Nano Banana image editing

Edit a photo in Gemini by describing one change, then compare the result with the original. This walkthrough uses the current Nano Banana image-editing flow to make a draft website image while checking the details that must stay accurate.

Before you start

• A signed-in Gemini account with image editing available in your country and language. Google requires users to be 18 or older for image editing; school accounts may have additional restrictions.
• One photo you have permission to edit, saved on your computer, and a separate untouched original.
• A specific edit, such as replacing the background behind a ceramic mug, and a list of details to preserve: shape, colour, handle, and any lettering.

Want to do it yourself?

Difficulty

4 out of 10

Estimated completion time

20–45 minutes per image

Skills you’ll need: Upload a suitable original, describe one precise edit, and inspect the downloaded file for unintended changes.

I’ll do it myselfI’d rather get help

How this helps your brand

A restrained photo edit can make a website image easier to use while retaining the subject customers need to recognise. Comparing the downloaded result with the original helps protect product accuracy.

1. 1

   Step 1: Choose a small edit you can verify

   Use a simple object photo for your first attempt. Write one sentence describing the change and another describing what must remain the same. For example: replace a cluttered tabletop with a plain cream background, keeping the mug unchanged.

   Decide where the image will be used. A website product photo needs a stricter accuracy check than an early mood-board idea. Keep the original available for comparison.

2. 2

   Step 2: Upload the original in Gemini

   At gemini.google.com, use Add files, then Upload Files, and select your photo. Confirm you attached the intended image before submitting a request.

   Google’s current help describes Nano Banana 2 for editing. Select Flash or Pro in the Gemini model selector for that model; Flash-Lite uses Nano Banana 2 Lite, which is not designed for multiple edits. The original Nano Banana launched in 2025, so older screenshots may differ.

3. 3

   Step 3: Describe the change and the details to protect

   Paste the prompt below with your actual subject and background. Ask for an edited image, keeping the request to one change so you can judge the result.

   Avoid a vague request such as “make it professional.” Say what you mean: a neutral background, a soft shadow beneath the mug, and the same camera angle. Those choices give you concrete things to accept or reject.

   Illustrated exampleGive the background and subject different instructions

   1 · background2 · subject

   1 Change

   Replace the cluttered tabletop with a plain cream background and a soft shadow.

   2 Preserve

   The same blue mug: shape, colour, handle opening, rim, and camera angle.

   One specific request

   “Change only the background. Keep the mug exactly as it is.”

4. 4

   Step 4: Compare the subject before refining it

   Look at the result beside your original. Inspect the outline, proportions, colour, lettering, and small parts. For a mug, check the handle opening and rim as carefully as the new background.

   If the result changes the object, point out the exact mismatch and ask for a correction. If repeated edits drift further away, upload the original again and repeat a narrower request. Instructions to preserve details are a request, not a guarantee.

   Illustrated exampleA cleaner background can hide a changed handle

   Untouched original

   Wide handle opening

   Edited draft

   Handle opening is smaller

   Reject this draft, then ask for a correction

   “Restore the original handle opening. Change only the background.”

   Also compare the outline, proportions, colour, rim, and any lettering.

5. 5

   Step 5: Download and inspect the actual file

   Hover over the accepted image and choose Download full size. Open the downloaded file and inspect the same details at the size you intend to use on your website.

   If an upload fails, try uploading it again. If Gemini reports an upload limit, wait for the limit to reset before retrying. Save the accepted edit under a different filename so your original remains easy to find.

   Illustrated exampleKeep the original beside the accepted edit

   mug-original.jpgUntouched source photo

   Keep

   Accepted image → Download full size

   mug-cream-v1.jpgSave under a different filename

   New file

   Open the downloaded file. Check the subject again at the size you will use on your website.

Edit the uploaded photo. Subject: [the object in the photo]. Change only [specific background or other change]. Use [desired background, lighting, and mood].

Preserve the subject’s shape, proportions, colour, camera angle, and [specific details such as handle or lettering]. Do not add text, logos, accessories, or extra objects. Return an edited image. This will be used for [intended use], so accuracy of the subject matters more than a dramatic transformation.