Google launches Nano Banana 2 Lite image model at 4 seconds per image, $0.04 per 1,000 generations

Google released Nano Banana 2 Lite on Tuesday, an image generation model that produces images in four seconds and costs under four cents per thousand images. The company positions it as its fastest and cheapest image generator to date.

The model is available immediately through Google AI Studio, the Gemini API, and the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform. It is also rolling out to consumer products including AI Mode in Search, the Gemini app, NotebookLM, Google Photos, Stitch, Google Flow, and Google Ads.

Speed over quality

Nano Banana 2 Lite is built for what Google calls "rapid ideation and high-velocity developer pipelines" where latency and cost matter more than image fidelity. The company's existing Nano Banana 2, launched in February, remains the recommended model for higher-quality work, while Nano Banana Pro handles professional use cases.

The new model replaces the original Nano Banana, now designated as Google's "legacy model."

According to Google, Nano Banana 2 Lite retains reliable prompt adherence, character consistency, and legible text rendering despite the speed focus.

Video generation expansion

Google also expanded availability of Gemini Omni Flash, its video generation model first shown at Google I/O in May. The model is now accessible to developers through the Gemini API and Google AI Studio, priced at ten cents per second of video output. Video clips are capped at ten seconds, with longer durations planned for later release.

Google is positioning the two models as a combined workflow: developers can generate images with Nano Banana 2 Lite, then animate them into video using Omni Flash. A demo app called Omni Product Studio converts static images into what Google describes as "cinematic e-commerce videos."

Market context

The releases come as AI-generated content proliferates across platforms. A recent study found that 60 percent of TikTok videos are now classified as AI-generated, and the term "AI slop" has emerged to describe low-quality machine-made media.

Google has primarily marketed its image tools for advertising and business applications rather than consumer creativity. The company's Google DeepMind division struck a $75 million deal with film studio A24 last week to develop AI filmmaking tools, drawing criticism from creative communities who accused A24 of undermining artists.

What this means

Google's pricing and speed targets — four seconds and four cents per thousand images — represent a clear push to embed image generation into automated developer workflows before quality becomes the primary evaluation metric. The sub-cent-per-image economics make it viable to generate visuals at massive scale for applications like e-commerce, advertising, and content moderation. The simultaneous expansion of Omni Flash suggests Google sees the image-to-video pipeline as the next area where speed and cost will drive adoption, particularly in marketing and social media use cases where volume matters more than production value.