Gemini 2.5 Nano Banana goes viral for AI image edits and figurines

Google’s newest image model, Gemini 2.5 Flash Image — popularly nicknamed Nano Banana — has become a viral sensation over the past week for its ability to generate and edit hyperrealistic images and to convert ordinary photos into tiny 3D figurines. The feature, available through the Gemini app and website, has driven a surge in usage since its late August launch, with Google reporting 23 million new app users and more than 500 million images edited between the release and early September.

Nano Banana works by taking a user photo and a short text prompt and producing highly detailed outputs in seconds, including photorealistic scenes, comic panels, product shots and collectible-style 3D figurines. Google says the model combines computer vision, depth estimation and neural rendering to convert two-dimensional inputs into three-dimensional-looking outputs. Users have also been able to blend multiple photos into a single image, change poses, swap clothing and backgrounds, or make iterative edits via conversational prompts.

The simplicity and speed of the tool have fueled a social media wave of Nano Banana creations. Users and online communities have turned pets, celebrities and...