Google´s new Artificial Intelligence image-editing tool, Nano Banana, is part of the broader Gemini service and aims to replicate many of the features users expect from Adobe software, often for free or at lower cost. The article frames the tool in the context of generative Artificial Intelligence threatening traditional software businesses and reports that Nano Banana was released as part of Gemini on a Tuesday. The author, Alistair Barr, and colleague Hugh Langley tested the system to compare its capabilities and ease of use against rival tools.
Hugh Langley tested an early version of Nano Banana and found it generally better than competing tools for many common edits. It is particularly strong at making small tweaks to existing photos and preserving fine details, such as keeping a striped T-shirt pattern while changing color. The review notes some consistent limitations: the model sometimes struggles to accurately replicate faces when combining two different photos and can introduce odd artifacts. In one example the editors asked Gemini to create a picture of both of them riding a banana boat and it inserted an unexpected figure on a jet ski behind them. Barr then asked Gemini to remove that figure, which the tool did in a few seconds.
In hands-on tests the system produced results quickly and with minimal user effort. Examples include adding glasses, changing a T-shirt color while retaining pattern detail, removing a background figure, and slimming a subject. Some outputs showed minor issues: an image became a bit pixelated after being emailed back and forth, and Gemini applied noticeably bright white teeth in one edit. Overall, Business Insider judged Nano Banana impressive and easy to use but not perfect, highlighting both its potential to disrupt established image-editing workflows and the remaining quality limits that could matter for professional use.
