AI image generator: which to pick in 2026

There are dozens of image models, but 2026 roundups keep naming the same families: Nano Banana from Google, GPT Image from OpenAI, Seedream from ByteDance and Midjourney. A lot of those roundups are already stale: they still cite Midjourney V7 and GPT Image 2, while the current versions are V8.2 and GPT Image 2.5. We ran two identical prompts — a photo portrait and a poster with Russian text — through five models and put the differences in one table.

Which AI image generator leads

	Nano Banana 2	Nano Banana Pro	Seedream	GPT Image 2.5	Midjourney V8.2
Developer	Google DeepMind	Google DeepMind	ByteDance Seed	OpenAI	Midjourney
Strength	speed and range	complex scenes, face from a photo	4K product, layout, layers	text, interfaces	artistic look
Max size	4K	4K	4K (4.5), 2K (5.0 Pro)	3840 px	2048 px
References	up to 14	up to 14	up to 10–14 in AI2Face	a few	Edit Model
Russian text	good	excellent	good; check small type	excellent	weaker
In AI2Face	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes

All five models are in the AI2Face generator, and the cost is shown before you generate: the Nano Banana family, Seedream, GPT Image and Midjourney.

Photo portrait: one prompt, five models

Photorealistic portrait of a 70-year-old fisherman with a grey beard and deep wrinkles,
in a navy knit sweater, on a wooden pier at golden hour, warm backlight,
85mm lens, natural skin texture, no text

All five handled photorealism. The difference is in the framing: Nano Banana 2 added a busy harbor with boats, Nano Banana Pro a soft magazine light, Seedream 5.0 Pro a wide shot with a lighthouse, Seedream 4.5 and GPT Image 2.5 a close-up with a clear skin texture. For a portrait from your photo, pick Nano Banana Pro or Nano Banana 2: they hold the likeness to the reference better.

Poster with Russian text

Bakery poster in Russian. Large headline «СВЕЖИЙ ХЛЕБ». Subline «Каждое утро с 7:00».
Small line «ул. Садовая, 12». Warm illustration of a basket of bread and croissants,
cream background, dark brown typography, all text exactly as given, no other text

Short Russian text is something all five models now write with confidence. One detail: Nano Banana 2 carried the «…» quotes from the prompt onto the poster. If you don’t want them, write the headline without quotes, or add “no quotes”. On longer copy the gap is clearer: in our tests, menus and comics came out most accurately on GPT Image 2.5, and Seedream 5.0 Pro sometimes mistyped the small line.

Which model to pick for the job

• A photo from your selfie, a series with one face — Nano Banana Pro or Nano Banana 2. How to do it is in the guide AI photoshoot from a photo.
• Everyday pictures, quick photo edits — Nano Banana 2.
• A poster, menu, infographic or comic with text — GPT Image 2.5 or Nano Banana Pro.
• Product shots and ads in 4K — Seedream 4.5.
• Layouts with layers and precise edits — Seedream 5.0 Pro.
• Illustration and concept art — Midjourney or Seedream 4.5.
• A Google model refused the prompt over content limits — run it again on Seedream.

Other image generators

Other local generators exist. This comparison covers the models in the AI2Face generator, so those aren’t included.

How to write an image prompt

The formula is the same for every model: subject + place + light + camera + style, with lettering in quotes. The detail, with examples, is in photoshoot prompts and Nano Banana prompts.

Conclusions

Which AI image generator you pick depends on the job. For photos of people and complex scenes, Nano Banana Pro; for everyday pictures, Nano Banana 2; for text and interfaces, GPT Image 2.5; for 4K product shots and layout, Seedream; for artistic look, Midjourney. Short Russian text is something every leader writes now; the gaps show up in long copy and in face match. In AI2Face, Nano Banana, Seedream, GPT Image and Midjourney sit in one window, so you can run the same prompt on several models at once. For video, there is a separate review of the AI video generator options.