Gemini prompts you can copy and paste

How to prompt Gemini

Gemini is Google's assistant. It writes and studies with you, and it makes and edits images with Google's image model, nicknamed Nano Banana. It is especially good at photo edits that keep a face the same.

Latest version

Nano Banana 2 (pictures)

Best for

Editing a photo you upload (outfits, backgrounds, styles) · Trend photos: saree, 1980s, action figure · Keeping the same person across several images · Study, research and writing help

Prompt formula

Upload photo + what to change + what to keep + style + light + framing

Tips that make the biggest difference

• Say what must not change. Start photo edits with "Keep my face, hair and expression exactly the same". This is the line that stops it from changing who you are.
• Describe the change in detail. "A red silk saree with a thin gold border, draped in Nivi style" beats "a nice saree".
• Set the light and camera. Add "soft window light, 85mm portrait, shallow depth of field" to make edits look like real photos instead of filters.
• Refine in the same chat. Ask for one change at a time, such as "warmer light" or "remove the lamp", instead of starting over.

Weak vs strong prompt

Make me look like a 1980s film star.

Using my uploaded photo, keep my face, hair and expression exactly the same. Turn it into a 1980s Bollywood film portrait: chiffon saree in deep pink, soft-focus glow, warm film grain, painted studio backdrop with a sunset, gentle top light. Vertical 4:5.

Common mistakes

• Not saying what to keep, so the face changes
• Uploading a small, dark or blurry photo
• Asking for long text inside the image

Guide checked against the current Gemini release in September 2026.

What Gemini does differently

• Edits that keep the face. Upload your photo and describe one change. Naming what must stay the same (face, hair, expression) is what keeps the result looking like you.
• Gems. A Gem is a saved version of Gemini with your own instructions. Keep one as your "headshot editor" with your rules, and reuse it instead of pasting them each time.
• Google apps. With Google apps connected, Gemini can use your Gmail, Docs and Drive files in an answer, which helps with emails and study notes built from real documents.
• Watermarks. Images made or edited with Google AI carry an invisible SynthID watermark, and images from free and AI Pro accounts also show a small visible Gemini mark. You can upload a picture and ask Gemini whether it was made with Google AI.

If Gemini gets it wrong

• My face changed. Begin with "Keep my face, hair and expression exactly the same", ask for one change per message, and if it keeps drifting, start a new chat with the original photo.
• It replied in text instead of making a picture. Start with "Edit this photo" or "Create an image", and check the photo is attached to the same message.
• Skin looks plastic or over-smoothed. Add "natural skin texture, no beautifying, keep pores and fine lines" and a real camera look, such as "85mm photo, soft window light".
• It will not make the edit. Gemini declines some edits of real people, especially ones that could mislead. Use your own photos or ones you have permission to edit, and describe a clear, harmless change.