Nano Banana 2.1: photo scenes, lettering, and edits
What Nano Banana 2.1 can do, shown on three real API images: a photo-like kitchen scene, lettering on packaging, and an edit from a reference image.
Rendergrid editorsAbout the editors
In brief
On three real images at 4K, Nano Banana 2.1 made a photo-like kitchen scene, exact lettering on a tea carton, and an edit from a reference image. The carton spells both of its lines as the prompt wrote them. The edit changed the background to pale blue and added a mint sprig while the box kept its shape and its words.
Each image was one attempt, so read them as examples, not as a rate. An image at 4K costs $0.04.
How were the three images made?
Three tasks. A photo-like scene, lettering on packaging, and an edit from a reference image.
The same settings. 4K at 1:1, which is 4,096 by 4,096 pixels.
One attempt each. One request through the Rendergrid API, one charge, nothing re-rolled or replaced. The edit got the tea-carton image as its one reference.
Can Nano Banana 2.1 make a photo-like scene?
The first prompt asks for a kitchen still life: a water pitcher with condensation, two pears, morning sun from the left, and no lettering. One image at 4K costs $0.04.
Prompt for the kitchen scene
Make a photo-like kitchen still life of a water pitcher with condensation and two pears on a counter. Morning sun enters from the left, refracting naturally through the water. Keep the kitchen background softly blurred and the complete objects near the center; show individual droplets and subtle pear skin texture. No lettering, logos, people, or watermarks.
Nano Banana 2.1
nano-banana-2.1 · 4K · 1:1 · $0.04
Nano Banana 2.1 · 4K · 1:1 · one attempt. A glass pitcher beaded with condensation stands on a wooden kitchen counter, with two pears in front of it at lower left, one upright and one lying down. The kitchen behind is softly blurred, and bright patches of light fall on the counter to the right of the pitcher. Individual droplets run down the glass, and the pears show a speckled skin. Departures from the prompt: it asked for the complete objects near the center, and the group leans to the left of it; and what look like ice cubes float near the top of the water, which the prompt did not mention. A blurred canister behind the pitcher carries a few faint marks that are too soft to read at this size, so we cannot say whether they are lettering.
It can, in this example: the glass, the droplets, and the pear skin look photographic, and a window at the left and bright patches of light on the counter fit the prompt’s morning sun from the left. Two departures from the prompt are named in the caption: the group leans left of the center, and what look like ice cubes float in the water.
Name the light’s direction and what should stay soft. This prompt does both, and both show in this frame.
Can it put exact lettering on a package?
The second prompt describes an upright cream tea carton on warm gray, with “Mint” above “Herbal tea” and a small green leaf drawing on its front, and no other text. One image at 4K costs $0.04.
Prompt for the tea carton
Photograph an upright cream tea carton against warm gray, turned just enough to show its front and one side. The front reads “Mint” above “Herbal tea”, with a small green leaf drawing below. Use crisp, simple lettering, soft light from the left and plenty of empty space around the box. Include only the specified lettering, with no logos, people, or watermarks.
Nano Banana 2.1
nano-banana-2.1 · 4K · 1:1 · $0.04
Nano Banana 2.1 · 4K · 1:1 · one attempt. An upright cream carton stands in the center of a warm gray background, with plenty of empty space around it. The lettered front and a narrower side on its left both show. The front reads “Mint” in large dark letters above “Herbal tea” in smaller ones, with a small green leaf drawing below; both lines match the prompt letter for letter and no other lettering appears. One departure from the prompt: it asked for soft light from the left, but the soft shadow lies on the floor to the left of the box, so the light reads as coming from the right.
It did, in this example: both lines came out as written and no other lettering appears. The one departure is the light, described in the caption. For more on getting letters right, read our article on readable text in images.
How does an edit from a reference image work?
The third prompt is an edit. You send the carton image as a reference image and say what to change and what to keep, because masks are not supported. This prompt asked for a pale blue background and one mint sprig beside the carton’s lower right corner, keeping the box, its angle, and its lettering.
A reference goes in as an uploaded file (image_file_ids) or a link (image_urls), never both, up to 14 per request, as PNG, JPEG, or WebP. A reference does not change the price: this edit costs $0.04, like the two images above.
Prompt for the edit
Edit the supplied tea-carton image. Change the warm gray background to pale blue and place one mint sprig beside the lower right corner of the carton. Preserve the box shape, cream color, viewing angle, leaf drawing and exact words “Mint” and “Herbal tea”. Keep the original lighting direction and product scale. Include only the specified lettering, with no logos, people, or watermarks.
Nano Banana 2.1
nano-banana-2.1 · 4K · 1:1 · $0.04
Nano Banana 2.1 · 4K · 1:1 · one attempt. Made from the tea-carton image before it, which was sent as the one reference image. The background is now pale blue, and a sprig of mint leaves sits at the carton’s lower right corner. The box keeps its position, shape, viewing angle, leaf drawing, and both lines of lettering, “Mint” and “Herbal tea”, spelled correctly. Two differences: the carton’s cream looks a little warmer against the blue than it did against the gray, and the sprig looks photographed, unlike the drawn leaf on the box.
The box kept its position, shape, angle, and both lines of text. Two differences show: the cream looks a little warmer against the blue, and the sprig looks photographed beside the drawn leaf. The reference images docs cover uploads, links, and limits.
What does an image cost at 1K, 2K, and 4K?
Nano Banana 2.1 draws at 1K, 2K, and 4K: $0.02 at 1K, $0.03 at 2K, and $0.04 at 4K. A failed request costs nothing: the charge returns to your balance at once. See the pricing page, our Nano Banana 2.1 price article, and our article on failed requests.
Where do these examples not fit?
- Three images are examples, not a benchmark. They show no wait time or success rate, and another run may look different.
- Only 4K at 1:1, and one reference. The model’s description lists up to 14 references, up to 4 characters, and 10 objects. We tried none of those limits.
- The departures stay. Nothing was re-rolled to hide the ice, the left lean, or the shadow’s side.
A failed request is free
Try your own prompt on Nano Banana 2.1
Paste one of the prompts above, change a word, and compare the result with ours.
Open the playgroundQuestions and answers
What can Nano Banana 2.1 do?
Who makes Nano Banana 2.1, and how do I use it through the API?
/images/generate with model set to nano-banana-2.1. The Nano Banana 2.1 API quickstart walks through the key, the request, and the status check.Can I edit my own image with it?
Do I pay if an image fails?
Sources
- Reference imagesRendergrid docs: passing and preparing a reference image.
- PricesThe price of an image for each model and resolution.
- Nano Banana 2.1The model page: resolutions and aspect ratios.
- The three imagesEach is shown with its prompt and its settings.
