AIFACECRAFTOpen Studio Image Model Guide
Google’s October 2026 image model release, explained.
Google released Nano Banana 2.1 on October 6, 2026. Officially named Gemini Nano Banana 2.1, it is available through the Gemini API as gemini-nano-banana-2.1. Google reports improvements to image quality, instruction following, text rendering and character consistency across edits.
Nano Banana 2.1 is available in AIFACECRAFT Image and Shoot, where it is the default image model. Open Image in Studio, add your brief and references, and review the settings and credit estimate before you generate.
Guide by AIFACECRAFT · Updated
Nano Banana 2.1 is the default model in Image and Shoot. Write a brief, add up to 6 reference images and choose 1K, 2K or 4K output; Studio starts at 2K. Review the credit estimate before you generate.
On Premium and Ultra, Nano Banana 2.1 is one of the Unlimited image models at 1K and 2K during the first 7 days of each membership month. During that window these requests are queued and use no credits; outside it, and for other resolutions, generations use credits. See Plans and Credits for the current terms.
Google’s API accepts up to 14 reference images. Studio keeps a practical limit of 6, so each reference stays clearly assigned to a subject, product, setting or style.
Google describes 2.1 as an update to Nano Banana 2, with better visual quality, closer adherence to instructions, clearer text and more consistent characters across successive edits. These are Google’s reported improvements, rather than results from an AIFACECRAFT benchmark.
The release also targets wide and panoramic compositions, including 1:4, 4:1, 1:8 and 8:1 ratios at 1K, 2K and 4K. Check the full frame for repeated textures and broken edges when trying a wide composition.
Source: Google’s October 6 Release Notes.
| Model | Positioning | Resolution | Character Consistency Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nano Banana 2.1 | Updated image generation and conversational editing | 1K, 2K, 4K | Up to four characters |
| Nano Banana 2 | Predecessor; deprecated in the Gemini API on October 6, 2026 | 512px, 1K, 2K, 4K | Check the predecessor’s documentation for its limits |
| Nano Banana Pro | Demanding professional work | 1K, 2K, 4K | Up to five characters |
Pro remains a separate option. Choose around the work you need to do and review the result; a newer version number alone does not establish which model will suit every image.
Google marked gemini-3.1-flash-image (Nano Banana 2) as deprecated on October 6, 2026 and recommends Nano Banana 2.1 as its replacement. Google has not announced a shutdown date.
Looking for a simpler draft workflow? Read the Nano Banana 2 Lite Guide. Lite and 2.1 are different models.
Sources: Google’s Image Generation Guide, Release Notes and Deprecations, checked October 11, 2026.
Google documents 1K output by default, with 2K and 4K options. Nano Banana 2.1 accepts up to 14 reference images, with consistency support for up to four characters and ten objects. The predecessor’s 512px option is not available in 2.1.
The API also offers Minimal, Medium and High thinking levels, with Medium as the default. Studio does not show a thinking-level control.
Assign each reference a clear purpose: subject, object, setting or visual direction. After an edit, compare the result with the original rather than relying on a general impression of similarity. Identity, labels and fine details can still drift.
Google says generated images include SynthID. Review image quality and attribution needs separately from the watermark.
Sources: Google’s Nano Banana 2.1 Documentation and Image Generation Guide.
Written starting points for your own work.
Use the attached bottle as the product reference. Create a clean skincare campaign image on warm ivory stone, with soft window light from the left. Preserve the bottle shape, cap, label wording and placement. Leave the right third uncluttered for a headline. Do not add extra products.
Review: Compare the label with the reference before using the image. Check the cap, silhouette and spacing around the product.
Using this character reference, create an editorial portrait in a rainy city café. Preserve the face, hairstyle and jacket. Use warm indoor lighting and a blurred street background.
Follow-Up Edit: Keep the character, camera angle and lighting unchanged. Replace only the coffee cup with a closed red notebook.
Review: Compare the two images for unrelated changes to the face, jacket, framing and light.
Create a minimalist poster with exactly this text: NIGHT MARKET, OPEN TONIGHT, 6 PM–10 PM. Use large high-contrast typography, generous spacing and a simple illustrated moon. No additional words or logos.
Review: Proofread every word and digit at full size. Add critical type in a design tool when precision matters.
Create a 4:1 panoramic illustration of a coastal running trail at sunrise. Place one runner in the left third and leave a calm sky area toward the right for separately added copy. Keep the horizon continuous, with no repeated landscape sections or tiled patterns.
Review: Set the aspect ratio in the interface where available. Inspect the horizon and edges for repeated scenery.
Standard Gemini API rates checked October 11, 2026, in USD.
These equivalents cover image output only. Google separately prices input at $1.50 per million tokens and text or thinking output at $7.50 per million tokens; search can add charges. The pricing table lists no free API tier for this model.
These are Google’s API rates, not AIFACECRAFT retail prices or credits. For the platform’s current terms, see AIFACECRAFT Plans and Credits.
Source: Google’s Gemini API Pricing. Check the current rate before estimating production costs.
Google announced general availability of Gemini Nano Banana 2.1 on October 6, 2026. Its Gemini API identifier is gemini-nano-banana-2.1.
Google documents 1K, 2K and 4K output and up to 14 reference images, with consistency support for up to four characters and ten objects. These are provider capabilities, not AIFACECRAFT controls or guarantees of exact likeness.
Nano Banana 2.1 updates Nano Banana 2 with improvements reported by Google. It does not offer the predecessor’s 512px output. Nano Banana Pro remains positioned for demanding professional work and supports up to five consistent characters, compared with four in 2.1.
Yes. Nano Banana 2.1 is available in Image and Shoot, where it is the default model, at 1K, 2K and 4K with up to six reference images. On Premium and Ultra it is also one of the Unlimited image models at 1K and 2K during the first 7 days of each membership month; outside that window it uses credits.
Google’s pricing table lists no free API tier for this model. Its standard image-output charges are separate from input, text, thinking and any applicable search charges. In AIFACECRAFT, new accounts start with a one-time 15-credit allowance; afterwards generations use plan credits, or Unlimited on Premium and Ultra during the first 7 days of each membership month.
Nano Banana 2.1 is available in AIFACECRAFT Image and Shoot, where it is the default image model. Open Image in Studio, add your brief and references, and review the settings and credit estimate before you generate.
Release details come from Google’s documentation, checked on October 11, 2026; Studio settings are read from AIFACECRAFT’s own configuration. Example briefs are starting points for your own work. Artwork on this page comes from AIFACECRAFT collections.
