Imagen 4

Google retired Imagen 4.
Here is what replaced it.

Google shut down the Imagen 4 API on August 17, 2026: Standard, Fast and Ultra. On Viral Engine the same Google image lineage continues as Nano Banana 2 and Nano Banana Pro, and everything you saved that still names Imagen 4 keeps working.

See Nano Banana 2 and Pro What to use instead

Tier by tier

What to use instead

Was: Imagen 4 Standard

Nano Banana 2

40 credits per image

Google Gemini 3.1 Flash Image. Near-Pro quality at Flash speed, stronger prompt understanding than Imagen 4 had, up to 5 reference images per prompt. The default model on Viral Engine.

Was: Imagen 4 Fast

Nano Banana 2

40 credits per image

The same model covers the rapid-iteration work Fast was for. For the cheapest possible volume runs, Flux at 12 credits is the other option.

Was: Imagen 4 Ultra

Nano Banana Pro

80 credits per image

Google Gemini 3 Pro Image. Studio quality, stronger composition and better text rendering. The hero-shot and print tier Ultra used to be.

Imagen 4 was also the page's pick for in-image text. That job now goes to GPT Image 2 (25 credits), which renders headlines, prices and logos reliably.

Nothing breaks

Saved agents, workflows and scripts keep working

Agents and Styles with an Imagen 4 preferred model

Requests are routed to the replacement automatically: imagen-4 and imagen-4-fast run on Nano Banana 2, imagen-4-ultra on Nano Banana Pro. The agent editor labels the old choice as retired; pick Nano Banana 2 or Pro there to update it.

Workflows

Generate Image nodes saved with an Imagen 4 option show it as legacy and still run. Re-pick the model in the node to move to the current lineup.

CLI and API calls

The API still accepts the imagen-4 model keys and routes them the same way. Update -m imagen-4-ultra to -m nano-banana-pro in scripts when convenient.

Your gallery

Images already generated on Imagen 4 stay in your gallery and collections, downloadable as before.

Questions

Imagen 4 retirement FAQ

No. Google retired the Imagen 4 API on August 17, 2026, all three tiers. It no longer appears in the model picker, the CLI or the agent.
Nano Banana 2 (40 credits) for Standard and Fast work, Nano Banana Pro (80 credits) for Ultra work, GPT Image 2 (25 credits) for in-image text.
They keep working; requests are routed to the replacement automatically. Switch to Nano Banana 2 or Pro directly so your history shows the current names; the price is the same either way.
No. Everything already generated stays in your gallery.

Pick up where Imagen 4 left off

5 image models, one credit wallet. 200 free credits on signup, no credit card.

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