The Viral "Nano Banana": Decoding the Craze
First of all ,have you seen the 3D figures of celebrities, influencers, or even your friends, trending all over the social media? The secret behind this viral trend is a new fruit and it’s something far more technological: ‘ The Nano Banana’. Banana is no more a fruit now, but a powerful AI model that is getting ready to spark the global revolution. The “Nano Banana” is a viral term for Google’s Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, an AI model designed for incredibly precise image editing and creation.
Unlike older tools that simply generate images from a text prompt, this technology specializes in manipulating existing photos with a simple command. Its key innovation is the ability to understand and alter images while keeping the subject’s identity consistent. You know how it goes, one minute you’ve never heard of something, and the next, it’s everywhere. That’s exactly what happened with the Nano Banana.
It was launched in the last week of August and went viral almost instantly, due to the 3D figurine trend that took over every feed. The 3D figurine trend went so popular that the person in the picture still looks like themselves, even in a completely new form. And if you want give it a try, here is the prompt:
[Create a 1/7 scale commercialized figurine of the characters in the picture, in a realistic style, in a real environment. The figurine is placed on a computer desk. The figurine has a round transparent acrylic base, with no text on the base. The content on the computer screen is a 3D modeling process of this figurine. Next to the computer screen is a toy packaging box, designed in a style reminiscent of high-quality collectible figures, printed with original artwork. The packaging features two-dimensional flat illustrations.]
I recently tried out different AI tools to participate in a photography contest conducted by HIPA. The topic is to generate an image based on UAE culture combined with AI-assisted photography. The goal was to show how human creativity and AI could work together .I tried out different AI tools, but Gemini truly stood out. As a digital marketing specialist, seeing how fast and accurately Gemini can handle creative revisions gives me immense confidence in how we can quickly adapt visual content for different campaignsIt was amazing how it could transform my images to reflect UAE culture, whether by changing backgrounds or adding elements, all while keeping the main subject looking real. This made the whole creative process for the contest incredibly smooth and exciting. Gemini really helped me blend my artistic ideas with powerful AI, creating visuals that went far beyond what I thought was possible.
Here’s one of the images I developed for the HIPA contest, showcasing how Gemini helped bring my vision to life.
The name “Nano Banana” came from its original codename during testing on a platform called LM Arena. When the model was in its pre-release phase, it was given the playful nickname by the community.The name stuck everyone because people were “going bananas” over its impressive capabilities, especially its ability to follow complex instructions and maintain character identity. This was a major breakthrough in AI image generation, and the catchy, unique name helped it go viral.
Think of this AI tool as a super-smart artist who listens to you. You can do the following things with it:
- Consistency: You can take a picture of a friend and then ask the AI to put them in a superhero costume, in a new city, or even on the moon. The best part? They will still look exactly like your friend in every new picture.
- Edit by talking: You don’t need a fancy app anymore. You can give it a photo and say, “Take out the car in the background,” or “Change her jacket to a different color.” The AI understands what you mean and makes the change for you.
- Mix different pictures: You can show the AI a photo of your living room and a picture of a sofa you like, and tell it to put the new sofa in your room. It will create a new, realistic picture of your living room with the new sofa in it.
- Super-fast: The “Flash” in its name means it works very quickly. You get results in seconds, so you can easily try out many different ideas without having to wait.
The “Nano Banana” has completely changed the game by making powerful AI image creation easy for everyone. What used to take professionals hours with complicated software can now be done in seconds with a simple text command.Its main impact has been turning creative ideas into reality with amazing speed, as seen in the viral 3D figurine trend. However, this is just the beginning. The ability to rapidly generate high quality, consistent, and customized visuals is a huge advantage for any digital marketing strategist. The biggest revolution is yet to come, as this technology will only get smarter and more integrated into our daily lives, leading to new creative trends we can’t even imagine right now.
NB: It’s not a tiny fruit it’s a massive leap in artificial intelligence.
“Have you tried Nano Banana yet? Share your creations in the comments below!”
Want to learn how digital marketing can help unique products like Nano Banana reach a wider audience? Visit ayshathulafra.com to explore my insights as a digital marketing strategist in Abu Dhabi.