Google recently announced through its official account that Google Pics is officially open to subscribers. This image creation and editing tool based on the Nano Banana model will begin rolling out on September 1st to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers as well as most Workspace business customers. Google Pics is a complete image creation and editing interface that exists both as a standalone product (pics.new) and embedded within Workspace, allowing users to edit images directly in Docs and Slides without switching apps. The name Pics sounds like a relative of Google Photos, but the two are unrelated: Photos is for organizing memories, while Pics is for creating graphics for work, including posters, presentations, social media posts, and document illustrations.
Google product manager Meg Whittenberger wrote in an official blog post that Pics offers a complete workflow for “generating, refining, and co-creating,” whether designing posters, making social posts, or editing digital illustrations, all of which can be done with text prompts plus precise edits. Google first showcased this tool at Google I/O 2026 in May, and it is now officially moving from testing into the hands of paid users.
Four major features: object segmentation, in-image text translation, collaboration, and multi-option generation.
Google Pics’s core selling point is precise control. Its object segmentation feature lets users isolate a single object in an image and transform, enlarge, shrink, or remove it without affecting other parts of the image. Users can also type text annotations on specific areas to request targeted edits, performing multiple edits at once. This kind of operation used to typically require Photoshop and considerable patience; now it is reduced to one selection and one sentence.
In-image text editing and translation is another key feature. Pics can directly edit existing text in an image or translate text into 29 languages while preserving the original fonts and layout, with no need to re-layout. For teams that need to create assets for multiple international markets, translating a poster without having to redo the entire image can save a lot of time. The model can also upscale resolution to 2K and 4K and supports parallel processing of multiple edits.
The collaboration feature lets users share their work with friends or team members and co-edit the same image via a link, similar to how shared documents work. A single prompt generates multiple options, allowing users to choose the version they are most satisfied with. They can start by writing a prompt from scratch or by uploading their own image as a base.
Embedded Workspace: Docs and Slides first, Drive to follow within weeks
The highlight of this launch is Google bringing Pics into Workspace. According to the official blog, millions of users work with billions of images in Workspace products every month. Pics is integrated directly into these tools so users don’t have to jump between apps, copy and paste, or switch tabs. Integration starts with Docs and Slides: click an image in a document or presentation, and the Pics editor opens as an overlay panel. Drive integration will roll out in the coming weeks.
In terms of rollout pace, Rapid Release domains began seeing Pics on September 1, and feature visibility can take up to 15 days to reach all users, while Scheduled Release domains will follow afterward. If an organization is on Scheduled Release and still does not see Pics by mid-September, this delay is expected and not a system issue.
Underlying Model Nano Banana Pro and Subscription Plans
Pics is powered under the hood by Nano Banana Pro, and its official model name is Gemini 3 Pro Image, accessible through the Gemini API with the model ID gemini-3-pro-image. The model was released on November 20, 2025, and reached general availability through the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform on May 28, 2026. The codename Nano Banana is also the underlying model for image creation in the Gemini app and has become an inside joke in communities that track AI tools.
Pics is not charged separately; access is tied to existing subscription plans. On the consumer side, Google AI Pro ($19.99 per month, about NT$630) is the first tier to unlock Pics and Nano Banana Pro-level image editing. Google AI Ultra has been reduced from its original $249.99 per month to starting at $99.99 per month (about NT$3,200), with the top tier at $199.99; the entry-level Google AI Plus ($7.99 per month, about NT$255) only offers basic Gemini conversations and does not include Pro-tier image editing features. On the education side, Google AI Pro for Education also includes Pics.
On the business side, Workspace Business Standard and Plus, and Enterprise Standard and Plus plans all include Pics, while the Business Starter plan and free Google accounts are not included. For small businesses, marketing assets, social media posts, and promotional materials can be created directly within an existing Workspace subscription, without needing to purchase additional design software.
Conclusion
Google Pics advances image creation from “generating an image” to “precisely editing an image inside a document.” Its three features—object segmentation, in-image text translation, and collaborative editing—plus integration with Docs, Slides, and Drive, make it the first complete AI image design tool in the Workspace ecosystem. For users already subscribed to Google AI Pro or Ultra, Pics is a useful new capability added to their subscription plan; for Workspace business customers, it brings the production workflow for posters, presentation images, and social media assets into their existing toolchain. Once Drive integration catches up within a few weeks, Pics will cover all major scenarios where images appear in Workspace.
Source: KOCPC Chinese