Nano Banana can do a stylized "face swap" — upload a reference portrait and generate an illustrated likeness in your chosen art style. The result is an illustrated interpretation, not a photoreal face replacement. This guide covers the reference-image workflow, identity-locking prompts, and templates for avatars, headshots, and character sheets.
What Nano Banana face swap is (and is not)
- It is a stylized illustrated likeness — you upload a photo and get an illustration of the same person
- It is not a photoreal face replacement on another photo — use GPT Image 2 for that
- It is not a deepfake — it produces original illustrated art, not a manipulated photo
- Best for avatars, headshots, character sheets, and webtoon-style portraits
The reference-image workflow
- Upload the reference portrait in the workbench
- Describe the target art style, line weight, and palette
- Lock identity with exact descriptors: "same face shape, same hairstyle, same eye color"
- Specify the pose, expression, and composition separately from the identity block
Avatar-style face swap prompts
✦ Prompt templates
Stylized avatar of the person in the reference: same face shape, same hairstyle, same eye color. Clean vector illustration, thick outlines, vibrant limited palette. Front-facing avatar, confident expression.
Stylized headshot of the person in the reference: same face shape, same hairstyle, same eye color. Soft studio background, neutral expression, shoulders up, clean line art, limited palette.
Character sheet from a reference
✦ Prompt templates
Character reference sheet based on the uploaded person. Show front, three-quarter, and side views. Keep face shape, hairstyle, eye color, and proportions identical. Clean illustration on white.
Webtoon panel of the person in the reference: same face, same hairstyle, same build. Sitting beside a cafe window, holding coffee, thoughtful expression. Clean line art, vertical webtoon panel.
Identity-locking tips
- Always say "same face shape, same hairstyle, same eye color" to anchor identity to the reference
- Specify the art style explicitly — "clean vector", "cel-shaded", "chibi" — otherwise output varies
- Keep one style family per series; do not mix vector and painterly terms
- If the likeness drifts, regenerate with the same prompt rather than adding conflicting descriptors
When to use a different model
- Photorealistic face swap on another photo → GPT Image 2
- Photorealistic portrait generation → Seedream 4.0
- Background removal from a real photo → GPT Image 2
- ID or passport photo → GPT Image 2