OpenAI hyped the launch of ChatGPT Photographs 2.0 prefer it was extra than simply one other step up in AI picture era. It handled it like an entire shift in what these instruments can do. However is it really higher than Gemini’s Nano Banana 2? Let’s discover out.
Somewhat than testing both instrument on summary prompts or fantasy scenes, I made a decision to see which was finest by focussing on one thing extra sensible. The photographs created from scratch by AI are spectacular, there’s much more curiosity in what the fashions can do with precise photographs by enhancing them in ways in which nonetheless really feel actual.
I am not speaking about simply including an Instagram filter, however really radically altering the picture, altering the lighting, adjusting the temper, and even shifting the season. These are the sorts of edits individuals really need, they usually’re additionally the place issues are likely to crumble for AI — faces begin to look off, lighting stops making sense, and scenes really feel stitched collectively as a substitute of entire.
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To make use of ChatGPT Photographs 2.0 you merely ask ChatGPT to create a picture. It is the identical with Nano Banana — simply ask Gemini to create a picture. So, to check them I ran each AI instruments by means of the identical set of edits, utilizing the identical beginning photographs. Here is how I received on.
Lighting take a look at
I began with a primary studio portrait on the left, then requested each fashions to “change the background with a park on the golden hour.” ChatGPT’s model within the center feels barely unreal, although the sunshine and shadow do make it appear like the chair was really taken outdoors. You’ll be able to see the daylight hitting from one path, casting shadows throughout the trail that match the bushes and my face. And the chair does sit on the bottom with correct weight, matching the attitude and texture of the trail.
Nano Banana 2’s model on the precise leans a lot more durable into the “golden hour” look. The colours are deeper and extra orange, and it’s undoubtedly eye-catching. But it surely begins to really feel extra like a stylized edit than an actual scene. The lighting on my face is a bit too even in comparison with the sturdy daylight within the background. The face is smoothed out, too, so as to add a glow, which appears good however makes it really feel much less like an actual picture taken at that second.
Winner: ChatGPT
Cinematic model take a look at
Subsequent I wished to see how the 2 fashions interpreted extra of a temper than a direct surroundings request, so I requested them to make the portrait “look extra cinematic and dramatic.”
ChatGPT’s model on the left seems like an actual studio setup that’s been pushed only a bit additional. The nice and cozy backdrop has that gentle, textured look you’d get from an precise pictures background, and the shadow sample throughout it seems like gentle coming by means of a window or a flag. Nothing feels overdone, which is what makes it work.
Nano Banana 2’s model on the precise went in a distinct path altogether. It modified the picture to a wholly fictional digicam going through proper on my face, with a tightened body and darkened surroundings. It leant right into a a lot moodier, nearly movie noir model. It arrange a dim inside with books and wooden paneling, which is a cool thought, however it is usually much less actual, and it has just a little extra of the uncanny valley look to it.
Winner: ChatGPT
Product actuality take a look at
I then moved to a primary picture of a pair of AirPods, and requested the 2 fashions to present them a advertising and marketing twist. I wrote, “Use this picture of AirPods and make them look very nice whereas setting them in a real-world backdrop.”
Each went for a desk with espresso and notebooks, however from there the variations emerged.
ChatGPT’s model on the left seems like an actual desk somebody really makes use of. The lighting is just a little uneven in a great way, with daylight coming by means of a window and hitting completely different components of the floor at barely completely different intensities. The reflections on the AirPods are delicate and really react to the objects close by, particularly the darker cellphone and the plant. Even the wooden grain has variation and small imperfections that make it really feel like an actual floor quite than a digital one. Plus, it even went for synergy by placing an iPhone subsequent to the gadget.
Gemini’s Nano Banana 2 model on the precise appears extra like a elegant product shoot. All the things is neatly organized, the pocket book and glasses are positioned simply so, and the lighting could be very clear and balanced. There are additionally random earphone instances within the background that do not appear like AirPod instances, not a perfect search for advertising and marketing a particular product.
The AirPods themselves are one other giveaway. In ChatGPT’s picture, they choose up tiny environmental cues, with reflections and shading. Nano Banana 2 once more got here up with a fictional digicam to make a head-on picture that edges into unreality.
Winner: ChatGPT
Seasonal change take a look at
This one is a good instance of how each instruments deal with environmental adjustments, not simply shade tweaks. I used the picture of a garden in full greenery and requested the 2 to “change the season to autumn.”
ChatGPT’s model within the center doesn’t simply change shade; it turns into uneven, with patches of inexperienced nonetheless peeking by means of and leaves scattered in a method that feels random. Some areas are extra lined than others, just like the wind has pushed leaves throughout the yard. The bushes shift naturally into fall tones.
Nano Banana 2’s model on the precise goes for a cleaner, extra uniform transformation. The leaves are unfold far more evenly throughout the garden, however not all of the bushes have modified shade. The garden can also be greener, nearer to its springtime shade.
Winner: A draw
And the winner is…
What stood out from all of the checks was that Nano Banana 2 was often sooner, however ChatGPT Photographs 2.0 saved edging forward. Even when a blind take a look at was performed with a few pals who have been informed just one was digitally altered, all of them persistently picked ChatGPT because the one they thought was actual. Although it takes just a little extra time, the mannequin does appear to pay nearer consideration to how gentle behaves, how textures work together, and the way faces really look in several situations.
The distinction isn’t all the time apparent at first look, and Nano Banana 2 is de facto greater than ok in most circumstances, however it begins to change into extra apparent the longer you spend with the pictures.
Nano Banana 2 makes photographs that look nice, however ChatGPT Photographs 2.0 makes photographs that really feel extra actual.
Total winner: ChatGPT
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