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Nano Banana 2 Lite Google Qwen Image Edit 2509 Alibaba

Settled by community votes across 7 shared challenges, with an AI judge weighing in on each.

Nano Banana 2 Lite

22.3 arena score

#27 of 48 in Text-to-Image

Skill signature · Text-to-Image

Qwen Image Edit 2509

-1.1 arena score

#26 of 25 in Image Editing

Vote tally

Where the votes landed

Nano Banana 2 Lite

0%

win rate

Ties

0%

Qwen Image Edit 2509

0%

win rate

Shared challenges 7

Challenge by challenge

The strongest take from each model on every shared challenge, with the AI judge's read.

Man and Car in California

Editing
Edit instruction

“Make a photo of the man driving the car down the California coastline”

Source
Nano Banana 2 Lite
Qwen Image Edit 2509

AI Judge Analysis

Nano Banana 2 Lite

  • + Successfully merges the car and the man from the two source images.
  • + Maintains the specific clothing and hairstyle of the man with high accuracy.
  • + The scenic background and motion blur are high quality and cinematically composed.
  • The man's scale and positioning within the car are slightly too high, making him look large for the cabin.
  • Slight blurring on the character's facial details compared to the original portrait.

Qwen Image Edit 2509

  • + Captures the requested California coastline scenery beautifully.
  • + Good sense of motion with blurred wheels and road lines.
  • Fails to use the specific man from the source image, replacing him with a generic figure.
  • The person is positioned in the passenger seat instead of the driver's seat.
  • The car's proportions and perspective are slightly distorted compared to the source.

Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite successfully performed the complex task of combining two specific subjects from different source images into a single scene, preserving the man's identity and the car's model. Qwen Image Edit 2509 failed to preserve the man's identity, placed the person in the wrong seat, and generally produced a less accurate edit based on the provided inputs.

Pose & Character Mashup

Editing
Edit instruction

“Use Image 1 as the exact pose reference and Image 2 as the character reference. Recreate the person/character from Image 2 in the exact dynamic pose and body position from Image 1. Keep the exact face, hair, clothing style/details, and expression from Image 2. Match the lighting and environment of Image 1. The final image must show the character from Image 2 performing the precise action/pose from Image 1 with perfect anatomy and natural integration.”

Source
Nano Banana 2 Lite
Qwen Image Edit 2509

AI Judge Analysis

Nano Banana 2 Lite

  • + Successfully integrated the man from Image 2 into the pose from Image 1.
  • + Preserved character details including the sunglasses, scarf, and black sweatshirt.
  • + Maintained the exact environment, lighting, and yellow background of the source image.
  • The head angle is slightly adjusted to look at the camera rather than maintaining the downward tilt from Image 1.
  • Some messy blending around the left leg area where the red clothing meets the skin.

Qwen Image Edit 2509

  • + Successfully preserved the exact pose of Image 1.
  • Failed the editing task entirely by keeping the woman from Image 1 instead of the man from Image 2.
  • Applied a high-contrast filter that degraded the original image quality.

Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite successfully followed the complex instruction to map a character from one image onto a dynamic pose from another, maintaining clothing and accessories. Qwen Image Edit 2509 failed to perform the character swap, simply returning a filtered version of the first source image.

Outfit Transfer Challenge

Editing
Edit instruction

“Use Image 1 as the base person. Dress them in the exact elaborate outfit from Image 2 (including all layers, accessories, jewelry, and shoes). Carefully adapt the clothing to the body shape and pose in Image 1 while maintaining realistic fabric behavior, correct proportions, and perfect lighting/shadow matching. Keep the person’s exact face, hair, and background completely unchanged.”

Source
Nano Banana 2 Lite
Qwen Image Edit 2509

AI Judge Analysis

Nano Banana 2 Lite

  • + Successfully preserved the subject's face and unique vitigilo pattern with high fidelity.
  • + Included the hand watch and ring accessories from the source outfit.
  • + Adjusted the body pose to be a standing/leaning full-body shot while following the clothing style.
  • Significantly altered the background, adding extra blurry vertical pillars.
  • The face has slightly more contrast and less sand than the original Image 1.

Qwen Image Edit 2509

  • + Kept the background much closer to original Image 1 proportions and lighting.
  • + Correctly transferred the sunglasses from the clothing source image.
  • + Successfully integrated the specific vitigilo pattern on the face.
  • Added a mustache that was not present on the person in Image 1.
  • The shoes are black boots instead of the brown boots shown in Image A or implied by the reference outfit.
  • The pose change is more awkward with the leg positioning and hand placement.

Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite did a superior job of preserving the subject's identity and facial features without adding facial hair, though it struggled to maintain the background layout. Qwen Image Edit 2509 successfully included the sunglasses, but failed the negative constraint by adding a mustache to the subject, which changed their 'exact face'.

Bald man challenge

Image Editing
Edit instruction

“Give the person a full, thick head of natural hair with realistic texture, density, and a natural hairline. Preserve facial features and lighting.”

Before After
Nano Banana 2 Lite
Before After
Qwen Image Edit 2509

AI Judge Analysis

Nano Banana 2 Lite

  • + Natural and realistic hair texture that matches the existing beard.
  • + Excellent preservation of the original facial features and eyeglasses.
  • + Seamless integration of the new hair with the original lighting and background.
  • The hair density at the top is slightly sparse compared to the 'full, thick' request.

Qwen Image Edit 2509

  • + Successfully added a very thick and voluminous head of hair.
  • + Preserved the original background and clothing perfectly.
  • The hair texture looks somewhat synthetic and 'wig-like' with unnatural waxy highlights.
  • The hair volume is excessive and does not naturally transition into the existing sideburns/beard.
  • Slightly Alters the shape of the forehead and eyebrow area.

Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite is the preferred model because it produced a much more realistic and believable head of hair that matches the subject's age and existing beard texture. While Qwen Image Edit 2509 followed the instruction for 'thick' hair more literally, the resulting texture looks artificial and poorly blended with the original facial features.

Over-the-top cartoon caricature

Editing
Edit instruction

“Create a caricature of me and my job. Make it exaggerated and humorous, incorporating my profession as a tv show anchor and my love for dogs and hockey.”

Source
Nano Banana 2 Lite
Qwen Image Edit 2509

AI Judge Analysis

Nano Banana 2 Lite

  • + Excellent creativity with pun-based text like 'Ruff Shift' and 'Dog News Network'.
  • + Includes highly detailed hand-drawn watercolor style that fits the caricature theme perfectly.
  • + Perfectly integrates all requested elements: anchor desk, dogs, and hockey gear.
  • The facial likeness to the source image is slightly reduced compared to Model B.
  • The composition is a bit cluttered with many overlapping elements.

Qwen Image Edit 2509

  • + Maintains the 'selfie' pose and clothing from the source image remarkably well.
  • + Strong caricature facial likeness that clearly references the subject's features.
  • + Clean, professional digital illustration style with bold lines.
  • The dog is very small and feels like an afterthought compared to other elements.
  • The text in the speech bubble is nonsensical/gibberish.
  • The hockey players in the background are generic and lack the clever integration seen in Model A.

Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite is the winner because it fully embraces the 'humorous' and 'exaggerated' aspects of the prompt with clever puns and a cohesive theme, whereas Qwen Image Edit 2509 creates a more literal but less imaginative scene. Nano Banana 2 Lite's use of a dog-themed news network and punny headlines shows a higher level of creative interpretation of the editing instructions.

Studio Ghibli Anime Style

Editing
Edit instruction

“Transform this photo into a Studio Ghibli–inspired illustration. Use soft pastel colors, hand-painted textures, gentle lighting, dreamy backgrounds, and a warm, nostalgic mood”

Source
Nano Banana 2 Lite
Qwen Image Edit 2509

AI Judge Analysis

Nano Banana 2 Lite

  • + Excellent preservation of the original subjects' facial features and structures.
  • + Beautiful painting style that incorporates European-style backgrounds typical of some Ghibli films.
  • + Effective use of warm, dreamy lighting and soft pastel tones.
  • The style lean closer to a digital watercolor portrait than the specific flat-cell animation style of Ghibli.
  • Kept the depth-of-field blur from the original which is less common in Ghibli wide shots.

Qwen Image Edit 2509

  • + Successfully captures the iconic Ghibli character design style with large eyes and simplified features.
  • + Consistent line art and flat shading characteristic of traditional Japanese animation.
  • + Maintains the composition of the background people and traffic better than Model A.
  • The faces have been modified so much to fit the style that they no longer strongly resemble the specific individuals in the meme.
  • Resolution/texture appears slightly grainy or dithered compared to the smoothness of Image A.

Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite provides a beautiful painterly illustration that maintains high fidelity to the original subjects' faces, while Qwen Image Edit 2509 more accurately recreates the specific 2D anime aesthetic requested in the prompt. Nano Banana 2 Lite is likely preferred for users wanting a 'Ghibli-esque' portrait of themselves, whereas Qwen Image Edit 2509 is better for a structural stylistic transformation.

Golden Hour Stroll

Image Editing
Edit instruction

“Add dynamic motion to this photo: make hair blow in the wind, add leaves flying, energetic and lively feel.”

Before After
Nano Banana 2 Lite
Before After
Qwen Image Edit 2509

AI Judge Analysis

Nano Banana 2 Lite

  • + Excellent source preservation, keeping the lady's face and dog's features near-identical to the original.
  • + Realistic hair movement and wind-blown denim jacket.
  • + Integrated the dog's fur into the motion effect seamlessly.
  • The flying leaves are a bit blurry and lack distinct shapes compared to the background foliage.

Qwen Image Edit 2509

  • + Successfully added stylized autumn leaves that are very visible.
  • + Followed the prompt to make the hair blow in the wind.
  • The hair edit looks very artificial, with wavy strands that don't match the original hair texture.
  • Significant modification to the woman's facial features and the dog's expression.
  • The leaves look like flat clip-art stickers rather than part of the 3D scene.

Verdict: Nano Banana 2 Lite is the superior model for this edit because it preserves the integrity of the original subject's face and the dog's appearance while adding high-quality, realistic motion. Qwen Image Edit 2509 added the requested elements but did so with a lower level of realism, using stylized 'sticker-like' leaves and altering identifying facial features.

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