FLUX.2 [pro] vs Nano Banana
Head-to-head across 15 challenges
FLUX.2 [pro]
38.9%
win rate
Ties
13.9%
Nano Banana
47.2%
win rate
Challenge Results
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [pro]
- + Perfect adherence to the spatial constraints of the prompt.
- + Highly realistic rendering of glass refraction and reflections.
- + Excellent photographic quality with a natural depth of field.
- − The plant is slightly less 'visible through the glass' compared to model B.
Nano Banana
- + Good lighting effects with visible dust motes in the air.
- + The plant is clearly visible through the glass as requested.
- − The blue sphere is floating unnaturally inside the cube.
- − The perspective of the cube is slightly skewed, making it look tilted.
- − The book appears to be merging with the top of the cube rather than sitting on it.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [pro] followed the prompt perfectly, creating a highly realistic scene with convincing physics and professional-grade lighting. Nano Banana struggled with the internal composition, resulting in a sphere that appears to float and a cube that lacks structural groundness. FLUX.2 [pro] is the clear winner for its superior realism and adherence to physical logic.
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [pro]
- + Excellent realism in skin texture and facial details.
- + The bicycle mechanics and chain assembly are remarkably coherent and accurate.
- + Perfectly captures the 'imperfect framing' and 'shallow depth of field' with a very natural photographic feel.
- − The motion blur on the background car is subtle rather than a primary feature.
Nano Banana
- + Strong atmospheric lighting with beautiful background bokeh and lantern reflections.
- + Good use of motion blur on the passing vehicle to show movement.
- + Creative addition of tools on a newspaper adds to the storytelling.
- − The bicycle's geometry is broken, particularly where the frame connects to the rear wheel.
- − The man's hands appear somewhat merged with the bicycle chain area.
- − The facial features and skin texture look more like a digital painting than a 50mm photograph.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [pro] is the clear winner as it produces a photograph that looks indistinguishable from a real candid shot, featuring exceptional skin texture and realistic mechanical details on the bicycle. Nano Banana creates a very cinematic and moody atmosphere, but it fails on the fine details, specifically with broken bicycle geometry and less realistic skin rendering.
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [pro]
- + Excellent adherence to the 'grid' layout for food photos integrated with sections.
- + Very clean, professional typography and column-based alignment typical of real menu design.
- + High-quality food photography that fits the intended minimalist aesthetic.
- − Contains several spelling errors ('MINS' instead of 'MAINS') and generic placeholder text.
- − Repeats the same menu items (Garlic Bread, Margherita Pizza) across different price tiers/sections.
Nano Banana
- + Vibrant color palette and colorful borders around the grid photos.
- + Good variety of food items shown in the photo grid.
- + Clean white background with modern accents as requested.
- − The layout is less practical for a real menu, with a very large photo grid and cramped text at the bottom.
- − Significant spelling errors ('APPEITIERS', 'Brusuechta', 'Vegetarin') and nonsensical item pairings (NY Strip with ice cream).
- − Text alignment and hierarchical structure are weaker than Model A.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [pro] is the superior model as it produces a layout that looks like a legitimate, professional restaurant menu with logical sections and a clean grid. While it has some typos, Nano Banana struggles more with text rendering, item logic, and a composition that feels unbalanced due to the oversized photo grid.
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [pro]
- + Phenomenal photographic realism with lifelike skin texture and convincing depth of field.
- + Excellent adherence to the 'beads' in hair requirement with colorful, varied details.
- + Superior lighting effects, particularly the warm glow on the skin and the golden reflection on the armor.
- − The sparks look slightly more like long light streaks than round bokeh particles.
- − The scar on the forehead looks a bit like a fresh surface application rather than deep tissue.
Nano Banana
- + Intricate engraving on the armor which perfectly matches the 'ornate' prompt.
- + Well-executed bokeh effect in the background with distinct torch flames.
- + Dynamic character expression that conveys 'battle-worn' through weariness and age.
- − Missing the 'small beads' in the hair, using only metal bands.
- − The clothing and skin textures have a slightly more painterly, 'digital art' look compared to Model A.
- − The lighting on the face feels a bit flat despite the two torches in the background.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [pro] wins this comparison by delivering a highly realistic photograph-like image that captures every detail of the prompt, specifically the beads in the hair and the subtle texture of the leather and cloth. While Nano Banana features excellent armor engravings, it fails to include the requested beads and lacks the lifelike presence and lighting depth found in FLUX.2 [pro].
Man and Car in California
Editing“Make a photo of the man driving the car down the California coastline”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [pro]
- + Excellent preservation of the car's design and details from the source image.
- + The driver's face, hair, and clothing are clearly recognizable from the second source image.
- + Motion blur on the wheels and road creates a convincing sense of movement.
- − The scale of the driver is slightly too large relative to the car cabin.
- − The crop is quite tight, showing less of the surrounding coastline.
Nano Banana
- + Beautiful composition with a more expansive view of the California coastline.
- + Good preservation of the car's exterior geometry.
- + Natural lighting and integration of the car into the scene.
- − The driver is very dark and lacks the detail/likeness of the man in the source image compared to Model A.
- − The driver appears slightly disconnected from the steering wheel and seat positioning.
Verdict: Both models successfully combined the two source images into a cohesive scene. FLUX.2 [pro] is the winner because it maintained a much higher level of detail and likeness for the man, capturing his facial features and hair style perfectly, whereas Nano Banana left the driver in deep shadow. FLUX.2 [pro] also did a better job of creating a sense of speed through realistic motion blur.
Bald man challenge
Editing“Give the person a full, thick head of natural hair with realistic texture, density, and a natural hairline. Preserve facial features and lighting.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [pro]
- + Follows the prompt for thick, full hair with a natural texture.
- + Maintains high image quality and realistic lighting on the new hair.
- + Maintains general character composition and background perfectly.
- − Significantly alters the facial features, including changing the nose shape, eye area, and beard color/texture.
- − The person looks like a different individual rather than the original subjects with hair.
Nano Banana
- + Perfectly preserves the original facial features, expressions, and the existing beard.
- + The hair integration feels natural to the existing head shape.
- + Matches the color of the head hair to the existing beard perfectly.
- − The hair texture is slightly 'wispy' or messy compared to the 'full, thick' request.
- − The hairline transition on the forehead is a bit soft/blurred.
Verdict: While FLUX.2 [pro] provided a very impressive head of hair, it failed as an editing model by significantly altering the subject's face and beard, making him unrecognizable. Nano Banana successfully added the requested hair while perfectly preserving the identity, facial features, and original beard of the person in the source image.
Night Sky Transformation
Editing“Change the scene to night: a deep, dark sky with subtle, glistening stars visible behind the mountain.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [pro]
- + Perfect preservation of the original town and mountain geometry
- + Realistic day-to-night lighting transition on the terrain
- + Clean, deep black sky
- − Very few stars visible, missing the 'subtle, glistening stars' request
- − Slightly less 'night' feeling in the deep shadows compared to Model B
Nano Banana
- + More numerous and visible stars as requested
- + Excellent overall atmospheric night feel
- + High source preservation of the foreground and mid-ground
- − The mountain peak appears slightly flatter and less detailed compared to Model A
Verdict: Both models performed excellent image-to-image translations, perfectly preserving the complex details of the town and valley. FLUX.2 [pro] maintains better crispness on the mountain peak but fails to provide the requested star field, whereas Nano Banana successfully renders a beautiful starry sky while masterfully adjusting the lighting of the entire scene to a true night atmosphere.
Over-the-top cartoon caricature
Editing“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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [pro]
- + Captures a friendly, cartoonish caricature style with excellent color vibrancy.
- + Successfully integrates all elements: TV anchor desk, microphones, dogs as presenters, and hockey sticks/pucks.
- + The character maintains a strong facial resemblance to the source image within an animated style.
- − The hands are somewhat generic and the left hand has a slightly awkward finger arrangement.
- − The 'exaggeration' is mostly in the cartoon style rather than humorous anatomical distortions.
Nano Banana
- + Perfectly hits the 'exaggerated and humorous' requirement with the giant muscular arm and the dog in a helmet.
- + Excellent attention to detail with news crawlers ('DOG SCORES GOAL!'), hockey jerseys, and puck coasters.
- + Maintains a high degree of facial similarity to the source while applying caricature proportions.
- − The hand resting on the dog has an extra-long, slightly distorted finger.
- − The background hockey players are a bit blurry compared to the foreground crispness.
Verdict: Both models did an excellent job translating the source image into a caricature. FLUX.2 [pro] opted for a clean, Disney-like animation style that is very aesthetically pleasing but less 'humorous' in its exaggeration. Nano Banana followed the prompt more effectively by adding funny, specific details like the muscular arm and the news headline, while also creating a more immersive hockey-themed environment.
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [pro]
- + Excellent dynamic action with the animals actively tumbling and reaching.
- + Superior lighting effects with realistic backlighting and god rays filtering through the tree.
- + High-quality fur texture and realistic anatomy on the animals.
- − Failed to include the requested baby bunny.
- − The puppy has an extra paw emerging from its chest area.
Nano Banana
- + Successfully included all four requested animals: puppy, kitten, bunny, and fox.
- + Beautifully rendered dew sparkles and magical butterfly effects.
- + Very cute, expressive eyes that match the 'wholesome' vibe well.
- − The fox anatomy is a bit awkward, with a very long tail merging oddly with the kitten.
- − Composition is more static and posed compared to the requested 'tumbling' action.
Verdict: Both models captured the lighting and soft aesthetic well, but Nano Banana followed the prompt more accurately by including all four animals, whereas FLUX.2 [pro] missed the bunny entirely. However, FLUX.2 [pro] provided a much more dynamic scene with superior lighting and realism, despite a minor anatomical glitch in the puppy's paws.
Heroic Super Hero Portrait
Text-to-Image“Hyper-photorealistic full-body portrait of a female superhero standing triumphantly on a New York skyscraper rooftop at golden sunset, wearing a classic modest superhero costume with flowing cape, chest emblem, gloves, and boots in red and blue colors, practical design, short hair, strong determined heroic expression looking into the distance, powerful confident stance with hands on hips and cape billowing dramatically in the wind, detailed urban cityscape background, warm natural sunlight with sharp shadows and fabric highlights, ultra-sharp textures on suit, hair, and concrete, 8K masterpiece, empowering family-friendly style.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [pro]
- + Excellent texture on the suit and rooftop
- + Dynamic lighting with strong highlights and shadows
- + Highly detailed and recognizable New York City background
- − The hands on the hips have slightly anatomically awkward finger positioning
- − The suit design is a bit overly complex/armored compared to a 'classic' request
Nano Banana
- + Matches the 'modest' and 'classic' costume description very well
- + Clean facial features and hair Rendering
- + Excellent composition with the superhero centered and the cape billowing wide
- − Lighting is a bit flat compared to the other model
- − The background buildings have a slightly softer, less detailed digital look
Verdict: FLUX.2 [pro] wins on technical photographic quality, offering superior textures and convincing environmental lighting. However, Nano Banana followed the prompt's request for a 'classic modest superhero costume' more accurately, whereas FLUX.2 [pro] defaulted to a more modern, armored look with a generic 'S' logo. FLUX.2 [pro] is the overall winner for its realism and cinematic depth.
Studio Ghibli Anime Style
Editing“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”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [pro]
- + Perfectly captures the Studio Ghibli art style with hand-painted textures and soft line work.
- + Preserves the original composition and poses while translating them into illustration flawlessly.
- + Successfully incorporates Japanese-inspired background elements (signs, bus) that enhance the nostalgic Ghibli vibe.
- − The woman in the foreground is slightly more focused than the source, though this works for the illustrative style.
Nano Banana
- + Maintains high fidelity to the original source image's photographic nature.
- − Completely fails the edit instruction to transform the image into a Studio Ghibli illustration.
- − No visible changes in style, texture, or color palette were applied.
- − The image appears to be a near-identical copy of the source with no artistic translation.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [pro] followed the instructions perfectly, transforming the iconic 'distracted boyfriend' meme into a beautiful Studio Ghibli–style watercolor illustration while maintaining the exact character poses and composition. Nano Banana failed the task entirely, providing what appears to be a slightly modified or identical photographic version of the source image with no illustrative changes.
Neutral Expression to Genuine Smile
Editing{
"action": "image_edit",
"reference": "uploaded neutral portrait",
"change": "Warm genuine Duchenne smile: lips curved up, slight natural teeth, soft eye crinkles, subtle cheek raise",
"details": "Realistic smiling skin (dimples if present, soft cheek shadows), slightly brighter eyes; keep exact eye shape/color/iris",
"preserve_exact": "Face identity/structure, eyes/nose/lips/eyebrows, hair, skin texture/pores/freckles, makeup, clothing, head pose, background, lighting, shadows, framing",
"no_changes": "No face shape change, no new features, no gaze shift, no hair/clothing/lighting/background edits",
"style": "Ultra-photorealistic 8K portrait, sharp face focus, natural soft lighting, realistic skin glow"
}
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [pro]
- + Successfully creates a joyous, high-energy Duchenne smile with visible teeth.
- + Excellent preservation of the overall composition and background.
- + Good eye crinkling and cheek raising that matches the smile.
- − Noticeable loss of skin texture and freckles, making the skin look overly airbrushed.
- − Slightly alters the original face shape, making it appear wider.
- − Eye color and iris details feel less sharp than the original.
Nano Banana
- + Superior preservation of skin texture, pores, and freckles from the source image.
- + Maintains the original facial structure and identity more accurately.
- + Excellent adherence to the 'slight natural teeth' and 'eye crinkles' instructions without over-processing the face.
- − The smile is slightly more subtle than Model A, though arguably more realistic.
- − Very minor smoothing around the nasolabial folds, but still better than Model A.
Verdict: Nano Banana is the clear winner because it successfully applied the requested smile while strictly adhering to the preservation instructions for skin texture and freckles. FLUX.2 [pro] produced a convincing smile but failed the 'preserve exact' requirement by smoothing over the subject's natural skin details and slightly altering her facial proportions.
Golden Hour Stroll
Editing“Add dynamic motion to this photo: make hair blow in the wind, add leaves flying, energetic and lively feel.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [pro]
- + Successfully added wind effect to hair and clothing.
- + Integrated many large leaves that realistically blur with depth of field.
- + Preserved the facial features and original background perfectly.
- − The hair blowing pattern looks a bit unnatural and symmetrical.
- − The leaves are very large and green, which might not be what the user expected for 'flying leaves'.
Nano Banana
- + Hair movement looks very natural and follows a single wind direction.
- + Autumn-style orange leaves create a high-contrast, energetic feel.
- + Excellent preservation of the dog and general scene composition.
- − Some leaves appear to be floating or stuck to the dog's fur rather than flying past.
- − The leaves are much smaller and less integrated into the foreground depth.
Verdict: Both models followed the instructions well, but FLUX.2 [pro] provided a more immersive sense of motion by blurring foreground leaves and affecting the subject's jacket as well as her hair. However, Nano Banana produced more realistic hair movement and used colorful autumn leaves that added a better 'lively' aesthetic to the scene.
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [pro]
- + Excellent typography with perfect inclusion of the grave accent on 'Caffè'.
- + Sophisticated use of texture and shading that gives a high-end vintage feel.
- + Clean vector emblem style with a professional, balanced layout.
- − The steam is rendered above the cloche rather than originating from it, which is slightly less logical.
Nano Banana
- + Good prompt adherence regarding all requested elements (banner, cloche, steam).
- + Classical circular composition that fits the 'restaurant logo' brief well.
- + Accurate text rendering for both the name and the established date.
- − The steam being inside/on the surface of the cloche looks a bit flat.
- − The typography for 'Caffè Florian' is slightly crowded against the top border.
Verdict: Both models followed the prompt exceptionally well, but FLUX.2 [pro] produced a more professional-looking logo with superior typography and a refined color palette. Nano Banana's attempt is quite good, but the placement of the steam and the less sophisticated font choice make it feel more like clip art compared to the high-end design of FLUX.2 [pro].
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.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [pro]
- + Excellent vector art style with crisp, clean lines and professional-looking illustrations.
- + Clean typography and a well-structured vertical layout that flows logically.
- + Strong color palette adherence with a sophisticated modern aesthetic.
- − The placeholder body text is gibberish/lorem ipsum.
- − Combines the 'Translunar' and 'Lunar Orbit' steps into one visual, missing a distinct step from the specific prompt sequence.
Nano Banana
- + Perfectly follows the step-by-step sequence requested (Launch to Landing).
- + Text is legible and meaningful throughout the entire infographic.
- + Consistent iconography contained within clean circular frames.
- − The overall layout has a lot of empty space at the top and bottom.
- − The visual style is slightly more basic/clip-art oriented compared to its competitor.
- − The glowing effects on the icons slightly deviate from the 'flat-vector' request.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [pro] produces a much more visually stunning and professional vector illustration with high-quality icons, though it struggles with the specific list of steps and includes gibberish text. Nano Banana follows the prompt's structural requirements perfectly, including all six distinct stages with legible text, but adopts a simpler, less cohesive composition with excessive dead space. Nano Banana is preferred for informational accuracy, while FLUX.2 [pro] is superior in artistic execution and style.
FLUX.2 [pro]
Black Forest Labs' state-of-the-art image generation model with maximum quality and speed, supporting text-to-image and multi-reference image editing with up to 4MP output
Nano Banana
Gemini 2.5 Flash Image is optimized for image understanding and generation, offering a balance of price and performance with fast and efficient image generation and editing capabilities.