Google Rolls Out Nano Banana 2 Lite and Gemini Omni Flash for Developers

Google has just made two powerful new models available in Google AI Studio and the Gemini API: Nano Banana 2 Lite (gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image), a lightning-fast and budget-friendly image generation model, and Gemini Omni Flash (gemini-omni-flash-preview), a conversational video generation and editing model. These releases bring high-performance multimodal capabilities closer to production scale for developers.

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Nano Banana 2 Lite: Speed and Cost Leader for Image Generation

Nano Banana 2 Lite is the fastest and most affordable member of the Nano Banana image model family. It is optimized for high-throughput pipelines where low latency and low cost are critical.

Key highlights include:

• Text-to-image generation in approximately 4 seconds — ideal for interactive prototyping and rapid iteration.
• Pricing at just $0.034 per 1K-resolution image, significantly cheaper than higher-tier models.
• Strong consistency in character appearance and readable text within images.
• Direct drop-in replacement for the original Nano Banana (gemini-2.5-flash-image) — simply swap the model string for immediate gains in speed, quality, and cost.

The Nano Banana family now offers a clear tiered structure:

• Lite — maximum speed and near-real-time performance.
• 2 — balanced workhorse for quality and price.
• Pro — advanced reasoning and control for professional, complex tasks.
• Legacy versions — recommended for deprecation in new projects.

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Gemini Omni Flash: Conversational Video Generation and Editing

Gemini Omni Flash brings the video capabilities first showcased at Google I/O directly to developers. It supports high-quality video generation and editing from combinations of text, images, and video inputs, with natural language conversational controls.

Standout features:

• Generate and edit video using multimodal prompts.
• Conversational editing — refine clips with everyday language instructions.
• Multimodal references for precise scene control.
• Automatic synchronization of text, graphics, and on-screen actions.
• Pricing at $0.10 per second of video, matching Veo 3.1 Fast.

Current limitations (transparently documented by Google):

• Maximum 10-second clips in the initial preview.
• No audio reference uploads yet.
• Scene extension not available via API.
• Video references up to 3 seconds are accepted but may not process perfectly.
• Occasional character consistency issues across scene changes.

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The Killer Combo: Image-to-Video Workflow

The real power emerges when combining the two models.

Developers can:

1. Quickly generate a base image with Nano Banana 2 Lite.
2. Pass it as a reference to Gemini Omni Flash to create video.
3. Use the Interactions API to maintain session history and stack up to three sequential edits.

Google has released remixable demo apps — Anywhere, Space Lift, and Omni Product Studio — to help developers get started immediately. All generated content is watermarked with SynthID for transparency and provenance.

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Why This Matters for Production

At $0.034 per image and $0.10 per second of video, these models deliver compelling price-performance for real-world applications — from social media tools and ad generation to creative prototyping and product visualization.

Both models are now live in Google AI Studio and the Gemini API, ready for experimentation and integration.

For full details, check the official announcement:  
Start building with Nano Banana 2 Lite and Gemini Omni Flash

The era of fast, affordable, and controllable generative media is accelerating — and Google just handed developers the keys. Time to start building!