How to Prompt Nano Banana Pro

Mastering the art of prompting is key to unlocking Nano Banana Pro's full potential. As a reasoning-powered image engine, Nano Banana Pro doesn't just parse your words—it understands your creative intent. This guide will teach you how to craft prompts that leverage the model's advanced capabilities to produce stunning, professional-grade visuals.

Understanding Nano Banana Pro's Prompting Engine

Nano Banana Pro is built on Google's Gemini 3 Pro Image "reasoning" core, which means it brings sophisticated language understanding to image generation. Unlike traditional AI image models that rely primarily on pattern matching, Nano Banana Pro uses deep reasoning to:

• Interpret Context: Understands the relationships between elements in your prompt
• Apply Physics: Creates realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections based on scene descriptions
• Capture Mood: Translates emotional cues into visual atmosphere
• Maintain Coherence: Keeps logical consistency across complex scenes

This means you can prompt more naturally and conversationally while still achieving precise results.

The Anatomy of an Effective Prompt

A well-crafted Nano Banana Pro prompt typically includes several key components. Let's break them down:

Core Subject (Essential)

Start with what you want to see. Be specific about the main focus of your image.

Basic: "A mountain" Better: "Majestic snow-capped mountain peaks at sunrise"

Descriptive Details (Enhancement)

Add details that bring your vision to life. Think about what makes this scene unique.

Example: "A breathtaking sunset over mountain peaks with vibrant orange and purple hues painting the sky, dramatic clouds"

Lighting and Atmosphere (Critical)

Lighting defines the mood. Nano Banana Pro excels at realistic lighting when you describe it clearly.

Keywords to use:

• Time of day: "golden hour," "sunset," "midnight," "dawn"
• Light quality: "soft lighting," "dramatic lighting," "ethereal glow"
• Light sources: "natural light," "neon lights," "candlelight," "moonlight"

Style and Aesthetic (Direction)

Specify the visual style to guide the artistic direction.

Common styles:

• "photorealistic," "ultra realistic," "8k quality"
• "cinematic composition," "movie still"
• "fantasy art style," "concept art quality"
• "Instagram aesthetic," "professional photography"

Technical Quality (Optional but Recommended)

Quality descriptors help ensure the best output.

Examples: "8k quality," "highly detailed," "ultra detailed," "professional photography"

Prompting Best Practices

1. Be Specific, Not Verbose

Nano Banana Pro's reasoning engine works best with clear, specific descriptions rather than wordiness.

Effective:

A cozy coffee shop interior with books, plants, and soft lighting, wooden furniture, rain on windows, warm atmosphere

Less Effective:

A place where people drink coffee and there are many things like books and plants and it's very nice with furniture made of wood and water falling on the windows from outside

2. Prioritize Visual Elements

Focus on what can be seen. Describe visual attributes rather than abstract concepts.

Focus on: Colors, lighting, textures, composition, perspective, mood Avoid: Abstract feelings, complex narratives, metaphorical descriptions

3. Use Natural Language

Thanks to Gemini 3's language capabilities, you can prompt conversationally. You don't need to use comma-separated lists or keywords.

Natural: "A Victorian-era airship floating above clouds with intricate brass gears and steam engines" Mechanical: "Victorian, airship, clouds, brass, gears, steam, engines"

Both work, but natural language allows for more nuanced descriptions.

4. Leverage the 2000 Character Limit

Nano Banana Pro supports prompts up to 2000 characters. Use this space for:

• Detailed scene descriptions
• Multiple elements and characters
• Composition instructions
• Lighting specifications
• Style references

5. Order Elements by Importance

Place the most critical elements at the beginning of your prompt. The reasoning engine gives more weight to early information.

Advanced Prompting Techniques

Multi-Character Consistency

One of Nano Banana Pro's strengths is maintaining consistent characters across generations. For consistent character depiction:

1. Establish character details first:

A young woman with shoulder-length auburn hair, emerald eyes, and a small crescent moon scar on her left cheek

2. Use consistent terminology when generating multiple images:

Panel 1: The auburn-haired woman with emerald eyes standing in a medieval marketplace
Panel 2: The same woman examining an ancient artifact in a candlelit library

Text in Images

Nano Banana Pro excels at accurate multilingual text rendering. To include text:

• Be explicit about text content and placement
• Specify the language if not English
• Describe the context (signage, book cover, poster)

Example:

A vintage coffee shop sign in elegant cursive text reading "Café Lumière" above a wooden door, warm lighting, Paris street at dusk

Composition and Camera Control

Direct the visual composition using photography terminology:

Camera Angles:

• "low angle shot," "bird's eye view," "Dutch angle"
• "close-up portrait," "wide shot," "extreme close-up"

Focus and Depth:

• "shallow depth of field," "blurred background"
• "sharp focus on subject," "bokeh effect"

Framing:

• "rule of thirds composition," "centered composition"
• "symmetrical framing," "dynamic diagonal composition"

Lighting Mastery

Lighting is where Nano Banana Pro's physics reasoning shines. Be descriptive:

Natural Lighting:

Golden hour sunlight streaming through forest canopy, dappled light on mossy ground, lens flare

Artificial Lighting:

Neon-lit cyberpunk cityscape with rain-slicked streets reflecting colorful holographic lights

Atmospheric Lighting:

Bioluminescent plants casting ethereal blue glow in dark enchanted forest, magical particles floating in light beams

Style-Specific Prompting

Photorealistic Images

Focus on realism and technical quality:

Underwater coral reef teeming with colorful tropical fish, crystal clear water, sun rays penetrating from surface, underwater photography, National Geographic style, ultra realistic

Key elements: Photography terminology, lighting details, camera references

Fantasy and Concept Art

Emphasize imagination and atmosphere:

Enchanted forest with glowing mystical portal surrounded by ancient trees, bioluminescent plants, magical particles floating in air, ethereal lighting, fantasy art style, highly detailed

Key elements: Magical descriptors, atmospheric effects, style references

Sci-Fi and Futuristic

Include technological details and futuristic elements:

Massive orbital space station with Earth visible in background, detailed solar panels, astronaut performing spacewalk, stars and galaxies, sci-fi realism, cinematic lighting, 4k quality

Key elements: Tech terminology, space references, cinematic quality

Period and Historical Styles

Reference specific time periods and aesthetics:

Victorian-era airship with brass gears and steam engines floating above clouds, intricate mechanical details, vintage aesthetic, dramatic sky, steampunk style, concept art quality

Key elements: Time period, material details, aesthetic keywords

Iterative Refinement: The Lightbox Approach

Nano Banana Pro supports iterative editing through natural language. Think of it as working with a photographer or artist:

Step-by-Step Refinement

Initial Prompt:

A sunset over mountains

Refinement 1:

Add dramatic clouds and make the lighting more intense with golden hour colors

Refinement 2:

Enhance the purple hues in the sky and add more detail to the mountain peaks

Refinement 3:

Make it photorealistic with 8k quality and cinematic composition

Editing Specific Elements

You can selectively adjust elements:

• Lighting: "Make the lighting warmer," "add more dramatic shadows"
• Composition: "Zoom in on the central figure," "widen the shot to show more background"
• Style: "Apply a vintage film look," "make it more vibrant and saturated"
• Details: "Add more texture to the clouds," "enhance the details in the foreground"

Common Prompting Mistakes to Avoid

1. Being Too Vague

Problem: "A nice landscape" Solution: Describe what makes it nice—lighting, composition, mood, specific features

2. Contradictory Instructions

Problem: "A dark night scene with bright sunny lighting" Solution: Ensure all elements of your prompt are logically consistent

3. Overloading with Styles

Problem: "photorealistic, anime style, watercolor, oil painting, 3D render" Solution: Choose one primary style direction for coherent results

4. Ignoring Composition

Problem: Describing subjects without their spatial relationship Solution: Specify how elements relate to each other in the frame

5. Neglecting Lighting

Problem: Focusing only on objects and ignoring light Solution: Always consider and describe lighting—it's essential for mood and realism

Example Prompts Breakdown

Let's analyze some effective prompts:

Example 1: Nature Photography

Prompt:

A breathtaking sunset over mountain peaks with vibrant orange and purple hues painting the sky, dramatic clouds, golden hour lighting, photorealistic, 8k quality

Breakdown:

• Subject: Sunset over mountain peaks
• Details: Vibrant orange and purple hues, dramatic clouds
• Lighting: Golden hour (specific time with known quality)
• Style: Photorealistic, 8k quality (technical descriptors)
• Result: Clear direction leveraging physics reasoning for realistic lighting

Example 2: Sci-Fi Scene

Prompt:

Neon-lit cyberpunk cityscape with flying cars and holographic advertisements, rain-slicked streets reflecting colorful lights, futuristic architecture, cinematic composition, blade runner aesthetic

Breakdown:

• Subject: Cyberpunk cityscape
• Elements: Flying cars, holographic advertisements
• Atmosphere: Rain-slicked streets, reflections (physics-aware description)
• Style Reference: Blade Runner aesthetic (clear cultural touchpoint)
• Quality: Cinematic composition
• Result: Rich, coherent scene with consistent mood

Example 3: Fantasy Art

Prompt:

An enchanted forest with a glowing mystical portal surrounded by ancient trees, bioluminescent plants, magical particles floating in the air, ethereal lighting, fantasy art style, highly detailed

Breakdown:

• Subject: Enchanted forest with mystical portal
• Magic Elements: Glowing portal, bioluminescent plants, floating particles
• Lighting: Ethereal (specific mood descriptor)
• Style: Fantasy art style (clear genre direction)
• Quality: Highly detailed
• Result: Magical atmosphere with consistent internal logic

Technical Parameters to Consider

While prompting is primarily about natural language, Nano Banana Pro supports technical parameters that complement good prompts:

Resolution

• 1K: Quick generations, good for previews
• 2K: Standard high quality, balanced speed
• 4K: Maximum detail, professional output

Aspect Ratio

Choose based on your intended use:

• 1:1: Social media posts, portraits, Instagram
• 16:9: Landscapes, cinematic stills, presentations
• 9:16: Mobile wallpapers, stories, vertical formats

Output Format

• PNG: Best quality, supports transparency
• JPG: Smaller file size, good for web

Prompt Templates for Quick Starts

Portrait Template

[Subject description] with [distinctive features], [background setting], [lighting description], [portrait style], [quality level]

Example:

Professional portrait of a scientist with silver-rimmed glasses and kind eyes, laboratory background with equipment visible, soft diffused lighting, headshot photography, 8k quality

Landscape Template

[Location type] with [key features], [time of day/weather], [lighting description], [photography style], [quality level]

Example:

Dramatic coastline with jagged cliffs meeting crashing waves, stormy weather with breaks of sunlight, moody atmospheric lighting, seascape photography, ultra detailed

Product Visualization Template

[Product name/type] in [setting], [arrangement], [lighting setup], [photography style], [background description]

Example:

Luxury perfume bottle on marble surface, elegant arrangement, studio lighting with soft reflections, commercial product photography, plain neutral background

Conclusion: Prompting as Creative Collaboration

Think of prompting Nano Banana Pro as a creative collaboration rather than giving commands. The model's reasoning engine is your partner in bringing visions to life.

Key Takeaways:

1. Be Specific: Clear descriptions yield better results than vague ones
2. Prioritize Lighting: It's essential for mood and realism
3. Use Natural Language: Gemini 3 understands conversational prompts
4. Iterate and Refine: Use the editing tools for progressive improvement
5. Leverage Strengths: Focus on text accuracy, character consistency, and multi-image fusion

The secret to mastery: Practice and experimentation. Each prompt teaches you more about how Nano Banana Pro interprets and creates.

Ready to put these techniques into practice? Try Nano Banana Pro and experience the difference that reasoning-powered image generation makes. Start with simple prompts, experiment with advanced techniques, and discover your unique prompting style.

The better you prompt, the more extraordinary your results. Welcome to the future of AI image creation.