", "PROJECTS: 25", "STORAGE: 100GB", "Priority Email", "PROJECTS: Unlimited", "STORAGE: 1TB+", and "24/7 Live Chat".
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Create a clean horizontal pricing comparison graphic titled "CHOOSE YOUR PLAN". Use exactly three equal columns labeled "STARTER", "PRO", and "TEAM". Under each column, show exactly three aligned rows labeled "PROJECTS", "STORAGE", and "SUPPORT", followed by one blue button labeled "SELECT". White background, dark navy text, no additional columns or text.
Six-reference object binding and edit
Better here: Nano Banana 2RIGHT has the clearer dark navy mug and fully visible folded striped napkin. The remaining object substitutions are comparably complete, while exact base-scene preservation cannot be verified from the provided outputs alone.
- Mug and napkin replacement: RIGHT does better. Its mug is visibly dark navy-blue across the full exterior, and its green-and-white striped napkin is clearly folded and fully visible; LEFT's mug is mostly seen from above with a cream-colored interior, while the napkin is partly cropped.
- Orange and notebook replacement: Tie. Both show exactly one orange and one mustard-yellow hardcover notebook, with no visible green pear or blue notebook. The exact reference appearance and original positions cannot be confirmed without the source images.
- Two-lemon addition: Tie. Both show exactly two lemons positioned to the right of the mug, with no additional fruit or obvious duplicated objects.
- Base-scene preservation: Cannot be reliably assessed because Reference 1 is not shown. The outputs visibly use substantially different camera angles, framing, wood appearance, lighting, and shadows, but there is no source image here to determine which one preserves the base scene more accurately.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Use Reference 1 as the base tabletop scene. Replace the red mug with the exact dark navy-blue mug from Reference 2 in the same position and orientation. Replace the folded white towel with the exact green-and-white striped napkin from Reference 3 in the same folded area. Replace the green pear with exactly one orange from Reference 4 in the same position. Replace the blue notebook with the exact mustard-yellow hardcover notebook from Reference 5 in the same position. Add exactly the two lemons from Reference 6 to the right of the mug. Preserve the wooden table, camera, framing, wood grain, lighting, shadows, and all other spatial relationships from Reference 1. Do not copy the white product backgrounds from References 2–6, duplicate any asset, or add other objects.
In-image text replacement
Depends on the taskBoth outputs satisfy the visible text-edit requirements equally well. Any difference in preservation fidelity is not verifiable from the outputs alone.
- Exact text and removal: Tie. Both signs visibly read exactly "NIGHT OWL", with no visible remnants of earlier lettering.
- Additional or malformed characters: Tie. Both render only "NIGHT OWL" with complete, clearly formed letters and no extra marks.
- Font, spacing, and perspective preservation: Tie. Both use clean uppercase sans-serif lettering aligned convincingly with the sign's perspective; preservation against the original cannot be assessed because the original image is not shown.
- Material, lighting, and scene preservation: Tie. Both signs retain visible dark painted-wood texture and consistent shadows and sunlight, but whether either surrounding scene is unchanged from the original cannot be assessed without the source image.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Replace only the sign text with exactly "NIGHT OWL". Preserve the original font style, spacing, perspective, sign material, lighting, and everything else.
Multi-reference identity and garment transfer
Better here: Nano Banana 2RIGHT has the edge because it visibly preserves the requested sleeve-patch feature, while both outputs otherwise provide similarly coherent garment replacement. Confidence is low because the source references needed to verify exact identity and jacket fidelity are not included.
- Identity preservation: tie. Reference 1 is not shown, so exact facial identity, expression, hair, pose, body proportions, and framing preservation cannot be verified; the two outputs visibly differ somewhat in facial features and framing, but neither can be established as more faithful.
- Jacket match: right does better. Both show a light-blue denim jacket with a cream fleece collar, metal buttons, and flap chest pockets, but RIGHT also visibly includes a red rectangular sleeve patch; LEFT shows only a small red tab near the chest pocket. Reference 2 is not shown, so exact material, color, and construction fidelity cannot be fully assessed.
- Black jacket replacement: tie. Both visibly replace the black suit jacket with a denim jacket, and neither includes a ghost mannequin or white product background.
- Physical coherence: tie. Both integrate the hands, sleeves, garment folds, shadows, and scene lighting plausibly. Minor differences in cuff and front-panel fit are visible, but neither has a clear coherence defect.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Use the portrait in Reference 1 for the person and the isolated jacket in Reference 2 for the garment. Dress the person from Reference 1 in the exact jacket shown in Reference 2. Preserve the person's identity, face, expression, skin, hair, hands, pose, body proportions, background, framing, and lighting from Reference 1. Preserve the jacket's material, color, collar, buttons, pockets, and sleeve patch from Reference 2. Do not copy the ghost mannequin or white product background.
Coherent scene relighting
Better here: Nano Banana 2Right more convincingly performs coherent golden-hour relighting through stronger directional illumination, localized highlights, and consistent projected shadows, while preserving the visible scene contents.
- Warm golden-hour light clearly enters from the left window: right does better; it shows distinctly amber sunlight streaming from the left window and illuminating the sofa, wall, rug, and floor, while left is warmer but closer to soft, neutral daylight.
- Highlights and shadow directions respond coherently to the new light source: right does better; strong highlights appear on left-facing surfaces, with long shadows cast toward the right across the sofa, wall, rug, and floor. Left has weaker directional modeling and less pronounced shadows.
- The result is more than a uniform yellow color filter: right does better; it combines warm sunlit areas with visibly darker ambient regions and defined projected shadows, whereas left has a more evenly warm appearance.
- No furniture or decor is moved, added, removed, or redesigned: tie; both images visibly retain the same window, plant, sofa, lamp, table, rug, and overall arrangement, with no clear object addition or removal apparent from the outputs.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Change the lighting to warm golden-hour sunlight entering from the left window. Do not move, add, remove, or redesign any object. Update highlights and shadows coherently.
Cross-ratio outpainting
Depends on the taskBoth images produce convincing 16:9 beach extensions with no obvious outpainting artifacts. The preservation requirements cannot be reliably judged without seeing the original input, so there is no defensible overall winner.
- Criterion 1: Tie. Both outputs are visibly 16:9 landscapes and extend the beach, ocean, and sky naturally across both sides.
- Criterion 2: Tie. The cabin and surrounding composition remain centered in both, but exact preservation without cropping or stretching cannot be verified because the original image is not shown separately.
- Criterion 3: Cannot be assessed for either side. The cabin and shoreline differ visibly between the two outputs, but without the original there is no reliable way to determine which, if either, left the internal composition unchanged.
- Criterion 4: Tie. Neither output shows an obvious vertical seam, mirrored filler, or conspicuously repeated object; the waves, sand, and clouds continue plausibly across each frame.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Expand the canvas to a 16:9 landscape by naturally continuing the beach, ocean, and sky on both sides. Keep the complete original image centered without cropping, stretching, letterboxing, or modifying it.
Product preservation across scene change
Better here: Nano Banana 2RIGHT more convincingly completes the requested scene change through unmistakable basketball-court context and more coherent dusk lighting. Exact product preservation cannot be conclusively judged without the source image.
- 1. Wet outdoor basketball court at dusk: RIGHT does better. The hoop, chain-link fence, painted court lines, sunset sky, and wet pavement clearly establish the requested setting; LEFT shows a wet surface at dusk, but the basketball-court context is much less apparent.
- 2. Silhouette, sole geometry, stitching, materials, and camera angle: This cannot be fully assessed because the original sneaker reference is not shown. Both images visibly retain a coherent low-top silhouette, detailed stitching, white upper, and textured sole, though LEFT presents these details more sharply.
- 3. Black geometric side mark: This cannot be verified as unchanged without the original reference. The visible mark is clear and readable in both images, with broadly the same angular branching shape; neither side has a decisive visible advantage.
- 4. Contact shadow, wet-surface reflection, and dusk lighting: RIGHT does better. Its warm sunset light and cool ambient shadows fit the visible dusk sky, while the shoe has grounded contact and a reflection integrated into the puddled court. LEFT has a strong reflection and contact shadow, but the cooler, flatter scene lighting is less distinctly tied to dusk.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Place the sneaker on a wet outdoor basketball court at dusk. Preserve the exact sneaker shape, black geometric side mark, materials, stitching, sole geometry, and camera angle. Add physically coherent contact, reflections, and dusk lighting.
Cost & latency
Nano Banana starts at 20 credits, while Nano Banana 2 starts at 40 credits. In this run's small latency sample, Nano Banana ranged from 15971 ms to 36072 ms, while Nano Banana 2 ranged from 57125 ms to 122746 ms; these observations are specific to this run, not benchmark figures.
How we compared & disclosure
We used one fixed prompt per scenario and ran it once with each model, then published the outputs as generated. This is a reproducible comparison run, and Banana Pie sells paid access to both models.
Banana Pie sells paid access to this model alongside other models in one studio. Our verdicts come from tests run through the same pipeline our users get.