Recraft V3 vs Nano Banana Pro

Professional portraits demand subtle handling of skin texture, lighting gradients, and that indefinable quality that separates a photograph from a render. This prompt tests how each model handles the nuances of studio photography.

In our testing, Nano Banana Pro consistently produced more convincing skin rendering—pores, subtle color variations, the way light scatters through skin. Recraft V3 with realistic_image presets produced professional results that would work for most commercial applications, but side-by-side, Nano Banana Pro's outputs often had that extra degree of naturalism. Whether that justifies nearly 4x the cost depends on your specific requirements.

Wine label design requires precise typography at multiple scales, proper hierarchy, and that sense of craft that distinguishes premium products. This prompt tests text rendering across several text elements with specific styling requirements.

Recraft V3's typography advantage becomes clear in design contexts. The letterforms tend to be cleaner, with more consistent spacing and better alignment. Nano Banana Pro renders text well—better than most models—but occasionally produces subtle imperfections that matter in design work: slightly uneven baselines, inconsistent stroke weights. For brand assets, packaging, or any design where text is central, Recraft's text-first approach shows.

Botanical illustration requires a specific aesthetic vocabulary— the careful balance of scientific accuracy and artistic beauty that defines the genre. This prompt tests whether each model can interpret and execute a particular visual style.

Here, Recraft's style presets prove valuable. Using digital_illustration or a specific sub-style gives predictable, controllable results that match the intended aesthetic. Nano Banana Pro interprets the prompt intelligently—often beautifully—but with more variation between generations. For illustration work requiring consistent style across multiple pieces, Recraft's explicit control reduces iteration time.

Product photography for technology requires precise rendering of materials, reflections, and that pristine quality associated with premium brands. This prompt tests each model's ability to deliver commercial-grade product imagery.

Both models perform well here, but with different strengths. Recraft V3 tends to produce cleaner, more design-ready images with consistent lighting and simplified compositions. Nano Banana Pro often adds more subtle detail—micro-reflections, material variations, environmental lighting cues—that enhance realism but may require more post-processing for e-commerce use. For catalog imagery, Recraft's cleaner output may actually be preferable.

Landscape photography tests atmospheric rendering, color gradation, and the ability to create emotional impact through natural imagery. This prompt examines whether premium pricing delivers proportionally premium results.

At nearly 4× the cost, Nano Banana Pro needs to deliver significantly better results to justify the premium. In many cases, the difference is visible but not proportional to the price gap. Nano Banana Pro often produces more nuanced atmospheric effects and subtle color transitions, but Recraft V3's output is frequently excellent enough for professional use. The question becomes: is the marginal quality improvement worth quadruple the cost per image? For most workflows, the answer is no. For hero images, publication covers, or situations where you need one perfect shot, it might be yes.