Nano Banana AI Tutorial: Use Google’s Free Image Generator

Creating custom images of yourself in minutes is now possible with Google’s Nano Banana AI, built right into Gemini. In this guide, I walk you through the exact steps I use to generate, edit, and refine images, all from simple prompts. You can start with text, upload your own photos, blend multiple images, and iterate until the result matches your vision.

This tutorial follows a practical flow: access the tool, create an image from text, make targeted edits, transform a photo into a figurine, blend two photos, replace environments, and export your results. I’ll also show how to turn a Nano Banana image into a short video using Veo 3, Google’s paid video model.

The process takes only a few minutes, requires no special software, and is free to try. All you need is your Google account, a photo, and a prompt.

What is Nano Banana?

Nano Banana is Google’s AI image tool integrated directly into Gemini. It creates images from text, edits your own photos, blends styles, and maintains strong visual consistency across multiple outputs of the same person. This consistency sets it apart: if you generate a series of edits of yourself, your face remains recognizable across the set.

Because it’s built into Gemini, setup is minimal. You access it in the Gemini interface, write a prompt, and submit. You can drag and drop images, paste them directly, or upload from your device.

Beyond single images, the tool supports ongoing iteration. You can keep issuing prompts—change text on a sign, adjust lighting, swap outfits, alter backgrounds—and it keeps your subject and core composition consistent.

Overview at a Glance

Item	Details
Tool name	Nano Banana (in Google Gemini)
Access	Gemini web interface and Gemini app on iOS and Android
Cost	Free to try
Inputs	Text prompts, single image uploads, multi-image uploads
Core actions	Text-to-image, photo editing, multi-image blending, iterative refinement
Consistency focus	Maintains subject identity across multiple outputs
Export	Download full-size images
Controls	Redo/regenerate, iterative prompting, targeted edits
Visual indicator	Banana icon under Tools > Create Images
Video handoff	Send images to Veo 3 (paid) for animation

Key Features of Nano Banana

• Text-to-image generation from short, plain-language prompts.
• Iterative editing: change text, lighting, mood, composition, and more without losing subject consistency.
• Strong identity matching across multiple variations of the same person.
• Multi-image blending to combine a person with clothing, props, or other visual elements.
• Environment replacement: maintain the subject while swapping backgrounds and scenes.
• Simple input methods: upload, drag and drop, or paste images directly into the prompt.
• Quick export of full-size images and the option to regenerate for a fresh result.

Getting Started

Access Nano Banana in Gemini

• Sign in to your Google account in the Gemini web interface or install the Gemini app on iOS or Android.
• In the main prompt area, click Tools.
• Select Create Images (the option with the banana icon).

Prepare Your Workspace

• Keep your core prompt clear and concise.
• Add your own photos by clicking the plus icon, dragging and dropping, or pasting directly.
• Plan to iterate: issue small, targeted prompts to refine results step by step.

Step-by-Step Tutorial

Create an Image from Text

You can generate a complete scene from a short description. Here’s the exact flow I follow for a simple storefront image.

Steps:

1. In the Nano Banana prompt box, enter: make an image of a cookie store on a city street.
2. Click Submit.
3. Review the generated storefront and note elements you want to adjust (sign text, lighting, mood, etc.).

Nano Banana returns a full image based on that single sentence. From here, you can refine the image rather than starting over.

Refine the Result with Targeted Edits

After the first pass, make focused edits to reach your exact outcome. I start with text changes and lighting.

Change the signage text

Steps:

1. In the prompt box below the image, enter: name the cookie store Kevin Cookie Company.
2. Click Submit.
3. Confirm the image remains consistent while the storefront sign updates to the specified name.

This shows how targeted prompts can modify details while preserving the core image.

Adjust lighting and mood

Steps:

1. In the prompt box, enter: make it brighter and sunnier.
2. Click Submit.
3. Check that the lighting and shadows update to match a sunny day, while the storefront and sign remain consistent.

Small, incremental edits let you shape the image quickly without losing previous adjustments.

Turn a Photo into a Collectible Figurine

Nano Banana can transform your own photo into stylized outputs. Here’s how I create a figurine image.

Steps:

1. Click the plus icon and upload a photo of yourself (or paste it directly).
2. In the prompt box, enter: turn me into a 1/7 scale collectible figurine on a desk with toy packaging beside me.
3. Click Submit and review the result for facial consistency and overall styling.

The tool maintains a strong match to your face, producing a consistent identity across edits and new variants.

Blend Two Photos into One

You can combine two images—for example, placing yourself in a specific jacket—while matching colors, shadows, and textures.

Steps:

1. Upload a photo of yourself.
2. Upload the second image (e.g., the jacket).
3. In the prompt box, enter: blend these two images. Put me into the jacket so it looks like I’m actually wearing it. Match the colors, shadows, and textures so it looks realistic.
4. Click Submit and review the result for fit and realism.

This approach lets you test outfits and props without a manual photo shoot.

Change the Environment While Preserving Edits

Once you’ve applied a clothing or stylistic change, you can place yourself in a completely different setting while maintaining those edits.

Steps:

1. In the prompt box, enter: make me sit in an executive office.
2. Click Submit.
3. Confirm the jacket (or earlier changes) remain intact while the environment updates to the new setting.

With each prompt, the tool maintains identity and composition while applying your requested changes.

Rerun and Download Options

If you want a new variation or are unhappy with the current output, you can regenerate. When you’re satisfied, download the full-size image.

Steps:

1. Click Redo to generate another variation of the current prompt.
2. Hover over the image and click the download icon in the top right corner to save the full-size photo.
3. Repeat the edit-and-download process until you have the versions you want.

The redo option and quick export make iteration fast and practical.

Prompt Ideas to Explore

Use brief, direct prompts. Here are some ideas based on the flows above:

• Reimagine myself into a 90s sitcom.
• Turn me into an 80s profile photo.
• Make my hair a bit longer, wavy, and bleached.
• Edit the photo so I appear in the Wild West.
• Reimagine me as a comic book character.
• Create a photo-realistic image of this logo on a box of cookies in a living room in front of the fireplace.
• Remove all the people from this photo.
• Make the photo brighter and the day sunnier.
• Restore this old photo.

These prompts build on the same principles: short instructions, targeted adjustments, and iterative refinement.

Turn an Image into Video with Veo 3 (Paid)

Veo 3 is Google’s video model that can animate a still image. You can feed a Nano Banana image into Veo 3 to bring it to life.

Send a Nano Banana Image to Veo 3

Steps:

1. In Gemini, click Tools and select Create Videos with Veo.
2. Click Add Photo and choose the image you made in Nano Banana.
3. In the prompt box, describe how you want the image animated (e.g., animate this photo into a realistic video).
4. Click Submit and wait for the video to render.
5. Play the result and iterate with new prompts if needed.

This workflow connects your static image edits with motion, giving you a simple way to animate a visual you already shaped in Nano Banana.

Why combine the tools

Nano Banana excels at designing or editing a visual. Veo 3 then animates that visual into a short video. Together, they cover still-image creation and motion in a single workflow.

Quick Tips from the Tool

Nano Banana provides built-in guidance inside the interface. Open the tips from the team to see prompt suggestions and best practices.

Reviewing those tips before you submit can improve your results. Keep them in mind as you craft edits and variations.

Complete Walkthrough Summary

• Access in Gemini: Tools > Create Images (banana icon).
• Start with text: make an image of a cookie store on a city street.
• Edit details: name the cookie store Kevin Cookie Company.
• Adjust lighting: make it brighter and sunnier.
• Use your own photo: upload and prompt for a 1/7 scale collectible figurine with toy packaging beside you.
• Blend two photos: upload a person photo and a jacket and prompt to merge them with matched colors, shadows, and textures.
• Change environments: make me sit in an executive office.
• Regenerate and export: use Redo, then download the full-size image.
• Optional video: Tools > Create Videos with Veo, add your Nano Banana image, write an animation prompt, and submit.

This sequence mirrors the exact flow I use: simple prompts, targeted edits, and quick iteration. It keeps identity consistent, supports multi-image blends, and lets you export results fast.

Final Notes

Nano Banana is available directly in Gemini and is free to try. It produces solid results from short prompts and gets better as you iterate.

For motion, pass your Nano Banana image into Veo 3 to animate it. Together, they cover image creation, editing, and simple video generation in a few steps.