Keep an image-generation budget note beside the creative brief

A small budget note helps a creator keep exploratory generations focused. It does not need to predict a perfect prompt. It needs to identify the decision each candidate should answer and to record the cost shown by the service before that generation starts.

Separate the draft question from the final export

Write the creative question first: whether a palette feels appropriate, whether the framing explains the subject, or whether a quieter background helps the layout. Choose settings that suit this draft decision rather than assuming the largest available output is necessary for every comparison.

Record the intended final use separately. A poster, product card, and presentation slide have different delivery requirements. Once the direction is accepted, confirm which actual file size and format the destination needs. A resolution label is not a substitute for inspecting the downloaded file.

Check the displayed total before generating

Use the current total in the interface. Model choice, resolution, references, or prompt settings may affect the charge, depending on the service. Avoid copying a fixed cost from an old tutorial into the project budget as if it were a permanent quote.

Set a stopping point for the current question. If a candidate reveals that exact lettering or unchanged product pixels require another editing workflow, record that decision. More generations are not automatically the best next step when the requirement has changed.

Log what each candidate was meant to test

Keep a short row for the version, requested change, displayed cost, and review outcome. These are fields to fill after actual work; they are not invented performance results. Save the selected file with its prompt and any reference images so another person can understand the expense and the choice.

NanoBanana 2.1 is an independent browser-based image generator and editor. It offers text-prompt and reference-image workflows with aspect-ratio and output-resolution choices, and its interface displays a credit total before generation. Sign-in is required. The service is not an official Google website; review both the current cost and the actual output before using a result.