The Short, Honest Answer
No — Nano Banana does not generate video. Nano Banana is Google's family of image models (the original is Gemini 2.5 Flash Image; the current ones are Nano Banana 2 / Gemini 3.1 Flash Image and Nano Banana Pro / Gemini 3 Pro Image). They turn text into still images, edit images, and render text-in-image extremely well — but they output pictures, not clips with motion and audio.
If you searched "Nano Banana text to video," you almost certainly want one of two things: (1) a video model that's as good as Nano Banana is at images, or (2) a way to turn a Nano Banana image into a video. This guide covers both.
Why the Confusion Happens
Nano Banana went viral for image quality, so its name gets attached to every "AI generation" search. It doesn't help that Google does make video (Veo) and images (Nano Banana) — different model families, often mentioned together. Bottom line: for video, you need a video model.
Option 1 — Best Video Models (Nano-Banana-Level Quality)
These are the video equivalents worth using, all callable through one API on LinkModel:
- Seedance 2.0 — tops the Arena leaderboard for video with audio; best overall value (~$9/normalized minute). The default pick.
- Kling V3 — native 4K, multi-shot, native audio. Best for high-resolution masters.
- HappyHorse 1.0 — fast, single-pass audio-video, tops the no-audio boards.
- Hailuo 2.3 — cheap and great for anime/stylized motion.
For free ways to try these, see best free AI video generators 2026.
Option 2 — Turn a Nano Banana Image Into Video (Image-to-Video)
This is where Nano Banana does fit — as the first frame. Generate a still with Nano Banana, then feed it to a video model's image-to-video mode:
# 1) make the still with Nano Banana (image endpoint)
curl -X POST https://api.linkmodel.ai/api/v1/image-generation \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $LINKMODEL_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{ "model": "gemini-3-pro-image-preview", "prompt": "A red sports car on a coastal road, cinematic, 2K" }'
# 2) animate that image with a video model (video endpoint)
curl -X POST https://api.linkmodel.ai/api/v1/video-generation \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $LINKMODEL_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{ "model": "seedance-2-0", "prompt": "Camera tracks alongside the car as it drives, wind and engine audio", "image_url": "https://your-cdn.com/car.jpg" }'This "great still → animate it" pipeline is a real production pattern — a strong image model for the base frame, a strong video model for motion. It's exactly what one integration makes easy.
Bottom Line
- Want video? Use a video model — Seedance 2.0, Kling V3, HappyHorse, or Hailuo — not Nano Banana.
- Have a Nano Banana image you want to move? Use image-to-video on a video model with your image as the first frame.
- Want the best images? Then Nano Banana is your model — see Nano Banana 2 vs Pro and best AI image generation APIs.
Start free with a $1 credit and run both the image and video steps through one key, or try them in the Playground.