The viral rise of nano banana has let far more people experience AI’s revolution in image generation and processing. Netizens have played it into the ground with inventive uses: turning photos directly into collectible figures; combining nano banana with Seedance and Kling to bring Van Gogh, the Mona Lisa, and the Girl with a Pearl Earring into today’s Central Park for a romantic encounter; even using nano banana to travel back into Middle-earth — a first-person carriage ride across strange lands with the epic sweep of a AAA game.
But with image generation, some people produce a masterpiece in one sentence while others fill a screen with words and miss entirely. To help everyone get started, Google itself stepped in with official prompt templates for nano banana — six sets covering photorealism, stickers, text rendering, product photography, negative space, and comic panels. Whether or not you yet understand why they are written this way, save them and try the templates first. The key instruction underneath all six: write your scene like you’re telling a story.
1. Photorealistic Photography
Photorealistic images require thinking like a photographer: camera position, lens type, lighting, detail. Add those elements to the prompt and the model moves toward realism. Even non-photographers who experiment along these lines will usually beat a bare prompt. Template:
A photorealistic [shot type] of [subject], [action or expression], set in [environment]. The scene is illuminated by [lighting description], creating a [mood] atmosphere. Captured with a [camera/lens details], emphasizing [key textures and details]. The image should be in a [aspect ratio] format.
Worked example:
A photorealistic close-up portrait of an elderly Japanese ceramicist with deep, sun-etched wrinkles and a warm, knowing smile. He is carefully inspecting a freshly glazed tea bowl. The setting is his rustic, sun-drenched workshop. The scene is illuminated by soft, golden hour light streaming through a window, highlighting the fine texture of the clay. Captured with an 85mm portrait lens, resulting in a soft, blurred background (bokeh). The overall mood is serene and masterful. Vertical portrait orientation.
And the API call pattern (Python, google-genai SDK) — put your prompt in the contents field of client.models.generate_content with model “gemini-2.5-flash-image-preview”, extract part.inline_data.data from the response’s candidates, open with PIL, and save; every later example only changes those two spots.
2. Illustrations and Stickers
For stickers, icons, illustrations, and project assets, state the style clearly first — and if you have special requirements like a white background, write them explicitly. Template:
A [style] sticker of a [subject], featuring [key characteristics] and a [color palette]. The design should have [line style] and [shading style]. The background must be white.
Worked example:
A kawaii-style sticker of a happy red panda wearing a tiny bamboo hat. It’s munching on a green bamboo leaf. The design features bold, clean outlines, simple cel-shading, and a vibrant color palette. The background must be white.
3. Text Rendering
Nano Banana’s text rendering is where it especially shines. State the text content, the font style (in descriptive words), and the overall design, and you get high-quality output. Template:
Create a [image type] for [brand/concept] with the text “[text to render]” in a [font style]. The design should be [style description], with a [color scheme].
Worked example:
Create a modern, minimalist logo for a coffee shop called ‘The Daily Grind’. The text should be in a clean, bold, sans-serif font. The design should feature a simple, stylized icon of a coffee bean seamlessly integrated with the text. The color scheme is black and white.
4. Commercial Product Photography
For brand advertising, a clean, professional product shot is usually the right choice. The formula: commercial feel = clean background + controlled lighting + a camera angle that shows the selling point. Template:
A high-resolution, studio-lit product photograph of a [product description] on a [background surface/description]. The lighting is a [lighting setup, e.g., three-point softbox setup] to [lighting purpose]. The camera angle is a [angle type] to showcase [specific feature]. Ultra-realistic, with sharp focus on [key detail]. [Aspect ratio].
5. Minimalist Negative-Space Design
Minimalist negative-space compositions are perfect for website, presentation, and marketing backgrounds where you will overlay text later. Template:
A minimalist composition featuring a single [subject] positioned in the [bottom-right/top-left/etc.] of the frame. The background is a vast, empty [color] canvas, creating significant negative space. Soft, subtle lighting. [Aspect ratio].
Worked example:
A minimalist composition featuring a single, delicate red maple leaf positioned in the bottom-right of the frame. The background is a vast, empty off-white canvas, creating significant negative space for text. Soft, diffused lighting from the top left. Square image.
6. Comic Panels
Comic-style visuals work by focusing on clear scene descriptions, panel by panel — ideal for comics and storyboards. Template:
A single comic book panel in a [art style] style. In the foreground, [character description and action]. In the background, [setting details]. The panel has a [dialogue/caption box] with the text “[Text]”. The lighting creates a [mood] mood. [Aspect ratio].
Worked example:
A single comic book panel in a gritty, noir art style with high-contrast black and white inks. In the foreground, a detective in a trench coat stands under a flickering streetlamp, rain soaking his shoulders. In the background, the neon sign of a desolate bar reflects in a puddle. A caption box at the top reads “The city was a tough place to keep secrets.” The lighting is harsh, creating a dramatic, somber mood. Landscape.
How to Use the Templates Well
Three habits will make these six formulas yours. First, fill every bracket — the templates’ power is that each bracket eliminates a decision the model would otherwise make by default, and the defaults are where generic output comes from. Second, write the bracket values as narrative details rather than keyword lists: “golden hour light streaming through a window” beats “warm lighting,” because the model was trained on stories, not spec sheets. Third, iterate conversationally — nano banana holds context across turns, so refine “softer background blur” instead of re-rolling the whole prompt; each template works as the opening move of an edit chain rather than a one-shot generation. With Google’s official templates in hand, anyone can produce high-quality images — save them now, and go try them yourself.
