The painterly one
Softer and moodier than Grok. The Roman thermopolium and the diner read like warm film stills — atmospheric, cinematic light, lovely colour. It trades a little crispness for mood.
Nano Banana
Painterly, moody, dirt-cheap — and it cannot spell.
Google / 2K / 1:1 / google/gemini-2.5-flash-image
The images
40 prompts rendered by Nano Banana
Same standard set, same framing, same model comparison surface.
I · Through the ages
Nineteen vs. forty, through the ages
Same eleven eras, two life stages, side by side: a group of fresh-faced nineteen-year-olds doing what the young did — hunts, dances, mosh pits, raves — next to middle-aged forty-year-olds doing what the settled did — harvests, workshops, offices, backyard parties. Different people, different lives, one timeline. Watch how each model handles youth vs. age across history.
II · Fashion & portrait
Fashion, glamour, pinup
Editorial polish, neon glamour, old-Hollywood and couture, and a 1950s centerfold — faces, skin, fabric, and styling.
III · Product
Product photography
Reflections, materials, and one duck modeling everything — the commercial-shot test, with a surreal closer.
IV · Pets
Pets in the light
Small animals, soft light — the “make-it-adorable” test.
V · Food
Food & cravings
A six-patty monster, two models eating it, and a humble popsicle dressed up like luxury perfume.
VI · Worlds & abstract
Worlds & abstract
A neon-cyberpunk country town and a geometric color explosion that melts — imagination over realism.
The model
So — how did Nano Banana do?
Painterly, moody, dirt-cheap — and it cannot spell.
~6sper image
$0.039per image
40 / 40zero refusals
$1.55the whole set
Cannot spell
Its clear weakness. Where Grok letters “Snap-on / MAC TOOLS,” Nano stamps the toolbox “HAZGURSG” and leaves the amphorae blank. In-image type comes out as gibberish or nothing — the mirror image of Grok.
Lower resolution
Outputs land around 1MP against Grok’s 2K, so fine detail goes soft on a big crop. Great for the gallery, less so blown up.
Youth vs. age
Handles the youth-vs-forty split well — distinct young-and-settled scenes in its soft, painterly register, with believable ages. (The signage stays unreadable.)
Cheapest run here
40/40, zero refusals, $1.55 for the whole set — the lowest bill on the board. No quiet cover-ups on these (already-clothed) prompts.