Nano Banana 2 — Gemini Image Generation¶
STATUS: active OWNER: felice (primary visual assets) ALSO_USED_BY: christel, ilian, alexander, valentijn CATEGORY: third-party-integration COST: ~$0.09/image (Flash 1K), higher for Pro/4K ADDED: 2026-04-01 UPDATED: 2026-04-01
WHAT IS NANO BANANA 2¶
Nano Banana 2 is a CLI tool for AI image generation powered by Google Gemini 3.1 Flash Image model. Generates high-quality images from text prompts with support for multiple resolutions, aspect ratios, transparent backgrounds, and style transfer via reference images. Excellent text rendering in generated images. Search grounding for factual accuracy. Outputs JPEG or PNG files to the working directory.
INSTALLATION¶
Already installed at ~/tools/nano-banana-2/.
Claude Code skill installed at .claude/skills/nano-banana/.
No further installation steps required. The tool is available to all agents with CLI access.
API KEY¶
The Google API key is stored in Vault at secret/admin-ui/api-keys (key: google).
Configured locally at ~/.nano-banana/.env.
This is the same Gemini API key used for LLM inference. Nano Banana 2 uses it for the image generation endpoint.
CLI USAGE¶
KEY OPTIONS¶
| Option | Values | Default | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
--resolution |
0.5k, 1k, 2k, 4k |
1k |
Output resolution |
--aspect |
16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 3:2, 2:3, 21:9 |
16:9 |
Aspect ratio |
--model |
flash, pro |
flash |
Gemini model tier |
--greenscreen |
(flag) | off | Transparent background (PNG output) |
--ref |
path to image | none | Reference image for style transfer |
EXAMPLES¶
Basic image generation:
High-resolution hero image:
nano-banana "aerial view of Amsterdam canals at golden hour, editorial photography" --resolution 4k --aspect 21:9
Transparent background product shot:
Style transfer from reference:
Pro model for higher quality:
nano-banana "photorealistic close-up of artisan coffee being poured, shallow depth of field" --model pro --resolution 2k
COST¶
| Model | Resolution | Approximate Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Flash | 0.5k | ~$0.04/image |
| Flash | 1k | ~$0.09/image |
| Flash | 2k | ~$0.15/image |
| Flash | 4k | ~$0.25/image |
| Pro | 1k | ~$0.30/image |
| Pro | 2k | ~$0.50/image |
| Pro | 4k | ~$0.80/image |
COST OPTIMIZATION: - Use Flash for iteration and exploration (covers 90% of use cases) - Use Pro only for final deliverables requiring maximum quality - Start at 1k resolution, upscale to 2k/4k only for print or hero images - Use 0.5k for rapid concept validation before committing to higher resolution
CAPABILITIES¶
| Use Case | Suitability | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Product mockups | Excellent | Use --greenscreen for compositing |
| UI previews | Excellent | Describe layout precisely for best results |
| Hero images | Excellent | Use --resolution 2k or 4k with --aspect 21:9 |
| Marketing assets | Excellent | Style transfer via --ref for brand consistency |
| Brand mood boards | Excellent | Generate multiple variants at Flash/1k for speed |
| Storyboard frames | Good | Sequential prompts with consistent style via --ref |
| Text in images | Excellent | Superior text rendering compared to DALL-E 3 and Midjourney |
| Photorealistic content | Good (Flash) / Excellent (Pro) | Pro model for editorial-quality photography |
AGENT USAGE¶
| Agent | Role | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Felice | Visual Production Lead | Primary user. Product shots, hero images, marketing assets, all visual deliverables |
| Christel | Brand Strategist | Brand exploration, mood boards, color palette visualization |
| Ilian | Motion Producer | Storyboard frames, reference images before animation |
| Alexander | Design System Engineer | Quick mockup reference before detailed Stitch screen generation |
| Valentijn | Strategy | Competitive visual analysis, market positioning visuals |
OUTPUT¶
Images are saved to the current working directory as JPEG (default) or PNG (when using --greenscreen).
Filenames are auto-generated from the prompt.
RULE: always save generated images to the project directory structure, never leave them in temporary locations. RULE: log all generations with prompt, cost, and accepted/rejected status for budget tracking.
LIMITATIONS¶
| Limitation | Workaround |
|---|---|
| Cannot generate logos | Use SVG code generation (Alexander/Floris) |
| Cannot edit existing images inline | Use --ref for style transfer from existing image |
| No video generation | Use Runway (image-to-video) or Remotion (programmatic video) |
| No seamless tiling | Use Midjourney with --tile for patterns |
| No character reference system | Use --ref for approximate style consistency |
EU COMPLIANCE¶
Google has EU data processing agreements (DPA) and operates EU data centers (Belgium, Netherlands, Finland, Germany). Image generation requests can be routed through EU infrastructure. Acceptable under GE EU service provider policy as infrastructure provider.
Google is not an EU-founded company, but qualifies under the "infrastructure provider" exception in the EU service provider policy due to lack of viable EU-native alternatives for multimodal AI generation at this capability level.
RELATED WIKI PAGES¶
READ_ALSO: domains/visual-production/image-generation.md (image generation domain knowledge) READ_ALSO: domains/design/design-tool-workflow.md (design tool selection decision tree) READ_ALSO: development/integrations/google-stitch.md (Stitch for structured UI design) READ_ALSO: development/integrations/ui-ux-pro-max.md (design intelligence skill)