NOV 7, 2026

Table of contents

  1. A clock at 7:45
  2. A chalkboard menu
  3. Seven apples, three pears
  4. A labelled diagram
  5. Which level to use

Nano Banana 2.1 thinking level

November 7, 2026

Google added a Thinking level switch for Nano Banana 2.1 to Flow on November 7, 2026, and the Google Flow API supports it now as thinkingLevel on POST /images:

  • low, medium or high sets how long Nano Banana 2.1 (model: "nano-banana-2") reasons about the prompt before it draws. The default is high, the same as Flow’s own default
  • A higher level follows precise details more closely and takes longer. In Flow one image took about 11 seconds on low, 14 on medium and 21 on high
  • Every level costs the same: Nano Banana 2.1 images use no Flow credits
  • low and medium need a paid Google AI plan. Flow offers a free account high only, and the API answers 400 for the other two before any captcha is used

Below, four prompts that need some reasoning, each run at all three levels with the same seed, so the level is the only thing that changes. These are the real outputs.

A clock at 7:45

The prompt asks for a station clock showing exactly 7:45. On low and medium the minute hand points at the 8, so the clock reads about 7:40. On high it points at the 9, and the clock reads 7:45. The departure board text is right at every level.

Nano Banana 2.1 thinking level low, medium and high: a station clock asked to show 7:45

curl — POST /images 
curl --location 'https://api.useapi.net/v1/google-flow/images' \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer user:12345-…' \
--form 'model="nano-banana-2"' \
--form 'thinkingLevel="high"' \
--form 'aspectRatio="16:9"' \
--form 'count="1"' \
--form 'seed="515151"' \
--form 'prompt="An old railway station clock showing exactly 7:45, next to a departure board that reads \"LONDON 8:05 - PLATFORM 2\". Photograph, morning light."'

A chalkboard menu

Five drinks with exact prices. All three levels spell every item and price correctly. high lays the board out the most cleanly.

Nano Banana 2.1 thinking level low, medium and high: a café chalkboard menu with five drinks and prices

Prompt

A hand-drawn chalkboard menu in a cozy café titled “MORNING BREW”, listing exactly five drinks with prices, one per line: Espresso $3.00, Latte $4.50, Flat White $4.00, Matcha $5.00, Cold Brew $4.25. Warm light, photograph. Aspect ratio 3:4, seed 424242.

Seven apples, three pears

A counting prompt. Every level got seven apples and three pears, so for a simple count low is enough.

Nano Banana 2.1 thinking level low, medium and high: seven red apples above three green pears

Prompt

Top-down photograph of exactly seven red apples in a straight row on a wooden table, with exactly three green pears in a second row below them. Aspect ratio 1:1, seed 717171.

A labelled diagram

The water cycle in four numbered steps. All three levels keep the steps in order. medium and high add a title, and high also adds labels the prompt did not ask for (surface runoff, groundwater).

Nano Banana 2.1 thinking level low, medium and high: a water cycle infographic with four numbered steps

Prompt

A clean educational infographic of the water cycle with four labelled steps in order, connected by arrows: 1 Evaporation, 2 Condensation, 3 Precipitation, 4 Collection. Flat illustration, white background. Aspect ratio 16:9, seed 616161.

Which level to use

Keep the default high when the image has to get a precise detail right, such as a time, a number of objects, or exact text. Use low for drafts and simple scenes, where it is about twice as fast. thinkingLevel works with reference images and characters too, and only nano-banana-2 takes it: other models answer 400.

Full parameter reference: POST /images.