Google unveils Nano Banana Pro: accurate text, pro controls, broad rollout

Read Articleadded Nov 20, 2025
Google unveils Nano Banana Pro: accurate text, pro controls, broad rollout

Google DeepMind launched Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image), a powerful model for image generation and editing with enhanced reasoning and Search grounding. It delivers reliable multilingual text-in-image, consistent multi-asset blending, and studio-grade controls, with outputs up to 4K. The model is rolling out across the Gemini app, Google Ads, Workspace, developer tools, Vertex AI, and Flow, with SynthID watermarking and user-facing verification.

Key Points

  • Built on Gemini 3 Pro, Nano Banana Pro uses advanced reasoning and Search grounding to generate accurate, context-rich visuals and real-time snapshots.
  • Major leap in text-in-image: reliably legible, stylized, and multilingual text for mockups, posters, and localization/translation.
  • High-fidelity creation: blend up to 14 inputs while keeping resemblance for up to 5 people; apply brand-consistent looks; export up to 2K/4K.
  • Studio-quality controls enable localized edits, camera/focus adjustments, color grading, and lighting transformations (e.g., day-to-night).
  • Broad rollout across Gemini app, Google Ads, Workspace, Gemini API/AI Studio, Antigravity, Vertex AI, and Flow, with SynthID watermarking and in-app verification.

Sentiment

The overall sentiment of the Hacker News discussion is mixed, leaning towards cautious optimism tempered by significant skepticism and criticism. While many acknowledge the impressive technological advancements and potential of Nano Banana Pro, particularly in text rendering and overall image quality, considerable doubt is cast on the practical effectiveness of its watermarking, the clarity of Google's product strategy, and the model's reliability in handling complex or precise generation tasks. Concerns about the impact on human creative work and accessibility issues further contribute to a nuanced rather than overwhelmingly positive reception.

In Agreement

  • Nano Banana Pro demonstrates remarkable improvements in image quality, realism, and detail compared to previous generations, with some users finding it 'fantastic' and 'the most impressive AI model' they've seen for specific tasks.
  • The model's ability to reliably generate accurate and legible text directly within images, across multiple languages, is a crucial and highly praised advancement, requiring deep language understanding and precise rendering.
  • Google's strategic decision to embrace the viral codename 'Nano Banana' for public branding is seen as effective for achieving widespread recognition and distribution, despite initial internal naming conventions.
  • The broader application of AI in visual media (images, video, music) is considered by some to be the most exciting and impactful aspect of the current AI revolution, offering immense potential for creative expression and efficiency.
  • SynthID, while recognized as imperfect, is viewed as a positive 'first step' towards identifying AI-generated content, important for platforms like Google Search to filter results and potentially complying with regulations like those in the EU.

Opposed

  • Skepticism is high regarding the effectiveness and robustness of SynthID watermarking, with many believing it is easily circumvented by methods such as adding noise, regenerating images with non-watermarked models, or even training AI to remove it, undermining its stated purpose.
  • Google's rapid, fragmented, and often confusing rollout of AI products and whimsical naming conventions (e.g., Antigravity, Nano Banana, Gemini iterations) lead to 'information overload,' user confusion, and concerns about product longevity (Google's 'software graveyard').
  • Despite claims of advanced capabilities, the model still exhibits significant limitations in accurately executing complex or nuanced image generation instructions, such as maintaining correct object counts, spatial reasoning (e.g., zipper merge diagrams, house windows), and specific artistic styles (e.g., Studio Ghibli).
  • Concerns are raised about the negative impact of advanced AI image generation on human creative professions, with some expressing sadness over the potential displacement of designers, photographers, and artists.
  • Users report issues with the accessibility and availability of Nano Banana Pro and SynthID, citing vague rollout information, waitlists, 'permission denied' errors even for paid users, and detection failures when testing Google's own AI-generated images.