Google Nano Banana 2.1 AI Image Generator
Google Nano Banana 2.1 (Gemini Nano Banana 2.1) is the October 2026 update to Nano Banana 2, with cleaner text, more realistic photos and the same character across scenes. Create from a prompt or up to 10 reference images on Veo3 AI, at 1K, 2K or 4K, from 1 credit per image.
Text to Image
Nano Banana 2.1What Is Nano Banana 2.1?
Nano Banana 2.1 is Google DeepMind's image generation and editing model, released as generally available on October 6, 2026. It is part of the Gemini 3 family and is built on Gemini 3.6 Flash; in the Gemini API its model ID is gemini-nano-banana-2.1. It replaces Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) on the fast Flash tier, while Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image) remains Google's heavier model.
Google lists these gains over Nano Banana 2: better visual design and more natural-looking photos at 1K, 2K and 4K, sharper text and more accurate infographics, closer prompt adherence, subject consistency for up to 4 characters and 10 objects, mask-based editing, and no more tiling artifacts on very wide formats such as 4:1 and 8:1. It also has thinking levels and optional Google Search grounding, and Google cut its API image price by about half compared with Nano Banana 2.
Google rolled it out in the Gemini app, Google AI Studio, the Gemini API, Google Flow, Search AI Mode, Google Ads, Google Stitch and the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform. On Veo3 AI you can use it in the browser without an API key: text-to-image and image-to-image with up to 10 reference images, 1K, 2K or 4K output and 9 aspect ratios from 9:16 to 21:9, for 1, 2 or 3 credits per image. Every example on this page was generated with Nano Banana 2.1.
What's New in Nano Banana 2.1
Sharper Text and Infographics
Titles, labels and step captions come out spelled correctly and placed where you asked. That makes Nano Banana 2.1 practical for posters, explainers, menus and social graphics that used to need a designer to fix the lettering.
| Prompt | Nano Banana 2.1 output |
|---|---|
A clean editorial infographic poster titled "HOW COFFEE GETS TO YOUR CUP" in bold sans-serif at the top. Below it, five numbered steps in a vertical timeline with small flat illustrations and short captions: "1 Harvest", "2 Process", "3 Roast", "4 Grind", "5 Brew". Warm cream background, coffee-brown and orange palette, all text crisp and correctly spelled. |  |
Clean Wide and Panoramic Images
Nano Banana 2 could repeat patterns or show seams on very wide frames at high resolution. Google fixed these tiling artifacts in 2.1, so panoramic banners, website headers and wide landscapes hold together from edge to edge.
| Prompt | Nano Banana 2.1 output (21:9, 2K) |
|---|---|
Ultra-wide panoramic photograph of a mountain lake at sunrise, pine forest along the shore, mist on the water, snow-capped peaks reflected in the lake, one red canoe on the left, natural colors, no text, no watermark. |  |
More Realistic Photos up to 4K
Skin texture, fabric, light and depth of field look closer to a real camera. Use 4K for print, product pages and close-ups, and 1K for quick drafts at the lowest cost.
| Prompt | Nano Banana 2.1 output (4K) |
|---|---|
Photorealistic close-up portrait of an elderly fisherman with a weathered face and a grey knit beanie on a harbour at golden hour, shallow depth of field, visible skin texture and stubble, natural colors, shot on 85mm, no text. |  |
The Same Character in Every Scene
Give Nano Banana 2.1 one picture of a character and describe a new scene. The face, hair, glasses and outfit stay the same, which is what you need for comics, storyboards, brand mascots and a series of social posts.
| Reference | Prompt | Nano Banana 2.1 output |
|---|---|---|
 | Keep the same woman from the reference image (same face, curly red hair, round glasses, freckles, mustard-yellow raincoat). Show her walking across a rainy Tokyo street crossing at night with neon reflections on the wet road, holding a clear umbrella, photorealistic. |  |
| Keep the same woman from the reference image (same face, curly red hair, round glasses, freckles). She now sits by the window of a cozy café reading a book, mustard-yellow raincoat hung on the chair, soft morning light, photorealistic. |  |
Combine People and Products from Several Images
Upload a person, a product and a style reference, then say what goes where. On Veo3 AI you can add up to 10 reference images to one Nano Banana 2.1 generation, enough for a full ad or lifestyle scene.
| Image 1 | Image 2 | Prompt | Nano Banana 2.1 output |
|---|---|---|---|
|  | Image 1 is a woman, image 2 is a water bottle. Create a lifestyle ad photo: the woman from image 1 hiking on a sunny mountain trail, holding the exact bottle from image 2 and smiling. Keep her face, hair, glasses and the bottle's color, shape and wooden cap unchanged. Natural light, photorealistic, no text. |  |
Text in Many Languages and Localized Designs
Google says Nano Banana 2.1 renders text well in 15 languages and can translate or localize the text already inside an image while keeping its style. Use it to adapt one poster, menu or ad for several markets: ask it to "translate all text to Spanish and keep the same layout". Small text and long paragraphs can still blur at 1K, so use 2K or 4K for dense layouts.
Thinking Levels, Search Grounding and Mask Editing
In Google's API, Nano Banana 2.1 can plan an image before drawing it (minimal, medium or high thinking), check real places and products with Google Search, and edit only a masked area. On Veo3 AI the model runs with Google's default settings and you edit by describing the change in your prompt, which is enough for most background, outfit and object edits. For pixel-precise masks or search grounding, use Google AI Studio or the Gemini API.
How to Use Nano Banana 2.1 on Veo3 AI
Pick the model, add your prompt or references, and choose the size before you generate.
Select Nano Banana 2.1
Open the Veo3 AI image generator and choose "Nano Banana 2.1" in the model menu, or start from the box at the top of this page.
Write a Prompt or Add References
Describe the subject, setting, light and any text in quotes. For edits, upload up to 10 images and say which one is the person, the product or the style.
Choose Size and Generate
Pick 1K, 2K or 4K and an aspect ratio from 9:16 to 21:9. The credit cost is shown before you click Create.
What You Can Make with Nano Banana 2.1
Typical jobs where the 2.1 update makes the biggest difference.
Posters and Infographics
Explainers, event posters and menus with headings and labels that read correctly.
Product and Ad Images
Place your product in lifestyle scenes using reference photos, and keep its shape and color.
Comics and Storyboards
Keep one character consistent across panels, shots and outfits.
Website Banners and Headers
Wide and panoramic images for hero sections and YouTube or X banners.
Portraits and Social Content
Realistic people, food and travel images for posts and thumbnails.
Photo Editing
Change the background, light, season or outfit of an existing photo with a text instruction.
Nano Banana 2.1 Prompts to Try
Copy a prompt, then change the subject and details to match your project.
Infographic with Labels
“A clean flat-style infographic titled "5 STEPS TO A BETTER SLEEP" with five numbered icons and short captions: "No screens", "Cool room", "Same bedtime", "No late coffee", "Dark curtains". Navy and soft yellow palette, all text crisp.”
Put every word you want rendered in quotes.
Panoramic Header
“Ultra-wide 21:9 banner of a quiet beach town at dusk, pastel houses along the shore, small boats, warm window lights, photorealistic, empty sky on the right for a headline.”
Use 21:9 and 2K or 4K for website headers.
Character in a New Scene
“Keep the same person from the reference image (same face, hair and outfit). Show them cooking pasta in a small sunny kitchen, laughing, natural light, photorealistic.”
List the features that must not change.
Product Lifestyle Shot
“Image 1 is the product. Place it on a marble bathroom shelf next to a folded white towel and a small plant, soft morning light, shallow depth of field. Keep the label and color exactly as in image 1.”
Check the label at full size before using it.
Translate a Poster
“Translate all text in this poster into Japanese. Keep the same font style, colors, layout and images; only the language changes.”
Upload the poster in the image-to-image tab first.
Nano Banana 2.1 vs Nano Banana Pro vs Nano Banana 2 vs GPT Image 2.5
| Detail | Nano Banana 2.1 | Nano Banana Pro | Nano Banana 2 | GPT Image 2.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developer and tier | Google, Flash tier (Gemini 3.6 Flash) | Google, Pro tier (Gemini 3 Pro Image) | Google, Flash tier (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) | OpenAI (Flare and Sunburst) |
| Google's text-to-image preference score (Elo) | 1050 with thinking, 1015 without | 935 | 990 | Not in Google's test |
| Best at | Text, infographics, consistent characters at low cost | Complex, detailed scenes | Fast everyday images | Following strict briefs, product shots |
| Reference images on Veo3 AI | Up to 10 | Up to 5 | Up to 14 | Up to 16 (Flare edit) |
| Output on Veo3 AI | 1K, 2K, 4K | 1K, 2K, 4K | 1K, 2K, 4K | 1K, 2K, 4K |
| Credits on Veo3 AI (1K / 2K / 4K) | 1 / 2 / 3 | 3 / 4 / 5 | 2 / 3 / 4 | 1 / 3 / 5 (Flare) |
Nano Banana 2.1 Pricing on Veo3 AI
Nano Banana 2.1 uses your Veo3 AI credits, and the cost is shown before you generate. No Google subscription or API key is needed. Prices checked October 30, 2026.
1K
1 credit per image. Best for drafts and testing prompts.
2K
2 credits per image. A good default for social posts and web images.
4K
3 credits per image. For print, product pages and close-up detail.
Google API price, for comparison
Google's Gemini API lists about $0.034 for a 1K image, $0.05 for 2K and $0.076 for 4K, roughly half of Nano Banana 2, plus input and thinking tokens. On Veo3 AI you pay a fixed credit price per image instead, with no API key or token math.
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Nano Banana 2.1 FAQ
Answers about Google Nano Banana 2.1 and how to use it on Veo3 AI