DEV Community: Alisa Fortin

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Built for intelligence at scale

Alisa Fortin — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:54:28 +0000

Today, we're introducing Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite, our fastest and most cost-efficient Gemini 3 series model. Built for high-volume developer workloads at scale, 3.1 Flash-Lite delivers high quality for its price and model tier.

Starting today, 3.1 Flash-Lite is rolling out in preview to developers via the Gemini API in Google AI Studio and for enterprises via Vertex AI.

Cost-efficiency without compromise

Priced at just $0.25/1M input tokens and $1.50/1M output tokens, 3.1 Flash-Lite delivers enhanced performance at a fraction of the cost of larger models. It outperforms 2.5 Flash with a 2.5X faster Time to First Answer Token and 45% increase in output speed, according to the Artificial Analysis benchmark while maintaining similar or better quality. This low latency is needed for high-frequency workflows, making it an ideal model for developers to build responsive, real-time experiences.

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite outperforms 2.5 Flash in speed and quality.

3.1 Flash-Lite achieves an impressive Elo score of 1432 on the Arena.ai Leaderboard and outperforms other models of similar tier across reasoning and multimodal understanding benchmarks, including 86.9% on GPQA Diamond and 76.8% on MMMU Pro–even surpassing larger Gemini models from prior generations like 2.5 Flash.

Adaptive intelligence at scale for developers

Beyond its raw performance, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite comes standard with thinking levels in AI Studio and Vertex AI, giving developers the control and flexibility to select how much the model “thinks” for a task, which is critical for managing high-frequency workloads. 3.1 Flash-Lite can tackle tasks at scale, like high-volume translation and content moderation, where cost is a priority. And it can also handle more complex workloads where more in-depth reasoning is needed, like generating user interfaces and dashboards, creating simulations or following instructions.

3.1 Flash-Lite instantly fills an e-commerce wireframe with hundreds of products in different categories. 3.1 Flash-Lite can generate dynamic weather dashboards in real-time, using live forecasts and historical data. 3.1 Flash-Lite creates a SaaS agent capable of executing versatile, multi-step tasks for a business. 3.1 Flash-Lite can analyze and sort large numbers of content like images quickly.

Early-access developers on AI Studio and Vertex AI, and companies like Latitude, Cartwheel and Whering are already using 3.1 Flash-Lite to solve complex problems at scale. Early testers highlighted 3.1 Flash-Lite’s efficiency and reasoning capabilities, saying it can handle complex inputs with the precision of a larger-tier model, plus follow instructions and maintain adherence.

We look forward to seeing what you build with 3.1 Flash-Lite and the rest of the Gemini 3 series models.

Nano Banana 2: Combining Pro capabilities with lightning-fast speed

Alisa Fortin — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 22:42:29 +0000

In August of last year, our Gemini Image model, Nano Banana, became a viral sensation, redefining image generation and editing. Then in November, we released Nano Banana Pro, offering users advanced intelligence and studio-quality creative control. Today, we're bringing the best of both worlds to users across Google.

Introducing Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image), our latest state-of-the-art image model. Now you can get the advanced world knowledge, quality and reasoning you love in Nano Banana Pro, at lightning-fast speed.

Intelligence and visual quality at Flash speed

Nano Banana 2 brings the high-speed intelligence of Gemini Flash to visual generation, making rapid edits and iteration possible. It makes once-exclusive Pro features accessible to a wider audience, including:

Advanced world knowledge: The model pulls from Gemini's real-world knowledge base, and is powered by real-time information and images from web search to more accurately render specific subjects. This deep understanding also helps you create infographics, turn notes into diagrams and generate data visualizations.
Precision text rendering and translation: Nano Banana 2 allows you to generate accurate, legible text for marketing mockups or greeting cards. You can even translate and localize text within an image to share your ideas globally.

A flat lay infographic depicting the water cycle (read the prompt)

Triptych infographic comparing cloud types (read the prompt)

Museum Clos Lucé in Synthetic Cubism style (read the prompt)

Localized "Native Wildlife" sign (read the prompt)

Enhanced creative control

Nano Banana 2 also dramatically closes the gap between speed and visual fidelity, delivering high-quality, photorealistic imagery. Here's what our newest model offers and has improved on from the original Nano Banana:

Subject consistency: Maintain character resemblance of up to five characters and the fidelity of up to 14 objects in a single workflow, allowing you to storyboard and build narratives without altering the appearance of your inputs.
Precise instruction following: With enhanced instruction following, the model adheres more strictly to your complex requests, capturing the specific nuances of your idea so the image you get is the image you asked for.
Production-ready specs: Make attention grabbing assets with full control of various aspect ratios and resolutions from 512px to 4K, ensuring your visuals stay sharp whether they are for a vertical social post or a wide-screen backdrop.
Visual fidelity upgrade: Nano Banana 2 delivers vibrant lighting, richer textures and sharper details, maintaining high-quality aesthetics at the speed expected from Flash.

Joyful characters and items at a farm (read the prompt)

Fluffy friends building a treehouse (read the prompt)

Misty panoramic aerial shot of a verdant valley (read the prompt)

Highly stylized pop-art fashion portrait in different aspect ratios (read the prompt)

Try Nano Banana 2 today

Whatever your needs, we now offer the perfect tool for every workflow: Nano Banana Pro for high-fidelity tasks requiring maximum factual accuracy, or Nano Banana 2 for rapid generation, precise instruction following and integrated image-search grounding.

Nano Banana 2 is rolling out today across Google products, including:

Gemini app: Nano Banana 2 will replace Nano Banana Pro across the Fast, Thinking and Pro models. Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers will keep access to Nano Banana Pro for specialized tasks by regenerating images via the three-dot menu.
Search: In AI Mode and Lens, through the Google app as well as mobile and desktop browsers. View availability here, including 141 new countries and territories and eight additional languages.
AI Studio + API: Available in preview in AI Studio and Gemini API. Pricing here. Also available in Google Antigravity.
Google Cloud: Available in preview with the Gemini API in Vertex AI.
Flow: Nano Banana 2 is the new default image generation model in Flow, available to all Flow users for zero credits.
Google Ads: Nano Banana 2 is available now, powering suggestions while creating campaigns in Google Ads.

Try Nano Banana 2 in the Gemini app, using the new templates feature.

World knowledge from Nano Banana 2 in AI Mode in Search (read the prompt)

Subject preservation from Nano Banana 2 in Flow (read the prompt)

Robust provenance: marking and verification

As generative media evolves, so must the tools we use to identify and understand it. We continue to deepen our provenance approach, by coupling our state-of-the-art SynthID technology with interoperable C2PA Content Credentials, we provide users with a more holistic and contextual view of not just if AI was used, but how.

Our provenance tools are already making an impact. Since its launch in November, our SynthID verification feature in Gemini app has been used over 20 million times across various languages, helping people identify Google AI-generated images, video and audio. We'll soon be bringing C2PA verification to the Gemini app, too.

Water Cycle Prompt: High-quality flat lay photography creating a DIY infographic that simply explains how the water cycle works, arranged on a clean, light gray textured background. The visual story flows from left to right in clear steps. Simple, clean black arrows are hand-drawn onto the background to guide the viewer's eye. The overall mood is educational, modern, and easy to understand. The image is shot from a top-down, bird's-eye view with soft, even lighting that minimizes shadows and keeps the focus on the process.

Cloud Types Prompt: Triptych infographic comparing three types of clouds: Cumulus, Stratus, and Cirrus. Each panel shows the cloud type in a dramatic sky with a bold label. High-contrast comic style. AR: 16:9

Museum Clos Lucé Prompt: Create an image of Museum Clos Lucé. In the style of bright colored Synthetic Cubism. No text. Your plan is to first search for visual references, and generate after. Aspect ratio 16:9

Native Wildlife Sign Prompts: Prompt 1: An intimate, naturalistic cinematic close-up reveals a small, intricately illustrated sign made of recycled material, showing drawings of local birds and flowers. Delicate script below reads: "Native Wildlife: Please Observe from a Distance." Soft, diffused light filters through the leaves of a nearby fern, casting gentle shadows. The background is a soft blur of vibrant green foliage, emphasizing respect for the delicate ecosystem. Prompt 2: Take this concept and localize it to an Indian setting, including translation of all the text to Hindi

Farm Characters Prompt: Create an image of these 14 characters and items having fun at the farm. The overall atmosphere is fun, silly and joyful. It is strictly important to keep identity consistent of all the 14 characters and items.

Fluffy Friends Prompt: Create a funny 6 part story with these 3 fluffy friends building a tree house. The story is thrilling throughout with emotional highs and lows and is ending in a happy moment. Keep the attire and identity consistent of all 3 characters, but their expressions and angles should vary throughout all 6 images. Make sure to only have one of each character in each image. Generate 6 images one at a time. Each image should be a separate output in 16:9 format.

Valley Landscape Prompt: This aerial shot captures a dramatic, misty landscape, likely a valley or glen, characterized by rolling, verdant hills and a winding river or loch. The photography style leans towards a moody and atmospheric aesthetic, emphasizing the grandeur and isolation of nature. The camera angle is high, looking down into the valley, providing a sweeping panoramic view that highlights the immense scale of the surroundings. The dominant colors are various shades of deep green, ranging from lush emerald in the foreground fields to darker, more muted tones on the distant mountains. The water, a central feature, appears as a serene, dark blue-grey, reflecting the overcast sky. The sky itself is a blend of grey and white, heavily laden with clouds and mist that cling to the mountain peaks, creating a soft, diffused lighting style. This natural, soft light minimizes harsh shadows and enhances the overall ethereal feel of the scene. The subject is a majestic natural landscape. In the foreground, a darker body of water curves around a patch of bright green fields, bordered by scattered trees and shrubs. A narrow, winding road snakes through the green hills on the right side of the frame, disappearing into the distance. Further into the valley, a larger, lighter blue-grey body of water stretches between towering, green-clad mountains. These mountains rise steeply on both sides, their peaks shrouded in the low-hanging mist, creating a sense of depth and mystery. The overall impression is one of serene, untamed wilderness, hinting at the rugged beauty of places like the Scottish Highlands or the Lake District.

Pop-Art Fashion Portrait Prompt: Cinematic still, evoking a vibrant, dreamlike quality often found in highly stylized musical dramas or whimsical comedies, with a composition style reminiscent of a master of bold, graphic imagery. The camera is positioned slightly low, looking up at the subject, emphasizing their commanding presence and the dramatic flair of their outfit. The color palette is exceptionally bold and high-contrast, dominated by electric blue and shocking pink, with a bright yellow accent. The background is a solid, uniform cerulean blue, providing a stark, graphic backdrop that makes the subject pop. The subject is a young, dark-skinned individual with tightly coiled hair, wearing an incredibly striking suit. The suit's fabric features an audacious pattern of swirling, wavy lines in electric blue, interspersed with large, concentric circles in hot pink, overlapping and radiating outwards. The tailored blazer has wide lapels and bell sleeves, worn over a sharply pressed yellow collared shirt. The matching trousers are wide-legged, dramatically flaring out towards the ground, with sharp creases down the front. The individual wears bright yellow, heart-shaped sunglasses and large, pink, circular earrings. Their hands are placed on their hips in a confident, almost defiant pose, and their gaze, though hidden behind the sunglasses, projects an aura of cool assurance. The ambiance is one of high fashion, playfulness, and unadulterated self-expression, imbued with an almost surreal, pop-art energy.

Pufferfish Sketch Prompt: Create a pencil sketch of a pufferfish nest. Not a clean digital drawing but something with visible pencil strokes and that dusty graphite look

Baby Kangaroo Prompts: Boat: 35mm soft blur, vibrant colors, soft light. Sailing at the ocean this baby kangaroo wearing a lilac raincoat sailing, motion blur, this hat is sitting messy on the boat. Café: 35mm soft blur, vibrant colors, soft light. Sitting on this seat of the café this baby kangaroo sipping coffee, a person sitting behind at the cafe blurred is wearing this hat. Hotel: 35mm soft blur, vibrant colors, soft light. Relaxing on the bed this baby kangaroo wearing a bathrobe relaxing, at the back there is a coat rack with this hat. Castle: 35mm soft blur, vibrant colors, soft light. Jumping inside the inflatable castle this baby kangaroo wearing this hat jumping, motion blur

Build with Nano Banana Pro, our Gemini 3 Pro Image model

Alisa Fortin — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 20:34:18 +0000

Today, we’re releasing Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image), a higher-fidelity model built on Gemini 3 Pro for developers to access studio-quality image generation. This follows our release of Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) just a few months ago. Since then, we’ve loved seeing the community put its key features to work — from character consistency to photo restoration, and even using its capabilities to make local edits in an infinite canvas.

This state-of-the-art image generation and editing model is starting to roll out in paid preview to build a new wave of intelligent, multimodal applications with the Gemini API in Google AI Studio and Vertex AI for enterprises. This model unlocks high-fidelity images with higher accuracy in text rendering and robust world knowledge, supercharged by the model's ability to use grounding with Google Search to retrieve data based on the user's prompt.

Gemini 3 Pro Image excels on Text to Image AI benchmarks.

We are also expanding the reach of Gemini 3 Pro Image across the developer ecosystem. In Google Antigravity — our new agentic development platform — coding agents can now directly leverage these image generation capabilities to generate detailed UI mockups for user review or even new visual assets before implementing in code. Additionally, leading creative platforms are integrating the model, including Adobe and Figma.

High fidelity and controls

If you’re building advanced tools that require precision, Gemini 3 Pro Image gives you control over the physics (lighting, camera, focus, color grading) and composition of the image to ensure professional-quality outputs.

A silhouette lost in a sea of golden bokeh and morning mist. Prompt: Replace volumetric lighting with bokeh

With 2K and 4k resolution available, you can ensure outputs meet resolution standards required for professional production. Effortlessly create cohesive advertisements by combining diverse elements such as product images, logos, and references. Achieve consistent resemblance for up to five individuals, integrate six high-fidelity shots, or blend as many as fourteen standard inputs into a single, polished ad. Try our demo app that allows you to pair logos with products to create your own mockup designs.

Demo app that brings product design to life with reference images. Sequences shortened.

Improved text rendering and localization

Gemini 3 Pro Image offers a significant leap forward from 2.5 Flash Image, transforming abstract image generation into functional assets. It excels in handling logic and language, and delivers state-of-the-art text rendering, producing clear, accurate text integrated in your images.

Creative food photography where each word is artistically spelled out using the actual ingredients associated with that food. Prompt: Make 8 sophisticated minimalistic logos, each is a fun food word, and make letters from realistic food to express the meaning of this word. composition: a rendering of all logos on a single solid white background

It's also an ideal solution for developing marketing collateral, educational content and numerous other applications. Try the model’s capabilities in our comic book generator app in Google AI Studio, where you can create original multi-page comic books featuring you and a friend, complete with advanced text rendering and stylization.

Demo app that creates a comic book in your chosen language based on photos and selected genre. Sequences shortened.

With Gemini 3 Pro Image, we’ve removed the barrier between image generation and localization logic. This advanced model grasps the semantic context of an image, enabling effortless language changes on elements like menus, signs, or documents utilizing image-to-image generation keeping original artistic style or layout.

A beverage campaign concept showcasing accurate translation and rendering of English text into French. Prompt: Translate to French

Access to the world’s knowledge

Gemini 3 Pro Image connects a vast knowledge base to produce more factual assets over previous image generation models. Additionally, when enabled, grounding with Google Search connects the model to real-time web content for data-driven outputs. This is particularly valuable for applications requiring precise representations, such as biological diagrams or historical maps. Try this for yourself with our demo app where you can dynamically create infographics on any topic tailored to your audience.

Bike care and maintenance infographic generated from a demo app that creates educational infographics.

Go bananas and start building today

This new model release incorporates much of the input you have already shared with us, but we aren’t stopping here. To ensure clear provenance in AI-generated media, we have integrated SynthID digital watermarks directly into every image created or edited with Gemini 3 Pro Image to denote its AI-generated or edited origin.

Start by exploring our collection of apps that use Gemini 3 Pro Image to spark your imagination and see what’s possible. Once you’re inspired, remix these demo apps or integrate the model directly into your own projects via the Gemini API in Google AI Studio and Vertex AI for enterprise use. For technical details along the way, check out the documentation, prompt guide, cookbook or visit the developer forum to get help and share feedback.

Use Gemini 2.5 Flash Image for faster, lower cost image generation, or 3 Pro Image for higher quality image generation, with higher cost and latency.

Build with Veo 3, now available in the Gemini API

Alisa Fortin — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 18:13:52 +0000

We're bringing Veo 3 to developers in paid preview via the Gemini API and Vertex AI.

First unveiled at Google I/O 2025, people around the world have already generated tens of millions of high-quality videos with Veo 3 (along with some new fun and interesting video trends). It is our first video model to incorporate high-fidelity video outputs and native audio, first with text-to-video and soon with image-to-video.

Developers are already experimenting with Veo 3, discovering how the model can help them brainstorm content, rapidly iterate, and be more efficient.

Cartwheel developed a system that can take 2D videos of humans and translate it into fully production ready 3D animation on rigged characters. Cartwheel uses Veo 3 to generate realistic, fluid human actions that Cartwheel can then turn into 3D animations for customers.
Volley uses Veo 3 to produce in-game video cut-scenes that advance the story. With Veo 3, Volley designers can rapidly iterate on the game to deliver the best possible output for an upcoming RPG game called Wit's End.

Veo 3 capabilities

Veo 3 is designed to handle a range of video generation tasks, from cinematic narratives to dynamic character animations. With Veo 3, you can create more immersive experiences by not only generating stunning visuals, but also audio like dialogue and sound effects.

Synchronized Sound: Natively generates rich audio—dialogue, effects, and music—and synchronizes it with video in a single pass.
Cinematic Quality: Produces stunning, high-definition video that captures creative nuances in your prompt, from intricate textures to subtle lighting effects.
Realistic Physics: Simulates real-world physics for authentic motion, from natural character movement to the accurate flow of water and casting of shadows.

Let’s take a look at some examples.

Prompt: Fluffy Characters Stop Motion: Inside a brightly colored, cozy kitchen made of felt and yarn. Professor Nibbles, a plump, fluffy hamster with oversized glasses, nervously stirs a bubbling pot on a miniature stove, muttering, "Just a little more... 'essence of savory,' as the recipe calls for." The camera is a mid-shot, capturing his frantic stirring. Suddenly, the pot emits a loud "POP!" followed by a comical "whoosh" sound, and a geyser of iridescent green slime erupts, covering the entire kitchen. Professor Nibbles shrieks, "Oh, dear! Not again!" and scurries away, leaving a trail of tiny, panicked squeaks.

Prompt: The sequence begins with an extreme close-up of a single gear, slowly turning and reflecting harsh sunlight. The camera gradually pulls back in a continuous movement, revealing this is but one component of a colossal, mechanical heart half-buried in a desolate, rust-colored desert. A sweeping aerial shot establishes its enormous scale and isolation in the barren landscape. The camera descends to capture pipes hissing steam and the rhythmic thumping that echoes across the empty plains. A subtle shake effect synchronizes with each massive heartbeat. A lateral tracking shot discovers tiny, robed figures scurrying across the metallic surface. The camera follows one such figure in a detailed tracking shot as they perform meticulous maintenance, polishing brass valves and tightening immense bolts. A complex movement circles the entire structure, capturing different maintenance teams working in precarious positions across its rusted exterior. The final shot begins tight on the meticulous work of one tiny figure before executing a dramatic pull-out that reveals the true scale of the heart and the minuscule size of its caretakers, tending to the vital organ of an unseen, sleeping giant that extends beyond the frame.

Explore these examples and more with Veo 3 in Google AI Studio, available as an SDK template and interactive Starter App to remix, copy and extend. The Starter App and its sample code offer a convenient way for Paid Tier users to rapidly prototype with Veo 3 and more on the Gemini API, directly from Google AI Studio.

Click the Key button in the top right of the AI Studio Build interface to select a Google Cloud Project with billing enabled to use the Paid Tier in AI Studio apps. See the FAQs for more.

Get started with Veo 3 in the Gemini API

Veo 3 will be priced at $0.75 per second for video and audio output. Additionally, Veo 3 Fast will be available soon, offering a faster and more cost-effective option for video creation.

Here’s a basic Python example to create a video:

import time
from google import genai
from google.genai import types

client = genai.Client()

operation = client.models.generate_videos(
    model="veo-3.0-generate-preview",
    prompt="a close-up shot of a golden retriever playing in a field of sunflowers",
    config=types.GenerateVideosConfig(
        negative_prompt="barking, woofing",
    ),
)

# Waiting for the video(s) to be generated
while not operation.done:
    time.sleep(20)
    operation = client.operations.get(operation)

generated_video = operation.result.generated_videos[0]
client.files.download(file=generated_video.video)
generated_video.video.save("veo3_video.mp4")

Building responsibly with Veo 3 in the Gemini API

All videos generated by Veo 3 models will continue to include a digital SynthID watermark. To get started, check out the documentation, cookbook, and a Veo 3 starter app in Google AI Studio:

Read the documentation
Veo cookbook
Try the Veo 3 starter app (paid tier only) In addition to being available via the Gemini API in Google AI Studio, Veo 3 is also available to Google AI subscribers in the Gemini app and Flow, and to enterprise customers via Vertex AI.