OpenAI's legacy image generation model supporting generations, edits with masks (inpainting), and variations
Settled by community votes across 13 shared challenges, with an AI judge weighing in on each.
DALL-E 2
16.1
arena score
#44 of 48 in Text-to-Image
Skill signature
· Text-to-Image
Nano Banana 2 Lite
22.3
arena score
#27 of 48 in Text-to-Image
Vote tally
Where the votes landed
DALL-E 2
0%
win rate
Ties
0%
Nano Banana 2 Lite
0%
win rate
Shared challenges
13
Challenge by challenge
The strongest take from each model on every shared challenge, with the AI judge's read.
Geometric Composition
Text-to-Image“A glass cube on a wooden table. Inside the cube is a small blue sphere. On top of the cube sits a red book. A green plant is behind the cube, partially visible through the glass. Soft window light from the left.”
DALL-E 2
Nano Banana 2 Lite
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Features a glass cube and a wooden table
- + Good lighting and reflections
- − Failed to place the sphere inside the cube
- − Failed to place a red book on top
- − Color composition is confused, using a giant blue vase instead of a small sphere
Nano Banana 2 Lite
- + Excellent prompt adherence with all spatial requirements met
- + Photorealistic texture on the wooden table and red book
- + Impressive refraction and transparency effects through the glass cube
- − The blue sphere appears to be floating unnaturally without support inside the cube
Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite perfectly followed every instruction in the prompt, placing the sphere inside the cube and the book on top with high visual fidelity. DALL-E 2 failed significantly on spatial relationships, missing the book entirely and misinterpreting the blue sphere as a background object.
Candid Street Photography
Text-to-Image“A candid street photo of an elderly Japanese man repairing a red bicycle in light rain, reflections on wet pavement, shallow depth of field, 50mm lens, natural skin texture, imperfect framing, motion blur from passing cars, cinematic but realistic, no stylization.”
DALL-E 2
Nano Banana 2 Lite
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Successfully captures the shallow depth of field and imperfect framing requested.
- + The wet pavement reflections and light rain splatter are visually convincing.
- − Fails to show the subject's face or clear ethnicity, obscuring the primary actor completely.
- − The composition is so abstract that it misses the storytelling element of 'an elderly man repairing' something.
Nano Banana 2 Lite
- + Excellent adherence to all prompt details, including the elderly Japanese man, red bicycle, and tools.
- + Strong atmospheric detail with rain, reflections, and motion blur on a passing car.
- + Realistic skin textures and clothing details provide a cinematic feel without heavy stylization.
- − The hands and tools have minor anatomical and physical oddities common in AI generation.
- − The bicycle's kickstand and rear assembly are structurally confused.
Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite is the clear winner as it provides a coherent, high-detail image that follows all parts of the prompt, including the specific identity of the subject. DALL-E 2 failed to produce a usable image by placing the focus on the ground and obscuring the person entirely, making it fail the basic 'portrait' intent of the request.
Fantasy Warrior
Text-to-Image“Close portrait of a battle-worn paladin in ornate engraved plate armor, hair braided with small beads, faint scars and dirt on the skin, warm torchlight reflecting off metal, shallow depth of field, bokeh sparks, lifelike eyes, highly detailed texture on leather straps and cloth underlayer.”
DALL-E 2
Nano Banana 2 Lite
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Strong bokeh effect
- + Captures an extremely weathered, battle-worn look
- − Poor coherence, looking more like a macro shot of a miniature or rusted metal than a person
- − Low resolution and blurry details
- − Fails to render most specific prompt elements like braided hair and lifelike eyes
Nano Banana 2 Lite
- + Excellent adherence to all prompt details including braided hair with beads, scars, and ornate engraving
- + Highly lifelike eyes and skin texture
- + Superb lighting and composition with high visual clarity
- − Included white bars on the sides of the image
Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite produced a high-quality, professional-looking portrait that followed every single detail of the prompt accurately. In contrast, DALL-E 2 produced a low-fidelity, abstract image that failed to clearly depict a person or the specific requested features.
Modern Clean Menu
Text-to-Image“Modern minimalist restaurant menu design, white background with colorful food photos in grid, sections for appetizers/pizza/mains, bold sans-serif fonts, vibrant accents, clean professional layout for casual dining.”
DALL-E 2
Nano Banana 2 Lite
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Strong bold sans-serif typography
- + High contrast visual style
- − Nonsense text that doesn't follow the section requests
- − Abstract and fragmented food imagery that doesn't resemble a menu grid
- − Unbalanced composition looking more like a magazine spread than a menu
Nano Banana 2 Lite
- + Perfect adherence to specific sections (appetizers, pizza, mains)
- + Clean, professional grid layout with clear categorization
- + Reasonably legible text and accurate item naming
- − Minor spelling errors in smaller body text
- − The teal color palette may be slightly limited
Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite significantly outperformed DALL-E 2 by creating a functional, professional-looking menu that strictly followed every prompt requirement, including specific food sections and a grid layout. DALL-E 2 produced an abstract composition with gibberish text that failed to resemble a usable restaurant menu.
Magic Burger Explosion: Fiery Photorealism Challenge
Text-to-Image“Ad for 'Magic Burger'. Dynamic, exploded burger with all components (bun, patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato, sauce) suspended in mid-air. Emphasize photorealistic detail and a sense of motion. Dark, fiery background with glowing embers. Integrate text: 'MAGIC BURGER' as a prominent title, 'LIMITED TIME ONLY' as a secondary message, and '€6.99' in a starburst, all rendered with a fiery, glowing effect.”
DALL-E 2
Nano Banana 2 Lite
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Captures the glowing, fiery atmosphere requested in the background.
- − Text rendering is unintelligible with multiple misspellings like 'MARGIC'.
- − Image lacks photorealistic detail, appearing more like a low-resolution digital painting.
- − The burger components are blurry and poorly defined.
Nano Banana 2 Lite
- + Excellent text rendering that follows every prompt instruction including the specific price and starburst.
- + High-quality photorealistic textures on the food components and sauce splashes.
- + Perfectly balanced composition with a strong sense of motion.
- − The bottom bun is slightly warped due to the exploded effect.
Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite is the clear winner, delivering a professional-grade advertisement that perfectly follows all prompt instructions, including complex text integration. DALL-E 2 fails significantly on text legibility and image clarity, producing a muddy and incoherent visual.
Chalkboard Menu
Text-to-Image“Handwritten-style chalkboard menu in a cozy café, all text rendered in the exact same realistic chalk handwriting style with natural variations in letter size, slight slant, and chalk texture — no printed or digital fonts anywhere on the board. Title at the top in elegant cursive chalk handwriting: ‘TODAY’S SPECIALS – APRIL 30, 2026’. Below it, three menu items also in the same handwritten chalk style: ‘Truffle Mushroom Risotto – $24’, ‘Grilled Octopus with Lemon & Herbs – $28’, ‘Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies – $9’. At the very bottom, smaller text in the identical handwritten chalk style (slightly smaller but still clearly legible with the same handwriting characteristics): ‘All items made fresh daily • Ask about our gluten-free options’. Warm ambient café lighting, visible chalk dust and smudges, realistic handwriting imperfections, no clean printed text anywhere.”
DALL-E 2
Nano Banana 2 Lite
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + The chalk texture on the individual letters looks authentic and messy.
- + Captures a very close-up, high-contrast perspective of a chalkboard.
- − Fails completely to render legible text or the requested menu items.
- − The words are unintelligible gibberish.
- − Does not include the café background atmosphere.
Nano Banana 2 Lite
- + Excellent prompt adherence with nearly perfect spelling for all specific menu items.
- + High-quality visual composition including a realistic café environment.
- + Text effectively mimics a chalk-written style while remaining highly legible.
- − The handwriting style is slightly too consistent, bordering on a digital 'chalk' font despite the request for natural variation.
- − Unrequested text was added at the very bottom of the board.
Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite is the clear winner as it successfully rendered almost every specific word and price in the prompt with high clarity and a beautiful café backdrop. DALL-E 2 failed to produce legible text, resulting in a board filled with meaningless shapes and characters.
The Reversed Rodeo
Text-to-Image“Horse riding astronaut in space — horse on top, not vice versa. Surreal, highly detailed, cinematic.”
DALL-E 2
Nano Banana 2 Lite
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Successfully captures a cinematic sense of scale with the large planet in the background.
- + Follows the general space theme with a gritty, realistic aesthetic.
- − Completely failed the negative constraint: the astronaut is riding the horse, not the other way around.
- − The image quality is low with severe artifacts and muddy textures.
- − The horse's anatomy is distorted, particularly in the legs and tail.
Nano Banana 2 Lite
- + Directly followed the difficult prompt instruction of having the horse on top of the astronaut.
- + High visual quality with sharp details and vibrant, cinematic lighting.
- + Creative interpretation of a 'riding' device for the astronaut while the horse is positioned above.
- − The composition is a bit crowded with many celestial elements.
Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite is the clear winner as it was the only model to successfully interpret the surreal logical inversion requested in the prompt ('horse on top, not vice versa'). DALL-E 2 produced a standard, lower-quality image of an astronaut riding a horse, failing the specific spatial instructions entirely.
The Capybara Taxi Driver
Text-to-Image“Photorealistic scene inside a yellow New York taxi at night. A capybara is driving, wearing a yellow taxi driver cap and a dark jacket. It has a calm, professional expression and both front paws on the steering wheel. In the back seat sits a human businesswoman in a coat, looking at her phone with a completely normal, bored expression (as if this is just another normal ride). Through the windows you can see the streets of Manhattan at night with blurred lights. Realistic taxi interior, photorealistic, detailed fur and fabric, 35mm lens, night lighting with reflections, shallow depth of field.”
DALL-E 2
Nano Banana 2 Lite
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Includes a capybara and a person with a phone.
- − Severely lacks photorealism with significant anatomical and object distortions.
- − The capybara looks like an orange plastic statue rather than a living animal.
- − The woman is in the front seat instead of the back seat.
- − Fails to render a coherent taxi interior or clear Manhattan background.
Nano Banana 2 Lite
- + Excellent photorealism with high-quality textures on the capybara fur and upholstery.
- + Perfect adherence to the composition including the back-seat passenger and steering wheel placement.
- + Convincing 'bored' expression on the passenger and 'professional' look on the capybara.
- + Atmospheric and accurate Manhattan night background with believable lighting.
- − The hat is a black/white checkered cap rather than a 'yellow' cap as requested.
Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite is the clear winner, producing a high-fidelity image that looks like a real photograph despite the surreal subject matter. DALL-E 2 produced a low-quality, distorted image that failed to follow the spatial instructions (putting the passenger in the front) and lacked any sense of realism.
The Halloween Invitation
Text-to-Image“Vintage gothic Halloween party invitation. Dark parchment poster, spooky border with webs and thorns, central glowing jack-o-lantern, bats, twisted trees, moody night sky. Add elegant gothic title text saying "Halloween Party Invitation", a small scroll banner saying "You are invited to a night of frights", and event details at the bottom: Date: 30.10.2026 Time: 7pm Location: The Arches, NYC Spooky but polished, cinematic lighting, square format.”
DALL-E 2
Nano Banana 2 Lite
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Captures a very authentic aged parchment texture
- + Moody lighting matches the vintage theme
- − Text consists of illegible gibberish and misspellings
- − Fails to include the central jack-o-lantern requested
- − The border is messy and lacks the requested thorns and webs
Nano Banana 2 Lite
- + Excellent text rendering with perfect spelling and font choice
- + Includes all requested elements like the glowing jack-o-lantern, webs, and bats
- + High level of detail and polished cinematic composition
- − The parchment edges look slightly artificial compared to the central art style
Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite is the clear winner as it followed every instruction, including specific text strings and visual elements like the jack-o-lantern and thorns. DALL-E 2 failed significantly on text legibility and missed multiple core prompts like the central pumpkin and specific details.
Isometric Miniature Diorama Scenes
Text-to-Image“Create a clear, 45° top-down isometric miniature 3D cartoon scene of Japan's signature dish: sushi, with soft refined textures, realistic PBR materials, gentle lighting, on a small raised diorama base with minimal garnish and plate. Solid light blue background. At top-center: 'JAPAN' in large bold text, 'SUSHI' below it, small flag icon. Perfectly centered, ultra-clean, high-clarity, square format.”
DALL-E 2
Nano Banana 2 Lite
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Successfully achieved a clean isometric perspective.
- + Maintains a vibrant and solid light blue background as requested.
- − Failed to render all requested text, spelling 'Sush' instead of 'SUSHI' and missing 'JAPAN'.
- − The 3D models are very basic and do not resemble realistic or appetizing sushi.
- − Missing the required flag icon.
Nano Banana 2 Lite
- + Perfect adherence to text requirements, including 'JAPAN', 'SUSHI', and a flag icon.
- + Excellent visual quality with realistic PBR-style textures for the food.
- + Accurately represents the raised diorama base and miniature aesthetic.
- − The 'JAPAN' text is slightly off-center compared to the icon and lower text.
Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite is the clear winner as it followed every part of the complex prompt, including specific text strings and a flag icon. DALL-E 2 failed significantly on the text rendering and the visual quality of the sushi, producing a very sparse and unappealing image.
Adorable Baby Animals in Sunny Meadow
Text-to-Image“Hyper-photorealistic scene of fluffy baby animals—a golden retriever puppy, tabby kitten, baby bunny, and red fox kit—with big expressive eyes and ultra-detailed soft fur, playfully chasing butterflies and tumbling together in a lush wildflower meadow, warm golden sunrise light with god rays and dew sparkles, joyful wholesome vibe, 8K masterpiece.”
DALL-E 2
Nano Banana 2 Lite
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Attempts all three animals including a butterfly chase interaction.
- − Low resolution with significant blur and painterly artifacts.
- − Anatomy is poorly defined, especially for the kitten and the creature at the bottom.
- − Composition is unbalanced and lacks the requested god rays and sparkles.
Nano Banana 2 Lite
- + Excellent adherence to all prompt elements including specific animal breeds and lighting effects.
- + Ultra-detailed fur textures and sharp resolution throughout the image.
- + Dynamic and joyful composition with clear emotional expressions on the animals' faces.
- − The fox's front leg has a slightly awkward anatomical connection to its chest.
- − High saturation may feel a bit overly stylized for a 'photorealistic' request.
Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite significantly outperforms DALL-E 2 in both technical quality and prompt adherence, delivering a sharp, vibrant image with all requested subjects. DALL-E 2 struggles with anatomical coherence and lacks the fine detail and cinematic lighting effects requested in the prompt.
Vintage Cafe Logo
Text-to-Image“Vintage minimalist restaurant logo for "Caffè Florian", retro cloche dome with steam and "Est. 1720" banner, classic typography, warm brown and cream tones, subtle texture on light background, vector emblem style.”
DALL-E 2
Nano Banana 2 Lite
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Simple minimalist iconography for the cloche shape.
- + Uses requested warm brown and cream color palette.
- − Text is complete gibberish and does not follow the specific required words.
- − Failed to include the 'Est. 1720' banner.
- − Graphic details like the steam and the cloche handle are distorted and messy.
Nano Banana 2 Lite
- + Perfect text rendering for both 'Caffè Florian' and 'EST. 1720'.
- + Excellently captures the vintage vector emblem style with a professional layout.
- + High clarity with subtle paper-like texture and clean lines.
- − The circle frame is slightly interrupted on the left and right edges.
Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite is the clear winner as it perfectly follows all instructions, including difficult text rendering and specific design elements like the banner and steam. DALL-E 2 fails significantly on the text, producing illegible characters and missing key parts of the request.
Apollo 11: Journey to Tranquility
Text-to-Image“Create a clean, modern vector infographic poster about the Apollo 11 mission. NASA-inspired palette (navy, white, muted red, light gray). Flat-vector style, crisp lines, consistent iconography, subtle gradients only. Steps (stop at landing): 1. Launch (Saturn Vicon) 2. Earth Orbit (Earth + orbit ring icon) 3. Translunar (trajectory arc icon) 4. Lunar Orbit (Moon + orbit ring icon) 5. Descent (lunar module descending icon) 6. Landing (lunar module on the surface icon) Small supporting elements (minimal text): • Crew strip: three silhouette icons with only last names: Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins. • Landing site marker: Moon pin labeled "Tranquility" only. Layout constraints: generous margins, large readable labels, clean background with subtle stars. Vector-only, print-poster look, high resolution.”
DALL-E 2
Nano Banana 2 Lite
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 2
- + Follows the general navy and red color palette requested.
- − Text is completely illegible and gibberish.
- − The layout is chaotic and does not follow the requested step-by-step structure.
- − Graphic elements are messy and do not resemble the specific icons requested.
Nano Banana 2 Lite
- + Excellent adherence to the requested six-step structure with accurate icons.
- + Text rendering is clear, legible, and correctly spelled for the most part.
- + Strictly adheres to the NASA-inspired color palette and modern flat-vector style.
- − Slightly inconsistent cropping at the very bottom edge.
- − Small text inside some graphics can be a bit blurry.
Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite perfectly followed the complex multistep instructions, producing a clean, professional-grade infographic with readable text and accurate icons. In contrast, DALL-E 2 produced a chaotic mess of gibberish text and abstract shapes that failed to communicate the specific timeline requested.
Next steps
Explore each model
The lightweight, low-cost variant of Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image). Ultra-low-latency image generation and editing at a fixed 1K resolution, designed for high-volume interactive use cases.