Three generation tiers
Fast targeted lower latency and cost, Standard balanced quality and price, and Ultra prioritized prompt alignment and detail.
Historical tool archive
Imagen 4: historical overview
Imagen 4 was Google's 2025 text-to-image family for the Gemini API, Google AI Studio, and Vertex AI. It introduced Fast, Standard, and Ultra variants, stronger text rendering, up to 2K output, and SynthID watermarking. Google deprecated the production endpoints and scheduled their shutdown for August 17, 2026, so Imagen 4 is now a historical model and existing integrations should migrate to a supported Gemini image model.
No longer active
Archive
What Imagen 4 was
Google introduced Imagen 4 in June 2025 and made the full Fast, Standard, and Ultra family generally available that August. Fast prioritized latency and cost, Standard covered general image generation, and Ultra emphasized prompt alignment and detail.
The family generated images from text and was promoted for improved typography and overall quality compared with Imagen 3. Standard and Ultra supported output up to 2K resolution, and every generated image included Google's imperceptible SynthID watermark.
Past capabilities
What Imagen 4 offered
Improved text rendering
Google positioned clearer text inside generated images as a major improvement over earlier Imagen releases.
Up to 2K output
The generally available Standard and Ultra models supported image generation up to 2K resolution.
Prompt rewriting
The documented model controls included a preview prompt-enhancement option that could rewrite a request before generation.
Availability
Why this listing is historical
Imagen 4 no longer has actionable API pricing because its endpoints have retired. Its final public Gemini API rates were $0.02 per Fast image, $0.04 per Standard image, and $0.06 per Ultra image. Those figures are preserved only for historical cost analysis; new work must use current replacement-model pricing.
- All three Gemini API Imagen 4 endpoints reached their published shutdown date and should not be used in a new integration
- The model generated from text but did not provide the current Gemini image models' conversational image-input and editing workflow
- Old output-quality, latency, quota, safety, and cost assumptions do not transfer automatically to a replacement model
Status checked . Review the historical source ↗
Current options
Active Imagen 4 alternatives
Content Creator
Nano Banana 2
The Rundown page for Gemini 3.1 Flash Image, the current replacement named in Google's Gemini API Imagen 4 deprecation table.
Explore Nano Banana 2 →Design
Gemini 2.5 Flash Image
An earlier Gemini-native image generation and editing model that appears in Vertex AI migration guidance for retired Imagen endpoints.
Explore Gemini 2.5 Flash Image →Design
Nano Banana Pro
Google's higher-quality Gemini image option for complex prompts and professional asset production.
Explore Nano Banana Pro →Design
ChatGPT Images 2.0
A current non-Google alternative for conversational image generation and editing.
Explore ChatGPT Images 2.0 →Questions
Imagen 4 FAQs
Is Imagen 4 still available?
No for the Gemini API endpoints covered by Google's lifecycle table. Imagen 4 Fast, Standard, and Ultra were scheduled to shut down on August 17, 2026, so the family should now be treated as retired.
What replaced Imagen 4?
Google's current Gemini API deprecation table names `gemini-3.1-flash-image`, also called Nano Banana 2. Vertex AI guidance has named Gemini 2.5 Flash Image for some retired endpoints, so use the latest documentation for the exact platform and project.
What did Imagen 4 do?
It generated images from text prompts through Google AI developer products. The family emphasized image quality, prompt adherence, improved text rendering, up to 2K output, and different speed and cost tiers.
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