Google Gemini’s Nano Banana Trend Revives Black & White Photos With Stunning Colour

Google Gemini’s viral Nano Banana feature has found a heartwarming new purpose beyond AI saree edits and 3D portraits. Social media is now flooded with examples of users restoring and colourising old black-and-white photos, turning blurred memories into vivid, lifelike images.

Gemini Showcases Emotional Photo Restorations

The official X handle of the Google Gemini App recently shared a dedicated thread highlighting how Nano Banana is being used for photo restoration. The post read:

“The most unexpected and heartwarming use of Nano Banana? Photo restoration. See how people are bringing their cherished memories to life with Gemini by refining, unblurring, and colorising old photos.”

Users across the globe have since shared touching examples—from family portraits to historical photographs—revived with Nano Banana’s AI capabilities.

Bringing History Back to Life

One striking example included a photograph from 1890, restored and colourised by a user named Thomas. The once-faded couple’s portrait was reimagined with renewed clarity and vibrancy.

Similarly, creator Jay Rodge shared restored vintage images of a Southeast Asian couple, while scientist Derya Unutmaz showcased historical pictures revitalised with Nano Banana’s tools.

Another user, Hus, went further—reviving an old family photograph and then animating it with Veo 3, allowing long-gone relatives to move once again in the digital era.

Global Popularity of Nano Banana

The trend underscores Nano Banana’s role in Gemini’s explosive growth. Between August 26 and September 9, 2025, the Gemini app reportedly gained 23 million new users. In the same period, more than 500 million AI images were created.

With this surge, Google Gemini has now surpassed OpenAI’s ChatGPT to become the most downloaded free app on both Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

What began as a fun AI tool for creating 3D figurines and retro saree portraits has now transformed into a way to preserve family legacies and cultural history for future generations.