Nano Banana Prompts: How to Craft Better Prompts with Examples (2026)

Nano banana prompts decide how much control you get out of the tool. Write them short and focused and you will see clean, repeatable results in seconds. Pile on conflicting instructions and the model quietly ignores half of what you wrote. This guide lays out the exact rules behind prompts for nano banana, then backs each rule with ready-to-use examples you can copy into your next session.

Everything here comes from our own tests on the nanobanana image editor, not from guesswork. You will learn which prompts hold up on the fast Base model, what the Pro version expects, and how to rescue results that come back wrong. By the end you will be writing prompts that stay consistent across a whole batch, not just one lucky image.

Key points:

• Base model – quick changes and simple tasks
• Pro version – complex logic and detailed visuals
• Each model needs a different prompting style

Below you will find clear workflows, simple tips, and real examples to help you use theses models with confidence.

How Google Nanobanana Works (Simple Explanation)

According to Google’s Gemini documentation, the base model uses pattern matching. It looks for familiar shapes and styles and builds a picture from them. This makes it fast for small edits and short prompts.

Nano Banana Pro uses a reasoning engine. It analyzes the scene, the objects, and their relationships. It can follow longer instructions and create more structured images.

The first model works only with its training data. The Pro version can also use live web data, which helps it generate more accurate and up‑to‑date visuals. This section also serves as a simple nano banana prompting guide, so you can understand how each model reacts to different types of prompts.

Nano Banana vs Nano Banana Pro

Here’s a quick side-by-side comparison of the two models to help you decide which one fits your needs:

Core Principles of Writing Prompts

Good prompts for Nano Banana are simple and direct. The nanobanana model works best when you give it one clear idea at a time. This is the core of how to write prompts for nano banana, because short, focused instructions produce the best results.

Core rules:

• Use short sentences
• Start with the main subject
• Add style or mood after the subject
• Keep visual terms simple
• Avoid conflicting instructions

These basics show you how to prompt Nano Banana effectively in any style.

5 Rules for Writing Nano Banana Prompts That Actually Work

Core principles set the direction, but these five rules make it repeatable. Each one pairs a common mistake with the fix, so you can see the difference instead of guessing.

1. Start with the subject, not the style

Bad: “cinematic, highly detailed, beautiful lighting portrait of a woman”
Good: “a woman, warm studio light, close-up”

Lead with what the model should build, then let the style follow. Leading with adjectives makes the model guess at the look before it knows the subject.

2. Give the prompt one idea

Bad: “a cat and a dog in a forest at sunset, the cat running, the dog sitting”
Good: “a cat sitting in a forest at sunset”

Two subjects and two actions split the model’s attention, so it merges or drops details. Keep one subject and one action per pass.

3. Name the lighting, then the material

Bad: “nice looking product shot”
Good: “a perfume bottle, soft studio light, glossy surface”

“Nice looking” gives the model nothing measurable. Light and surface are concrete instructions it can actually follow.

4. Match the prompt to the model

Bad: “a cyberpunk city, neon, rain, reflections, crowd, cinematic, wide shot” on the Base model
Good: “a cyberpunk city at night, neon reflections, wide shot”

Base handles short prompts, Pro digests layered ones. Pick the model first, then size the prompt to its reasoning depth.

5. When it fails, cut words instead of adding them

Bad: “a beautiful realistic woman, golden hour light, cinematic, shallow depth, award-winning portrait, teal and orange”
Good: “a woman, soft warm light, close-up”

Piling adjectives onto a confused output usually adds confusion. Trimming to the essentials gives the model a clearer target.

Structure of the Ideal Nanobanana Prompt

The best prompts for Nano Banana follow a simple structure. This structure helps the model understand the subject, the style, and the visual intent.

Ideal prompt structure:

1. Subject: the main object or character
2. Style: realism, anime, fantasy, product photo
3. Visual details: illumination, colors, angle, mood
4. Extra attributes (optional): background or small details
5. Intent (optional): high detail, clean background, studio look

Quick template:

[subject] + [style] + [visual details] + [extra attributes] + [intent]

Example:

a young woman, anime style, soft glow, warm colors, close‑up, clean background

Ready‑to‑Use Nano Banana Prompts Examples

These examples show how simple prompts work for the base version and how advanced text instructions unlock the Pro version. Use them as templates for your own images.

Portraits – Base nanobanana model (simple examples)

• a young woman, soft warm glow, warm colors, close‑up
• a young woman, gentle illumination, warm colors, close‑up
• a smiling girl, bright colors, soft shadows

These stay under six words and pair one subject with one lighting idea, which is all the Base model needs to stay consistent. Reach for them when you want clean, warm close-ups without chasing fine detail.

Portraits – Pro version (advanced examples)

• a young woman in a red jacket, realism, shallow depth, neon reflections, night city street
• a man with glasses, detailed skin texture, studio illumination, cinematic mood
• a woman with curly hair, warm tones, subtle rim glow, indoor café scene

Every line adds a third layer, a location, a material, or a lighting nuance such as “neon reflections” and “cinematic mood”. That extra context is why Pro handles them, it reasons through several relationships at once and returns studio-grade depth.

Anime – Simple instructions for the base nanobanana model

1. anime girl, bright colors, soft glow, close‑up
2. anime boy with blue hair, warm tones, simple background
3. chibi character, pastel colors, cute expression

Short, subject-first phrasing plays to the Base model’s pattern matching, so one subject plus one color or glow cue is enough. Use these for quick style tests and mood checks.

Anime – Advanced prompts for the Pro version

1. anime warrior, dramatic lighting, detailed armor, glowing sword, battlefield at sunset
2. anime girl in a school uniform, soft glow, cherry blossoms, windy day
3. anime mage, blue magic effects, night forest, floating particles

These add action and environment, armor, a glowing sword, falling petals, a battlefield. The Pro engine reasons across the whole scene, so the detail stays cohesive instead of turning into a collage of half-finished ideas.

Realism – Basic commands for the fast model

• a cup of coffee, diffused ambience, wooden table
• a red apple, clean background, natural illumination
• a small plant, bright colors, simple shadows

One object, one surface, one light source. Nothing competes for attention, so the Base model reproduces these reliably, which makes them ideal for simple product-style shots.

Realism – Detailed inputs for the Pro version

• a realistic cat, soft fur texture, warm ambience, shallow depth, cozy living room
• a modern living room, natural illumination, wide shot, minimal design, detailed materials
• a mountain landscape, sunrise glow, high detail, morning mist

Material words such as “fur texture” and “detailed materials” are where Pro earns its keep, it resolves surface quality the Base model flattens. Expect richer output and slightly longer renders.

Fantasy – Simple instructions for the base nanobanana model

1. a small dragon, bright colors, simple background
2. a magic sword, glowing aura, dark background
3. a fairy, diffused illumination, pastel colors

Single subjects with one glow or color cue stay inside the Base model’s comfort zone. These work well for fast character ideas and mood boards.

Fantasy – Advanced descriptions for the Pro version (complex)

1. a fantasy castle, dramatic sky, detailed stone texture, flying creatures
2. a fire mage casting a spell, glowing particles, dark forest, cinematic contrast
3. a knight in armor, foggy battlefield, cold ambience, broken weapons on the ground

Scene-driven prompts with several layered elements, sky, stone texture, flying creatures, play to Pro’s reasoning. It keeps the composition coherent where the fast model tends to drift.

Products – Simple examples for the base nanobanana model

• a perfume bottle, studio illumination, clean background
• a smartwatch, soft shadows, white background
• a sneaker, bright ambience, simple setup

Clean background plus one studio cue keeps the object sharp and the frame tidy. These suit e-commerce thumbnails and catalog shots that need to look neutral.

Products – Nanobanana Pro Product Examples

• a luxury watch, macro shot, reflective metal, detailed textures
• a skincare bottle, studio illumination, water splash effect, glossy surface
• a laptop on a desk, natural illumination, minimal interior, soft reflections

Reflective surfaces and macro framing are the real test. Pro resolves the glossy detail and keeps reflections logical, where the Base model tends to blur them into glare.

Objects – Nanobanana Object Prompts

1. a wooden chair, soft gentle glow, clean background
2. a ceramic mug, warm tones, simple shadows
3. a wooden chair, subtle ambience, clean background

One object, one ambient cue. The near-duplicate chair prompts are deliberate: comparing them shows how a single changed word shifts the output, which is exactly how you learn the model’s vocabulary.

Objects – Nano Banana Pro Object Prompts

1. a glass vase with flowers, soft reflections, detailed petals, window light
2. a metal key, macro shot, textured surface, dramatic shadows
3. a book on a table, warm glow, shallow depth, cozy interior

Texture and reflection words such as “detailed petals” and “textured surface” push Pro to render physical detail. Choose Pro when the material itself is the point of the image.

Scenes – Simple Nano Banana Scene Prompts

• a beach at sunset, warm colors, simple shapes
• a forest path, soft illumination, green tones
• a small street, bright colors, clean lines

Broad scenes, simple shapes, and one light tone let the Base model hit the mood fast. These work well for layout sketches and concept previews.

Scenes – Advanced Nanobanana Pro Scene Prompts

• a cyberpunk city at night, neon lights, wet pavement reflections, wide shot
• a medieval village, warm light, detailed textures, people walking
• a modern kitchen, natural light, clean design, wide angle, reflective surfaces

Environments with reflections and wide framing need Pro’s scene understanding. Wet pavement and neon stay coherent and aligned instead of merging into one blur.

Advanced Techniques

These techniques give you more control over Nano Banana and Nanobanana Pro.
They help you shape style, lighting, and composition with precision.

Multi‑Prompt (split ideas clearly)

Multi‑prompt means breaking your idea into short parts.
It helps the nanobanana model understand structure.

Format:

subject | style | lighting | background | mood

Example:

young woman | anime style | warm soft glow| clean background | calm mood

Use it when the model mixes details or adds unwanted elements.

Negative Prompts (remove unwanted details)

Negative prompts tell the model what to avoid.
They clean the image and reduce artifacts.

Use the format:

negative: [things you want to remove]

This format works for both Nanobanana and Nano Banana Pro.

Useful negatives:

blurry details, extra fingers, distorted face, harsh shadows, unwanted objects

Nanobanana reacts softly.
Nano Banana Pro follows negatives very accurately.

Short example of a prompt:

a young woman, soft warm illumination, close‑up
negative: blurry, distorted face, hat

Style Mixing (combine two styles)

You can blend styles to create unique looks.

Format:

subject, style A + style B, lighting, details

Nano Banana Examples (text instructions):

1. realistic portrait + anime colors
2. fantasy armor + modern fashion photo
3. product photo + cinematic mood

Pro handles mixed styles better.

Lighting Control (shape the mood)

Lighting changes the entire atmosphere.
It is one of the strongest tools in ai image prompts.

Common lighting types:
soft diffusion, hard contrast, rim highlight, backlit effect, neon accents, warm tones, cool tones

Example:

realistic portrait, soft warm light, rim light on hair

Nano Banana prefers simple lighting.
Pro can handle multiple lighting instructions at once.

Composition Control (guide the frame)

Composition defines the camera angle and layout.

Useful terms:
close‑up, medium shot, wide shot, top‑down, centered, rule of thirds, dynamic angle

Example:

fantasy knight, cinematic style, wide shot, rule of thirds

Pro understands composition instructions more reliably.

Face Swap Guide

A good nano banana face swap prompt is short and clear. Face swap works best when the prompt describes the scene, and the face comes from your uploaded image. Nano Banana and Nanobanana Pro both support face swaps, but Pro gives more accurate details. If you need to adjust facial expressions after generation, check out our guide on how to change facial expressions with an AI photo editor.

How to write a face swap prompt

Face swap does not replace a face inside an existing picture.
The model creates a new scene from your prompt and inserts the face from your uploaded photo into that scene.

Keep the structure short.
Describe the scene, not the portrait.
The model will take the portrait from your uploaded photo.

Basic format:

[scene or style], [lighting], [camera angle]

Add this line:

use face from uploaded photo

This tells the model to replace the portrait without changing the rest.

Example:

cinematic portrait, soft warm light, close‑up
use face from uploaded picture

Common mistakes to avoid on face‑swapping

1. Describing the face

Do not write hair color, eye color, or facial features.
It can override the reference.

2. Too many style modifiers

Heavy styling can distort the swapped face.
Keep the style simple.

3. Low‑quality reference images

Blurry or dark photos reduce accuracy.
Use a clear, front‑facing photo.

4. Multiple faces

Upload only one face per generation.
Multiple faces confuse the model.

5. Negative prompts on the portrait

Avoid negatives like:

negative: distorted face

They can break the swap.

Multi‑Image Editing

Multi‑photo workflows are one of the strongest features of nano banana image editing. Nano Banana and Nano Banana Pro can combine elements from several uploaded pictures, letting you merge faces, outfits, light or styles into one final result.

How multi‑photo editing works

The nanobanana model reads each uploaded source separately.
You can tell it which part comes from which file.
Keep the prompt simple and focus on the final result.

Using face from one image and outfit from another

This is the most common multi‑asset workflow.

Upload:

• Photo 1 for the face you want
• Photo 2 for the outfit or body you want

Then tell the model which part to use from each source.

Example:

use face from source 1
use outfit from source 2
studio portrait, soft warm light, medium shot

Using one image as a lighting reference

Upload:

1. File 1 for main subject
2. File 2 for lighting reference

Example:

use face from photo 1
match lighting from photo 2
cinematic portrait, warm tones

This transfers the lighting mood from file 2 to the subject from file 1.

Using one image as a style reference

Upload:

• Source 1 => main subject
• Source 2 => style reference

Example:

use face from photo 1
apply style from photo 2
clean background, soft light

This is useful for matching branding, moodboards, or visual themes.

Combining multiple references

You can mix more than two photos, but keep the nanobanana prompts simple.

Example:

use face from image 1
use outfit from image 2
match lighting from image 3
studio portrait, medium shot

Nanoanana Pro handles multi‑reference prompts more reliably.

Troubleshooting

If nano banana not working or giving unexpected results, the issue usually comes from the prompt, the images, or conflicting instructions.

Sometimes the model also fails because the server receives too many requests at once, and the operation is interrupted. In this case, wait a few seconds and try again.

Common causes & quick fixes

FAQ

In this final section, we want to answer the most common questions users have about Nano Banana and Nano Banana Pro. This FAQ will continue to grow. I will update it based on comments and feedback under this post.