GPT Image 1.5 vs Nano Banana Pro: Which AI Model Wins for Product Photography?

The AI image generation wars just got interesting.

OpenAI dropped GPT Image 1.5 this week with promises of better instruction following and iterative editing. Meanwhile, Google's Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image Preview) has been quietly dominating the product photography space since its viral launch.

I've spent the last few hours putting both models through their paces with real product images. Not synthetic benchmarks. Not cherry-picked examples. Just honest, head-to-head comparisons on the tasks that matter for e-commerce.

The bottom line? For product photography specifically, Nano Banana Pro edges ahead in the use cases that drive conversions: UGC-style imagery, ad creation, and creative interpretation of prompts.

Let me show you exactly what I mean.

The Test: Real Products, Real Prompts, Real Results

I ran both models through three critical e-commerce scenarios:

1. UGC-style lifestyle images – The "snapped on iPhone" aesthetic that crushes on social ads
2. JSON prompt adherence – Structured prompting for brand consistency at scale
3. Ad banner creation – Minimal input, maximum polish

Same seed images. Same prompts. Side-by-side results.

Let's dive in.

Test 1: UGC-Style Product Photography

UGC (User Generated Content) style imagery is gold for social advertising. It feels authentic, relatable, and doesn't scream "ad" to scroll-happy users.

The challenge? Creating that authentic "snapped on iPhone" look with AI.

The Prompt

I kept it simple and direct:

"An UGC style image make it look like it was snapped with iPhone."

The Seed Image

The Results

The Verdict

Nano Banana Pro wins this round.

Look at the Nano Banana result. It captures that casual, authentic feel that makes UGC so effective. The lighting feels natural. The composition feels spontaneous. It actually looks like someone took a quick selfie-style photo.

GPT Image 1.5 produces a technically competent image, but it feels more "staged" and less organic. For social ads where authenticity drives engagement, that difference matters.

Taking It Further with BackdropBoost

Here's where it gets interesting. Nano Banana gives you a solid foundation, but with BackdropBoost, you can push the results even further.

Using the same earrings seed image, here's what our enhanced pipeline produces:

We leverage Nano Banana's creative strengths and add our own enhancement layer for e-commerce optimization. The result? Images ready to drive conversions on Google Shopping, social ads, and your product pages.

Try BackdropBoost free →

Test 2: JSON Prompt Following

If you're serious about scaling product photography, you need structured prompts. JSON prompting lets you define exact specifications for environment, lighting, composition, and constraints – then apply them consistently across hundreds of SKUs.

The question: which model follows structured instructions more faithfully?

The Test Setup

I used a detailed JSON prompt specifying:

• Lifestyle environment
• Specific lighting conditions
• Composition rules
• Product preservation constraints

For a deep dive on JSON prompting, check out our complete JSON Style Prompts Guide.

The Results

The Verdict

Nano Banana Pro interprets JSON structure more faithfully.

Both models understand JSON prompts, but Nano Banana Pro shows better creative interpretation while still respecting the constraints. It captures the intended aesthetic without over-literalizing every instruction.

GPT Image 1.5 is more literal in its interpretation, which can be good for strict compliance but sometimes misses the creative intent behind the prompt.

Pro tip: Use our free JSON Prompt Creator tool to generate structured prompts for your products.

Test 3: Ad Banner Creation

Here's where Nano Banana Pro really shines: creating ad-ready imagery with minimal input.

For e-commerce brands, speed matters. You need to test multiple creatives quickly. The model that produces polished, ad-ready results with simple prompts wins.

The Results

The Verdict

Nano Banana Pro produces more polished, ad-ready results with minimal input.

The Nano Banana output has that "studio-quality" feel that makes it ready for ads without additional editing. It understands the visual language of advertising and applies it naturally.

GPT Image 1.5 produces good results, but often needs more specific prompting to achieve the same level of polish.

The Bottom Line

Both models are impressive. OpenAI has clearly learned from Nano Banana's success and pushed hard on instruction following and editing capabilities.

But for e-commerce product photography specifically? Nano Banana Pro is my pick.

It just gets the visual language of advertising. The UGC imagery feels authentic. The ad creatives pop. The JSON prompt interpretation captures intent, not just literal instructions.

And when you combine Nano Banana Pro with BackdropBoost's enhancement pipeline, you get the best of both worlds: creative AI output optimized for e-commerce conversions.

Ready to try it? Generate your first AI-enhanced product image →

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Have questions about which AI model fits your product photography workflow? Reach out at support@backdropboost.com.