🍌 Edit Photos With Words Using Google's New Nano Banana

You have probably heard about AI picture editors. But a new tool is here that is so powerful, it beats all the others. Its name is Nano Banana, but its official name is Gemini 2.5 Flash Image. This is a new tool from Google that everyone is talking about, and many people say it's the best AI picture editor today.

In this article, we will learn everything about this new technology together. We will start with the simple things first, then move to the more advanced editing tricks. Everything is explained in a simple and easy way, so it's perfect even if you are new to this.

What Makes Nano Banana So Special?

Nano Banana is not just another picture editing tool. It is a big change for this kind of technology. To understand this, we can look at the scores from LM Arena. This is a website where people test and compare different AIs without knowing their names. Here, Nano Banana is number one by a lot - it is almost 200 ELO points ahead of the next best tool. Most other picture editors have a score around 1,100, but Nano Banana's score is over 1,300. This is a very big difference.

The secret to why it works so well is its foundation: Gemini 2.5 Flash. This is a special AI model from Google that can understand many types of information at once, like words, pictures, sounds, and videos. But instead of just looking at pictures, Nano Banana can create and edit them very accurately and is great at keeping the small details. This makes it different and much more powerful than other tools.

Step 1: Getting Started With Nano Banana

Where To Use Nano Banana

You have a few choices to start using this powerful tool. Here are the most common and simple ways:

Option 1: Google AI Studio (Best for beginners)

1. Go to the website Google AI Studio.

   

2. Sign up or log in with your Google account. It's completely free.

   

3. After you log in, you will see a dropdown menu to choose a model. Select "Gemini 2.5 Flash Image".

   

4. Now, you can upload your picture and start editing.

Option 2: LM Arena (For testing and comparing)

1. Go to the website LM Arena.

   

2. Choose "Direct Chat" mode.

3. In the list of models, choose "Gemini 2.5 Flash Image Preview".

   

4. You can start editing by uploading a picture and typing what you want to do.

Important Note: Right now, there is a limit for free use in Google AI Studio. You can usually make about 3-5 pictures before you run out of free turns. If you need more, you can create another Google account to keep using it.

Understanding The Screen

When you are inside Google AI Studio, the screen is quite simple and friendly:

• You will see a button to upload a picture. Use it to choose a picture from your computer that you want to edit.

• There is a text box where you can type your editing instructions. Just write what you want to do to the picture in normal language, like you are talking to a friend.

• Click the "Run" button to let the AI start working and make your edited picture.

• After the picture is ready, there will be a "Download" button for you to save the result to your computer.

Step 2: Basic Picture Editing Skills

Fixing And Improving Photos

One of the best things about Nano Banana is its ability to make old, damaged photos look new again. It works very well for both black and white photos and faded color photos.

Adding color to black and white photos:

1. Upload your old black and white photo. It could be a picture of your grandparents, parents, or an old family memory.

2. Use a simple request like: "Color this photo and fix the broken parts."

   

3. You will see Nano Banana not only adds natural-looking colors but also fix scratches, tears, and make the picture clearer. The details on people's faces are usually kept very well.

   

Fixing colors on faded photos:

Color photos taken many years ago often lose their color, look yellow, or are too dark. Nano Banana can help you fix this.

1. Upload the damaged color photo.

2. Use the request: "Restore the original colors of this photo."

   

3. The AI will look at the picture, guess what the original colors were, and then fix the brightness, contrast, and color balance to make the photo look new.

   

A big plus is that Nano Banana is very good at keeping the features on faces and other important details. Many other tools sometimes change faces a little bit when fixing photos, but Nano Banana avoids this problem.

Removing Objects And Backgrounds

Do you want to clean up your pictures by taking out things you don't want? Nano Banana can do this smartly.

Removing people from the background:

Imagine you have a great travel photo, but there are too many strangers in the background.

1. Upload the photo with the unwanted people in the background.

2. Use a request like: "Remove all the people in the background, only keep my family in the front."

   

3. Nano Banana will try to find and remove the people in the background without changing the main people in your photo.

   

A small tip: Sometimes, the AI is a bit "careful." If it thinks some people in the background look important for the picture's layout, it might not remove them. If that happens, you can try again with a more specific request.

Step 3: Advanced Changes To People And Styles

Making Characters Look Consistent

One of the most amazing features of Nano Banana is its ability to keep a character looking the same across many different pictures, even when you change their clothes and the background.

Changing clothes and backgrounds:

1. Upload a reference picture with the person you want to work with.

2. Use detailed requests. For example: "Put this couple in a garden in autumn. The man is wearing a beige wool jacket, and the woman is wearing a long green dress."

   

3. Nano Banana will keep their facial features the same while changing their clothes and the scene around them.

   

Creating a character model sheet:

This is very helpful for people who design characters for games or cartoons.

1. Upload a picture of a character (even complex designs like anime characters or robots).

2. Use the request: "Make a model sheet for this character with front, back, and side views."

   

3. You will get consistent views of the character, which is perfect for design or animation work.

   

Virtual Try-On And Changing Outfits

This is where Nano Banana really shines and is much better than many other virtual try-on apps.

Basic outfit swapping:

1. Upload two pictures: one of your person, and a second picture of the clothes you want them to wear.

2. Use a request like: "Make the woman in the picture wear the dress from the second picture."

   

3. Nano Banana will keep the person's face and pose while putting on the new outfit in a natural way.

   

Advanced clothing swaps:

You can even swap outfits between multiple people in the same picture.

1. Upload a picture with several people in it.

2. Use specific instructions like: "Swap the clothes of the man in the blue shirt and the woman in the red shirt."

   

3. Nano Banana will accurately swap the clothes while keeping the identity of each person correct.

   

Step 4: Creative And Artistic Uses

Changing Artistic Styles

Although Nano Banana is excellent in many areas, changing styles has some limits you should know about.

What works well:

Nano Banana is very good at making realistic style changes. For example, you can ask it to make your photo look like it was taken with an old film camera, or you can change a picture to look like a realistic oil painting. These kinds of changes work well because they are based on real-world styles.

Another thing it does well is changing the lighting and mood of a picture. You can easily make a photo look like it was taken during a beautiful sunset, with warm, golden light. You can also change the mood to be sadder by adding rainy effects, or happier by making the colors brighter and sunnier.

Changing the style of the background is also a strength. You can keep the person in the front of the picture exactly the same but change the background from a normal room to a fantasy forest or a busy city street at night. The tool is smart about separating the person from the background to make these changes.

Current Limitations:

One of the current limitations is changing a real photo into an anime style. This can be difficult for Nano Banana. When you ask it to do this, the results are sometimes not what you expect. Instead of a true anime character, you might get something that looks more like a realistic pencil drawing of the person.

The tool also has trouble with complex style requests. For example, if you ask it to make "the left half of the picture in Lego style and the right half in Pixar style," it probably will not work perfectly. Mixing two very different and specific art styles in one image is often too confusing for the AI.

Finally, applying multiple styles in one picture at the same time can be inconsistent. If you ask for too many different changes at once, like "make it a watercolor painting, with a vintage look, and pop art colors," the AI might get confused. The final result may only include one of your requests, or it might look messy and not follow your instructions well.

Coloring Comics And Manga

For comic artists, Nano Banana offers some interesting possibilities, but you need to be careful.

Basic coloring:

1. Upload a black and white manga page.

2. Use the request: "Color this comic book page."

   

3. Nano Banana will add color, and sometimes it can even recognize characters from famous series and color them correctly.

   

Important warning: Nano Banana might change the content inside the panels or add things that were not in the original picture, especially with manga pages. Use it with caution for professional work.

Step 5: Technical And Precise Editing

Micro-Editing And Small Details

Nano Banana is very good at making small, precise changes while keeping everything else the same.

Changing small features:

1. Upload your picture.

2. Use specific requests like: "Change the woman's eye color to blue." or "Add a small smile to the man."

   

3. Nano Banana will make the change while keeping the rest of the picture untouched.

   

Changing expressions and emotions:

1. Upload a portrait photo.

2. Create a grid of different emotions: "Make a grid of nine photos of this person with different expressions: happy, crying, scared, excited, shocked, bored, angry, confused, disgusted."

   

3. The results might vary in accuracy, but the face will still look very consistent.

   

Editing Text Inside Pictures

Simple text replacement:

1. Upload a picture that has text in it.

2. Use requests like: "Change the words 'Welcome Home' to 'Happy Birthday'."

   

3. Nano Banana will keep the original font style and blend the new text in smoothly.

   

Language translation:

While this is possible, the results can be inconsistent.

• Translating from English to other languages might have mistakes.

• Complex text layouts might not translate perfectly.

• Always double-check the translations to make sure they are correct.

Step 6: Understanding Limits And How To Work Around Them

When To Use Other Tools

Even though it has many strengths, Nano Banana is not perfect for everything.

Limits On Changing Styles:

Nano Banana has some limits when it comes to changing artistic styles. For example, if you want to turn a real photo into an anime-style picture, other tools like OpenAI's DALL-E or Qwen Image Edit often give better results. Also, if you have an idea for a very complex art style or want to mix different styles in one image, you might need a more specialized tool. This is because asking Nano Banana to apply too many different styles at once can confuse it, and the picture might not turn out the way you want.

Using It For Schoolwork:

It is also not a good idea to use this tool for schoolwork. For instance, if you have a scientific diagram, like a picture of a plant cell, Nano Banana cannot label the different parts for you correctly. Using it for educational purposes often leads to wrong information, which is not helpful for learning. For any school-related tasks, it is always best to use special educational tools that are made to be accurate.

Understanding Complex Scenes:

The tool can also have trouble understanding very complex scenes with many people or objects. If you give it instructions like, "turn all the girls into cats and all the boys into dogs" in a big group photo, it will probably fail. Making many different kinds of changes to many different objects in the same picture is often inconsistent. The AI might get confused about who is a boy or a girl, or it might only change a few of them. To get around this, it's much better to break down your complex requests into simpler, smaller steps. Instead of asking for everything at once, try asking for just one change at a time.

How To Get Around The Limits

For Better Results:

To get the best pictures, it is important to use simple and clear requests. Instead of saying something general like "make this photo look better," tell the AI exactly what you want, such as "make the sky bluer and the grass greener." It is also a good idea to focus on one big change at a time. If you want to change someone's shirt and also change the background, it's better to do it in two separate steps.

You can also use reference pictures when you can. If you want to add a specific type of hat to a person, uploading a picture of that hat will help the AI understand exactly what you mean. Finally, one of the most useful tips is to be specific about what should stay the same. For example, you can say, "change the man's jacket to red, but keep his face, his hair, and the background exactly the same." This helps prevent the AI from making unwanted changes.

Alternative methods:

Sometimes, the best way to get around a limit is to use a different tool that is better for that specific job. For example, if you want to change a photo into an anime style, tools like OpenAI's DALL-E or Qwen Image Edit often work better. If your main goal is editing a picture with a lot of text, you might also want to think about using Qwen Image Edit, as it can be very good at that. For any complex changes you want to do in Nano Banana, remember the most important rule: break it into many simple steps. By doing one small change at a time, you can often achieve a complex result without confusing the AI.

Step 7: Pro Tips And Best Practices

How To Write Prompts For Better Results

The words you use to give instructions are called a "prompt" or a "request." Writing a good prompt is the most important skill for getting great results from the AI. A good request is like giving clear directions, which helps the AI understand exactly what you want to do.

A good request usually has a clear structure. First, start with what you want to change. Be direct and say what the main action is, for example, "Change the color of the car to red." Next, it's very helpful to say what should be kept the same. This prevents the AI from changing parts of the picture you like. You can add, "...but keep the background and the driver exactly the same." After that, you can add descriptions of the style or quality you want. For example, you could say, "...make it look like a professional car advertisement." Finally, if you know about photography, you can include technical details, but this is usually not needed for most edits.

Making The Most Of Free Use

Because you only get a limited number of free edits, it's a good idea to use them wisely. These smart strategies can help you get more done without running out of your free credits too quickly.

First, always try to plan your edits carefully before you start. Think about what you want the final picture to look like before you type your request. This helps you avoid wasting free turns on mistakes. If you do run out of free credits, you can use more than one Google account to continue using the tool for free. For difficult or tricky edits, it's smart to test your complex requests on simpler pictures first. This way, you can see if your prompt works without using a credit on your important photo. Lastly, when you write a prompt that gives you a perfect result, save your successful requests in a note so you can use them again in the future.

Quality Control Tips

After the AI has created your new picture, it's always a good idea to check it carefully before you download and share it. Taking a moment to look at the details ensures the final image is exactly what you wanted.

Before you finish, go through this simple checklist. First, check the facial features of any people in the photo to make sure they are consistent and still look like the original person. Then, make sure all the changes you asked for were actually made and that the AI didn't forget anything. While you're looking, look for any changes that you did not want. Sometimes the AI can change small details in the background by accident. Finally, compare the new picture with your original idea in your mind. Does it match what you wanted to create? If everything looks good, then your edit is complete.

Step 8: Integration And API Usage

For Developers

Nano Banana is available through Google's API, which lets developers add it to their own applications.

Key features for developers:

• Editing through conversations.

• Combining multiple images.

• Character consistency across generations.

• Editing based on text prompts.

Conclusion: The Future Of AI Picture Editing

Nano Banana is a big step forward in AI picture editing technology. Its ability to keep character details, understand complex requests, and make precise micro-edits while keeping the picture quality high sets it apart from all competitors. Whether you are a content creator, a designer, or just someone who loves to play with photos, this tool gives you abilities that were impossible just a few years ago.

The most exciting part? This is just the "Flash" version - not even the "Pro" model. As Google continues to develop this technology, we can expect even more amazing features in the future.

Ready to start creating? Head over to Google AI Studio and begin exploring the incredible world of AI-powered picture editing with Nano Banana. Remember to start simple, experiment freely, and don't be afraid to push the limits of what is possible.

The future of picture editing is here, and it's easier to access than ever. Whether you're fixing old family photos, making content for social media, or working on professional design projects, Nano Banana gives you the power to turn your creative ideas into reality with nothing more than simple text instructions.

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