Nano Banana character consistency: reference limits and a Sume request

Google documents character reference slots for its Nano Banana models. The limits, and how to keep a character across images with input_references on Sume.

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To keep one character across Nano Banana images on Sume, send the same clear reference image of the character in input_references on every request and describe the new scene in the prompt. Both google/nano-banana-2 and google/nano-banana-pro take up to 10 references. Google's docs give its own API separate character slots, which Sume's docs do not describe.

Google's limits are from its image generation docs and Sume's from the Image API docs, read 2026-09-29.

What does Google say about character consistency?

Reference limits on Google's Gemini API, read 2026-09-29. These are Google's API numbers, not Sume's.
Google modelReference limits documented
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite ImageUp to 14 object images; no character images
Gemini 3.1 Flash ImageUp to 10 object images and 4 character images
Gemini 3 Pro ImageUp to 6 object images and 5 character images

How do I keep a character on Sume?

Reuse the same reference and change only the scene. Set aspect_ratio: "auto" when you want the output shape to follow the reference. Reference URLs must be public HTTPS.

curl -X POST https://api.sume.com/v1/images \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUME_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "google/nano-banana-pro",
    "prompt": "The same woman from the reference, now reading in a sunlit library",
    "input_references": [
      {"type": "image_url", "image_url": {"url": "https://example.com/hero-character.png"}}
    ],
    "aspect_ratio": "4:5"
  }'

What still drifts?

Fine details such as jewelry, logos on clothing and hair edges can shift between generations. Sume's docs make no consistency guarantee. Generate n candidates, compare each with the reference, and keep the one that matches.

Can the same character move into video?

Yes, by passing a chosen still as a first frame or reference to the video endpoint; see consistent character across AI video shots.

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