Imagen 3 (Nano Banana 2)

Google’s image generation model (referred to as “Nano Banana 2” in Nate Herk’s content). Previously Nate’s primary image generation tool for thumbnails and Claude Design hero assets.

Key facts

  • Type: Image generation model
  • Maker: Google
  • Status: Active
  • Pricing: $0.04–$0.09/image depending on resolution (1K/2K/4K)
  • Benchmark: Lost to GPT Image 2 on arena.ai by 24 points (April 2026 — largest gap ever recorded at that benchmark)

Strengths vs GPT Image 2

  • Some product photography scenarios where it can search the web for real logos [012]
  • Roughly equivalent for diagrams [012]
  • Lower pricing at some resolutions [012]

Related

Source references

  • [009] Nate Herk — Claude Design cluster (2026-04-17 to 2026-04-21) — used on Krea.ai for still image generation
  • [012] Nate Herk — Video editing & content creation cluster (2026-04-15 to 2026-04-23) — benchmarked vs GPT Image 2