Nano Banana: AI Image Generation Inside WordPress
Stop alt-tabbing to external AI tools. Generate and edit images with natural language prompts — directly in the WordPress editor, saved straight to your Media Library.
Gutenberg Block
Text-to-Image
Image Editing
WordPress Plugin
The Problem With AI Images in WordPress Today
Every WordPress site needs images. Blog headers, product shots, hero graphics, social cards — the demand never stops. The current workflow looks like this: open a separate AI tool, generate an image, download it, switch back to WordPress, upload it, insert it into the post. Repeat for every image.
It’s not that AI image generation is hard. It’s that the workflow is fragmented:
Nano Banana solves this by putting image generation where the images are used — inside WordPress.
How It Works
Nano Banana gives you two ways to generate images — a dedicated admin page and a Gutenberg block — both powered by Google’s Gemini image generation models.
Generate From the Admin Page
Navigate to Media > Generate Image. Type your prompt, select a model, choose your aspect ratio and size, and hit generate. Results appear in a grid. Click “Save to Media Library” on any image you want to keep — it’s stored as a full WordPress attachment with the prompt, model, and timestamp as metadata.
Generate From the Block Editor
Add the Nano Banana block in the Gutenberg editor. Describe the image you need, generate it, and click “Insert Image.” The block replaces itself with a standard core/image block — no proprietary markup, no vendor lock-in. The image is in your Media Library and your post in one step.
Edit Existing Images
Open any image in your Media Library and you’ll see an “AI Edit” field. Type what you want changed — “remove the background,” “convert to watercolor,” “add a sunset behind the mountains” — and the plugin sends your image plus the instruction to the API. Save the result as a new attachment or replace the original.
Three Models, One Plugin
Not every image needs the same model. A quick blog thumbnail doesn’t need the same horsepower as a hero graphic. Nano Banana gives you three options:
| Model | Powered By | Cost / Image | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nano Banana | Gemini 2.5 Flash | ~$0.02 | Quick drafts, thumbnails, social cards |
| Nano Banana 2 | Gemini 3.1 Flash | ~$0.045 | Blog headers, product shots (recommended) |
| Nano Banana Pro | Gemini 3 Pro | ~$0.08 | Hero graphics, marketing materials, high detail |
All three models support five aspect ratios (1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, 3:2) and four resolution tiers from 512px up to 4K. You can generate up to 4 images per prompt and keep the ones you like.
Built for WordPress, Not Bolted On
Nano Banana isn’t a generic AI tool with a WordPress wrapper. Every feature is designed around how WordPress actually works:
Media Library Native
Every generated image is saved as a full WordPress attachment — not a temp file, not an external link. It gets thumbnails, alt text, searchability, and all the features the Media Library provides.
Gutenberg-First
The image generator block inserts a standard core/image block. No shortcodes, no custom markup. If you deactivate the plugin, your images stay exactly where they are.
Generation History
Every prompt, model, timestamp, and user is logged in a dedicated table. Paginated, searchable, and deletable. Know exactly what was generated, when, and by whom.
Encrypted API Keys
Your Google API key is encrypted with AES-256-CBC before it’s stored in the database. It’s never exposed in page HTML, REST responses, or logs. Most plugins store API keys in plaintext — we don’t.
Image Editing Without Leaving WordPress
Generation gets the headlines, but image editing is where the plugin saves the most time in practice. Open any image in your Media Library and you’ll find an AI Edit field.
The editing workflow is natural language — describe what you want changed, and the model applies it:
# Remove the background and make it transparent
“Remove the background, keep only the product”
# Change the art style
“Convert this photo to a watercolor painting”
# Add or modify elements
“Add a dramatic sunset sky behind the mountains”
# Adjust for different contexts
“Make this image darker and more dramatic for a blog header”
You can save the edited image as a new attachment (keeping the original) or replace the original in place. The plugin tracks the source attachment, so you always have a breadcrumb back to the original image.
What You Need to Get Started
Nano Banana has minimal requirements — it’s designed to work on standard WordPress hosting without special server configurations:
WordPress
- WordPress 6.4 or higher
- PHP 7.4+
- OpenSSL and cURL extensions
Google AI
- Google AI API key
- Billing enabled on Google Cloud project
- Pay-per-use — no monthly subscription
Permissions
- Admin: configure settings & API key
- Editor: generate & edit images
- Author: use Gutenberg block
Under the Hood
For the technically curious — Nano Banana is built with the same standards we apply to production infrastructure at 45Squared:
nano-banana/v1 namespace — generate, save, and edit. Each endpoint checks WordPress capabilities and verifies nonces.
core/image block on insertion. No rendering dependencies, no lock-in. Deactivate the plugin and your content stays intact.
Get Early Access to Nano Banana
Nano Banana isn’t in the WordPress plugin repository yet. We’re rolling it out to a limited group first. If you want AI image generation inside your WordPress site, reach out and we’ll get you set up.
Or explore the AI Site Launcher — our full platform for AI-powered WordPress site creation.