How to Use Nano Banana 2: 14 Reference Images, 8:1 Ratios and Flat 15-Credit Pricing

Nano Banana 2 on VdoBloom is a combined text-to-image and image-to-image model that costs a flat 15 credits ($0.75) per image at 1K, 2K or 4K, accepts up to 14 reference images in a single job, and offers 15 aspect ratios stretching from 1:8 to 8:1 plus an auto setting. The flat price is the headline: unlike almost every other resolution-controlled image model on the platform, 4K costs you exactly what 1K does. This guide covers what it is best at, its real settings, the exact credit maths, how to prompt it, and when a different Nano Banana tier is the better choice.

What Nano Banana 2 is best at

Two capabilities separate it from the rest of the image catalog.

Compositing from many sources. Fourteen reference images in one job is a lot of raw material. That turns Nano Banana 2 from a generator into an assembly tool: character from one image, wardrobe from a second, product from a third, environment from a fourth, lighting reference from a fifth, all merged into one coherent frame. Most competing models on the platform stop at eight or ten inputs. If you are compositing photographs of a real person, you must have that person’s consent before generating.

Extreme aspect ratios. Most generators end at 21:9. Nano Banana 2 keeps going to 4:1 and 8:1 horizontal strips and their 1:4 and 1:8 vertical counterparts. That covers web leaderboards, skyscraper ad units, panoramic site headers and side-rail graphics natively, rather than as an outpainting-and-stitching exercise. The auto setting is the other useful one: instead of locking a ratio, the model picks framing from your prompt and inputs, which matters most in image-to-image work where the source should dictate the crop.

It rates 4.3 with VdoBloom users and carries the CENSORED label — strict provider filtering that applies in both text-to-image and image-to-image modes. This is not the model to reach for if your subject matter sits near the line.

Real specs and credit cost

Setting or tier	Nano Banana 2	Credits per image	Cost at $0.05/credit
1K output	Supported	15	$0.75
2K output	Supported	15	$0.75
4K output	Supported	15	$0.75
Reference images	Up to 14 per job	Included	No surcharge
Aspect ratios	auto, 1:1, 1:4, 1:8, 2:3, 3:2, 3:4, 4:1, 4:3, 4:5, 5:4, 8:1, 9:16, 16:9, 21:9	Included	No surcharge
Output formats	JPG, PNG	Included	No surcharge
Modes	Text-to-image and image-to-image	Same price	$0.75

The conversion comes from the Lite plan: $15 a month buys 300 credits, so one credit is $0.05. Twenty Nano Banana 2 images is 300 credits — a full Lite month. Annual billing brings Lite to $10 a month, which drops the effective per-image cost to roughly $0.50.

How it compares to the rest of the Nano Banana family

Model	Credits per image	Max reference images	Resolution control	Extreme ratios (4:1, 8:1, 1:4, 1:8)
Nano Banana 2	15	14	1K / 2K / 4K, same price	Yes
Nano Banana 2 Lite	8	10	None	Yes
Nano Banana Pro	18 (1K & 2K), 24 (4K)	8	1K / 2K / 4K, tiered price	No, stops at 21:9
Nano Banana (original)	6	Generation only	None	No

The interesting row is Pro. At 4K it costs 24 credits against Nano Banana 2’s 15, takes six fewer reference images, and cannot produce the extreme formats. Nano Banana 2 is the better default for 4K work and for anything wider than 21:9; Pro earns its place when you specifically prefer its rendering character.

How to prompt Nano Banana 2

1. Label your reference images in the prompt. With up to 14 inputs, the model needs to know what each one is for. Write instructions in the form of the person from the first image, wearing the jacket from the second image, standing in the location from the third image. Unlabelled references get blended rather than assigned.
2. Say what must not change. In image-to-image work, name the elements to preserve — facial features, proportions, the background, the lighting direction — and name only the one thing you are changing. This is the single biggest cause of unwanted drift in composites.
3. Choose the ratio deliberately, or choose auto. For layout work where the deliverable has a fixed slot, pick the exact ratio. For edits where the source photograph should decide the crop, auto usually beats guessing.
4. Push resolution up, since it is free. There is no reason to render a final asset at 1K when 4K costs the same 15 credits. Use 1K only when you want a faster look at a draft.
5. Use PNG for anything with text or flat colour and JPG for photographic output, since both formats are available on the same job.

A worked example

Suppose you need an 8:1 website header showing your product on a studio surface with a model’s hands in frame. Upload three references: the product shot, a hand-and-surface photograph for the styling, and a colour-palette image from your brand kit. Then prompt along these lines: The product from the first image placed centre-right on the surface from the second image. Hands enter from the left edge, cropped at the wrist. Match the colour palette of the third image. Even soft studio light from above, shallow shadow beneath the product, wide empty space on the left third for headline text. Photographic, no text in the image.

Set aspect to 8:1, resolution to 4K, format to PNG. That is one job, 15 credits, $0.75 — and it produces the banner at final delivery resolution rather than a 1K draft you would have to upscale.

When to pick something else

• You are still exploring. Nano Banana 2 Lite is 8 credits instead of 15, keeps the full extreme-ratio menu, and accepts 10 references. Burn through concepts there, then move the winning direction to Nano Banana 2 for a resolution-controlled final.
• You need the cheapest possible image. GPT Image 2 runs 3 credits at 1K, 5 at 2K and 8 at 4K. For simple single-subject generations with no compositing, it is a third of the price.
• Your subject sits near the content line. Nano Banana 2 is a strict-filter model and will refuse rather than negotiate. Models labelled as more flexible handle swimwear, dance and fitness subject matter that strict-tier models decline; explicit and illegal content is blocked everywhere on VdoBloom.
• You prefer Pro’s rendering. Nano Banana Pro remains available at 18 credits for 1K and 2K, 24 for 4K.

Nano Banana 2 appears in both the image generator and the image editor, with the same 15-credit price in either direction. The full spec sheet lives on the Nano Banana 2 model page, and plan details are on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

How much does one Nano Banana 2 image cost?

15 credits, which is $0.75 at the Lite rate of $0.05 per credit. The price is identical at 1K, 2K and 4K and identical for text-to-image and image-to-image.

How many reference images can Nano Banana 2 use?

Up to 14 in a single job, with no extra credit charge for using all of them.

Why would I need an 8:1 or 1:8 image?

Web leaderboards, skyscraper ad units, panoramic headers and side rails all live in those shapes. Nano Banana 2 renders them natively instead of forcing an outpaint-and-stitch workflow.

What does the auto aspect ratio do?

It lets the model choose output framing from your prompt and input images rather than locking a fixed ratio. It is most useful when editing an uploaded photo whose own composition should drive the crop.

Is Nano Banana 2 Lite the same model?

It is the lighter tier: 8 credits, up to 10 reference images, no 1K/2K/4K selector, and the same aspect-ratio menu and strict content filter.

Do I get watermark-free downloads?

On any paid plan, yes, with commercial rights. New accounts start with 10 free credits and no card, and credit packs from $2.49 for 75 credits never expire.