GPT Image 2 vs Nano Banana 2 (Real Results)

GPT Image 2 and Nano Banana 2 are arguably two of the best AI image models in the world right now. Both can generate, both can edit, both give incredible results, but they're not necessarily interchangeable. And if you pick the wrong one for the job, you're essentially leaving quality, potentially speed, and also credits on the table. And so, in this video, we decided to run Nanogano 2 against GBT Image 2 head-to-head inside of 11 Creative to find out exactly which one to use, when, and why. First, here's a quick refresher on what each model actually is. GBT image 2 is OpenAI's newest image model released in April. The big story is that it reasons before it generates. It renders text almost perfectly and it can do dense layouts in a single pass. So think about magazine covers, pages, posters with a lot of copy, marketing assets where the copy hierarchy is important. And then Nano Banana 2 is Google's newest image model built on flashclass architecture which also reasons before generating but the headline here is speed and consistency. generations are quick, subjects and products stay coherent across multiple editing generations, and the cost scales well as you push towards 4K generations. And both of these models are available in 11 Creative, so you can switch between them in the same workflow. But which one should you use and why? Let's talk generation cost. At low and medium quality, the two models are basically even. You're not really going to feel the difference for one-off image generations, but where it starts to matter is at high resolution. At 4K, Nanana 2 lands at roughly twothirds the cost of GPT image 2. So if you're generating a one-time hero asset, the difference is negligible. But if you're generating a batch of 50 product variations, Nanana 2 is the cheaper option by a clear margin. And so as of today, because these prices change very quickly, Nanana 2 might be the better option for your flows where you're generating at scale. If we're talking about speed, Nanana 2 is clearly faster. One caveat is that generation times will vary depending on time of day, and in the future, it's very likely that these will speed up. But here are the results that we got not too long ago. At 2K resolution, Nanobanana 2 averaged around 20 seconds per image. GPT image 2 at medium quality averaged around 55 seconds, which puts Nano Banana 2 at roughly 2.4 to 2.8 times faster than GPT image 2, which again is a big difference. If you put GPT image 2 on high quality, when generating, the gap widens significantly. Here we were getting almost up to 3 minutes per image generation at that high quality setting. Why the big difference? Well, it's hard to say for certain. GPT Image 2 is a newer model, so it's probably under heavier demand right now. When Nano Banana 2 first came out, the generation times were a lot longer. I remember waiting a long time. But Nano Banana 2 is also built on Flashclass architecture, which is specifically optimized for fast generation. So, it's probably a little bit of a mix of both. But you've got to try the models out for yourself. And who knows, in a few months later on down the line, it could be that GPT image 2 catches up to Nano Banana as demand goes down. For one generation at a time, you're probably not going to feel it. But for batch work or live iteration where you're tweaking and regenerating constantly, you will definitely feel the faster render times. But when iterating, it's always better to generate at lower resolutions and later on move to higher once you found the prompts you like. And if you want to quickly test one prompt with multiple models, well, you can build a quick flow inside of flows. For example, here I can go and add an image generation node and we set it to GPT image 2. I could then go and add a second image generation node and this time we set it to nano banana 2. And then what I can do is I can go and create a text node just like this. And then I can use this text as input for both of my image generation nodes for GPT image 2 and also Nanabanana. So now everything that I input here, let's say we do car, I can click run from here. And now both of these get generated with the exact same prompt. And it's a great way to test your prompts with multiple models at the same time. So you can compare results. And just in case, I'll leave a link to that exact flow in the description so you can clone it, drop in your own prompts, but it's pretty easy to also build yourself. And it's good fun to actually create one with five or six different image models and compare all of the results. Now, let's get into the actual prompt comparison between GPT Image 2 and Nano Banana 2. We're going to start with the image generation and then move into image editing. Same prompt or same source image into both models every single time. Let's start with something simple like a perfume bottle. At a glance, Nano Banana 2 and GPT Image 2 look like they generated a very similar product. But Nano Banana 2 actually got the bottle cap wrong in both of the generations that we ran. GPT Image 2 got the cap right every single time at low, medium, and high quality with the top section being plastic, exactly like we asked for in the prompt. So here, GPT Image 2 wins on prompt adurance. I also preferred the lighting in the background in all of the GPT Image 2 generations. Next, a fashion editorial photograph of a young woman. Once again, here I prefer GPT Image 2. The composition matches the visual I had in my head from the prompt and the model is cropped and on the left center frame. Nani Banana 2 puts the model a little bit further away, closer to the middle of the frame. And I'm no photographer, but GPT Image 2 feels more like an 85mm portrait lens with a very shallow depth of field, which is exactly what was asked for in the prompt. So GPT Image 2 wins on prompt adurance. Nano Banana 2 still did everything else. It just feels like the placement was a little bit off compared to the prompt. Next, a burger. I think this one's mostly a stylistic choice. The biggest difference being that GPT Image 2 kept putting the lettuce and tomatoes below the burger and Nano Banana 2 actually put them on top, which is exactly how I would do it. I don't think tomatoes ever go below the meat inside of a burger, but I could be wrong. The other interesting thing is that Nano Banana 2 actually focuses on the setting that we've asked for. The burger is in the restaurant and we can see the background with the fries and the drink. That's all visible. Whereas GPT Image 2 always went for a tight shot on the burger itself. I feel like Nano Banana 2 tries to make everything the focus whereas GPT Image 2 will focus on one specific thing and that's kind of a recurring theme in all of the generations here. Next, a social media ad banner for a summer fitness apparel brand here. I think it's a stylistic choice. Both adhere to the prompt pretty well, but I do prefer the look and the output of GPT Image 2. I'm not a huge fan of the text drop shadow on Nano Banana 2. And once again, GPD Image 2 did a better job on model composition, cropping out the legs, and keeping the tight frame. Nani Banana 2 seemed to consistently favor showing the full body or the full picture of the element that we're asking for, whether that was the burger or in this case here, the head, the torso, the legs, and the feet. Moving on, let's look at a professional corporate headshot. This one is preference. GPT image 2 might look ever so slightly more realistic, but that could be just because I've seen so many Nano Banana 2 generations lately, and I'm starting to recognize those eyes. So, honestly, I would love to know what you think down in the comments below. I'm not quite sure who wins here. Next, here's a photorealistic architectural exterior of a house. And at a glance, you can tell that they're both kind of AI, but I think Nano Banana 2 actually wins on this one. GPT Image 2 loses coherence in some of the details, especially when looking at the edge of the pool and around the steps. The colors on GPT Image 2 also feel a little bit more aesthetic, whereas Nanoban 2, everything feels bright and like it was lit by a studio, even though it's a house outside. Nonetheless, a great generation. Moving on, let's look at a premium product advert prompt of a black smartwatch. GPT Image 2, in my opinion, wins this one. Nanaban 2. There's multiple generations where it had repeated elements. For example, here on this generation, you can see it's got 78% in multiple corners of the watch. No idea why. And in my opinion, GPT Image 2 just looked a little bit more slick. Again, I think it's stylistic choice, but Nano Banana 2 actually tended to hallucinate a little bit more here. It seemed to struggle with watches. And as a matter of fact, AI has always struggled with time. So I think AI is scared of watches. Next, we generated a quick cinematic image. Both of these adhere to the prompt really, really well. So again, it's just a question of preference. I like the detail and feel of N Banana 2, but here GPT image 2 feels a little bit more like a poster, which was what we actually asked for. After that, we've got a brand illustration of a friendly cartoon owl. Both ad to the prompt really, really well here. On GBD Image 2, I prefer the way the books are stacked. But on Nanabanana 2, it added a couple of extraments and specifically the text on the back of the books and they're not actually stacked in the correct order. But if we look at another generation, they are stacked properly in the right order, but again, it added text. So once again, this is Nano Banana 2 taking creative liberty here to add more things into your generation that you didn't ask for. GPT Image 2 didn't do that, but I'd much prefer the 2D flat icon style that Nano Banana 2 gave us. So for me, Nano Banana 2 wins here. Next, a data infographic. Honestly, they both came out great and adeared to the prompt very well. But both hallucinated on the line lengths and percentages below the key percentages. I think here if we had been more specific in the prompt, we would have got a much cleaner result from both. And so the interesting takeaway here is that both models are supposed to be good at reasoning, but the reasoning step for both isn't quite there yet in my opinion because they should have used the information we've given it as context to then create the rest of the graphic accurately. So, if you want to generate data infographics for both models, you need to give it all of the information, not half of it. Moving on, here's an e-commerce photo of a backpack. Now, here, both look great. The only difference that I could really spot was in the details. And if we look at the zipper, Nano Banana 2 actually holds that detail much better. When we zoom into GPT image 2, the zipper looks like it wouldn't actually unzip. It goes a little bit blurry, pixelated, and the teeth of the zipper kind of mismatch. So, Nan Banana 2 actually wins this one. After that, we generated a professional corporate team photo. GPT image 2 actually looks more realistic at a first glance, but GPT image 2 actually tends to hallucinate more once there are multiple people in the shot. So, if we look at the woman on the left here, her hand holding the cup looks a little bit weird. And in the second generation, the man on the right in the green shirt actually has six fingers. Nano Banana 2 looks a little bit more polished and slightly more like AI. And again, that could be just because we're so used to Nano Banana 2 by now. But there are far fewer hallucinations when we use this prompt, which means that you're regenerating less and wasting less credits. So for team photos, Nanana 2 might be the win, especially if you don't mind that stock AI feel. And here's the last one for pure generation, a magazine cover. For this Bloom magazine cover, GBT image 2 has, in my opinion, a much better composition and layout. Nano Granana 2 kind of places text all over the place and it looks a little cheaper, a little less design. GPT image 2 here is actually much better at the text hierarchy. And so for this magazine prompt, I actually much prefer GPT image 2. And I think it wins this one. And now that we've covered image generations purely from prompts, let's get into image editing where we're using an image reference and also a prompt because this is where the difference between the two models gets very interesting. First, here's a product that we want to extract from a busy scene. GPT Image 2 extracted it while keeping the exact shape, placement, color, and angle. Nano Banana 2 gave us a more editorial result and potentially matched the prompt better because we asked the shot to be at a slight 3/4 angle and Nano Banana 2 actually delivered on that and also color context. But GPT image 2 might be better if you need to stay faithful to the original placement and lighting and it goes the same for this next generation. Again, if we look at this berry bowl, honestly, they both performed really, really well, especially considering that the packaging of this berry bowl is transparent and the background is very cluttered. But GPT image 2 kept the exact positioning, color, and lighting, whereas Nanada 2 adapted it to the blank wide openen environment. Also, it angled it from the top a little bit more. And so, both are valid. Both give you great generations, but it just depends on what you want. Fidelity to the original is what GPT image 2 will give you. And a cleaner editorial look is what Nano Banana 2 will give you. Next, creating a character reference sheet from a single image. Here, Nano Banana 2 actually wins on facial resemblance and fidelity to the original character in the original image we gave it. Albeit model is far away but GBD image 2 loses consistency across the different angles. Nanada 2 actually held up much better. The only thing is that the co color changes slightly but it still looks like the same coat just that the color has been folded upwards. Next here we used a prompt to enhance and upscale the image and add more detail to the face of the character. GPT image 2 looks a little closer to the original, but it still looks a little bit plasticky. Nano Banana 2 went further in terms of adding detail and made the face look more realistic and human. So here I actually prefer the result of Nano Banana 2. After that, let's look at resizing an ad to vertical. And I think this one's actually a really cool use case. If we take the runner ad from earlier and we want to resize its 9x6, GPT image 2, I think, did a better job here. The shop sign centered at the bottom reminds me of an Instagram story call to action and it even placed the text behind the runner's arm. It's a small detail, but it's really nice. And so again, this is mostly preference, but GPT Image 2 wins this one for me. Next, combining two images. We took the house from earlier and we took this guy and placed him inside of the living room. Now, what's interesting is that neither model GPT Image 2 or Nan Banana 2 knew or had context of what was inside that house. And so, they didn't know what it actually looked like. And so, this one was an interesting and tricky test. Once again, GPT image 2 went tight on the person and it made the man the focus and it pulled elements that match the same house. trees in the background, the swimming pool, the same brick wall, the big windows. But Nano Banana 2 did the same thing, but it actually pulled back further, trying to capture more of the house. The GPT image 2 made the man the focus in the house, whereas Nano Banana 2 made the house and the man the focus. And if we pay close attention to the Nano Banana 2 generation, the back here looks a little bit strange. There's a window going into a corridor with furniture in front of it. It's a little bit confusing. And when you focus heavily on the Nano Banana 2 generation, it looks like it hallucinates a little bit more. Next, turning this cartoon cat into a realistic photo image. GPT image 2 failed to make this look photorealistic in my opinion. Nano2 did a much better job. If we look at the eyes, they look like cat eyes, whereas GPT image 2 tried to stick to the eyes and exact body shape of the original image. But if we're talking about turning this into a photorealistic image, Nano Banana 2 wins this by a long shot. Even looking at the fur, it looks like real cat fur, whereas GPT image 2, it just looks fake and plasticky. So, the trade-off here is that you get maximum realism with the Nana 2, but GPT image 2 stays closer to the original style. But again, we were asking for photorealistic. And if we do another test, if we turn this painting of a house into a photo realalistic one, GPT image 2 here actually did a much better job because the Nano Banana 2 version doesn't really look real. If I see the GPT image 2 generation very quickly at a glance, it looks more realistic except the leaves right on the trees. They look very repetitive and it looks like the same brush strokes. And same thing with the leaves on the ground. They're a little bit strange. But Nanovana 2 took more creative liberties once again, but the overall composition feels off and feels a little bit like AI. The colors don't feel cohesive and match. It feels like an artistic painting or at least a photorealistic image that's been heavily edited. And the next one I think is very interesting. turning the same guy into different aged versions of himself. GPT2, in my opinion, nailed this one. All three people look like the same person at different ages. But Nano Banana 2 looks like what you would get when different actors play the same character at different ages in a TV show or a film. GPT Image 2 wins this one. They all look like the same person at different ages. And then last one, a popular one, replacing outfits on the same subject. Now, here they both did a great job. One thing that I did found when generating is that GPT Image 2 hallucinated a lot less with the generations. What I mean by that is that GPT Image 2 was great at consistently keeping the exact same composition, lighting, layout, position of the person in that photo and only changing the clothes. Nano Banana 2 was also great at it, but one of the generations would occasionally be quite different. However, some of the outfit replacements actually looked better in my opinion in Nanoan 2. It just hallucinated a little bit more. And that's it. That's the honest comparison between Nano Banana 2 and GPT Image 2. And now, most creators are going to end up using both of these. And I highly recommend comparing your own prompts inside of Flow where you get both outputs. GPT Image 2 is the tool that you'll likely reach for when it comes to prompt adherance, right? When you need photography style compositions with close-up shots of your models or your products, when you want good text hierarchy for marketing assets, and Nano Banana 2 will likely be the model you'll use when you want that finer detail in your generations and the real world knowledge. Who knows, maybe even multi-person shots, which GPT image 2 tends to hallucinate a lot more. And also when you have a deadline because Nando Banana 2 is a little bit quicker at generating as of right now. And I do want to say that these two aren't competitors in the way that people frame them online. They are quite complimentary. The real unlock is actually having both available to you within the same workflow, which is exactly what you get inside of Lemon Creative. You can click the first link in the description down below and you can use GPT image 2, Nano Banana 2, and all of the best AI image and video models in the world all in one place. And that's it. That's Chat GPT Image 2 versus Nano Banana 2. I would love to hear what you think in the comment section down below. And if you have any questions, let us know. And if you enjoy this model comparison and you want to see more, please hit that like button and don't forget to subscribe. Thanks for watching.