Photorealism is three separate problems: realistic skin and light, a believable scene, and, when it is a real person, a face that is actually theirs. A generator can lead on one and trail on another.
This compares Nano Banana 2 inside Pose with Flux Kontext, Midjourney, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion and Imagen. There are no numeric scores, because a single number would hide the differences.
See Nano Banana 2 in Pose AI headshots.
- Best for a real person's face: Nano Banana 2 in Pose, because it locks identity from one selfie.
- Best for general photographic scenes with no specific person: Midjourney, Imagen and Flux are all strong.
- Best for control and customisation: Stable Diffusion, with more setup.
- What decides it: whether the face must be a real person, and how much setup you will accept.
What makes an AI generator photorealistic
Three things: texture and lighting that behave like a camera, anatomy and scene logic that hold together, and, for portraits, identity. A render can look flawless and still be a stranger.
That third point is why a general-purpose generator and an identity-locked one are not directly comparable.
Photorealism compared
| Model | Where it is strongest | Real person's face | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nano Banana 2 (in Pose) | Photorealistic portraits and headshots | Identity locked from one selfie | Inside Pose, on credits |
| Flux Kontext | Image editing and in-context changes | Depends on the input image | Via providers and tools |
| Midjourney | Strong aesthetic and photographic quality | No saved identity | Separate subscription |
| DALL-E | General scenes and quick iteration | No saved identity | Via OpenAI products |
| Stable Diffusion 3.5 | Customisation and local control | Needs extra training or setup | Open weights, more setup |
| Imagen | Photographic scenes | No saved identity | Via Google products |
Is Nano Banana 2 better than Midjourney?
For a photo of a specific person, Nano Banana 2 in Pose is the more direct route: you upload one selfie and it holds your face fixed. For an image with no particular person, Midjourney is excellent and you may prefer its look.
They solve different problems, so the honest answer is that the better one is whichever matches the job.
Check portrait generator comparisons.
Move the image into video when you need motion.