Getting Started with Gemini

Create and refine a marketing graphic with Gemini's AI image editor.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

A promotional image can catch someone’s attention in seconds. A vague design can make the same offer easy to ignore.

In this project, you will use Gemini with Nano Banana 2 to turn a rough promotion into a marketing graphic. You will practise image prompting through focused edits that change one visual decision at a time.

What You'll Build

Your finished Gemini conversation shows three versions of one marketing graphic before you download the strongest design as a campaign concept.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

A first-draft marketing graphic that presents your chosen business, promotion, product or service, and short headline.
A three-version comparison that demonstrates how each targeted follow-up prompt changes one visual decision.
A downloaded marketing concept that you can show as an idea for a social post, event, or campaign.
Secret Mission: Turn your successful conversation into a reusable campaign prompt template with a filled example for a second business.

Are there any prerequisites?

You need a personal Google Account, a desktop web browser, and access to Gemini in a supported country and language. You must be 18 or over to generate or edit images.

Nothing needs to be installed.

Before We Start

A clear creative brief gives your graphic a purpose before any hands-on work begins. This is where you commit to the idea behind the design.

Confirm Gemini Image Access

Your creative brief is ready. It can become a graphic once your account can reach Gemini's image workspace.

Image requests use more of your available usage than simple conversations. Checking access now protects the project's three-generation budget.

In this step, get ready to:

Confirm that Gemini is using the correct personal Google Account.
Check that your current usage limit has not been reached.
Reach the Images area without submitting a prompt.

Open Gemini with the right account

Your image workspace belongs to a signed-in personal Google Account. Using the correct identity keeps every image version in one conversation.

Open gemini.google.com in your desktop browser.
Sign in with your personal Google Account if a sign-in page appears.
Select the account avatar in the top-right corner.
Confirm that the displayed account is the personal Google Account you intend to use.
Switch accounts if the displayed identity is different.

You should now see Gemini connected to the personal Google Account you intend to use.

Check your usage limits

Accounts without an AI plan use standard limits. Image requests consume more usage.

This check confirms that a current limit does not block your first graphic.

Select Settings at the bottom left.
Select Usage Limits.
Check the page for any message indicating that your current limit has been reached.

You should see usage information without a current limit-reached message.

That is your first green light. You can continue without an immediate quota surprise.

Is Your Limit Already Reached?

Pause the project without submitting an image prompt.
Follow the availability timing shown in Gemini.

Help me understand when I can continue.

Confirm the Images workspace

The Images area is the starting point for creating your graphic. Reaching it confirms image access without consuming a generation.

Select Open Sidebar.
Predict what Gemini will show before any image exists.
Select Images.
Leave the image prompt field empty.

You should see the image prompt area ready for your creative brief. No image prompt has been submitted.

Can't See the Image Prompt Area?

Confirm that you are signed in with a personal Google Account.
Check that you meet the image feature's age requirement of 18 or over.
Check that Gemini supports your country.
Check that Gemini supports your language.

Help me diagnose my missing image access.

You've cleared the access checks. Next, you'll turn your creative brief into a first-draft marketing graphic.

Generate a First-Draft Graphic

Your idea now has a business. It also has a promotion for a real audience.

A short creative brief gives Gemini a clear starting point. Its unanswered design decisions only become clear once you see the result.

In this step, get ready to:

Turn your existing idea into a focused image brief.
Submit one prompt to generate the first draft.
Inspect the visual choices Gemini made.

Shape the first-draft brief

An image prompt works like a compact creative brief. Each detail gives Gemini one job to handle in the graphic.

Use the business from your creative brief as the business name: your business name.
Describe that business with a short business type: your business type.
Turn the promotion from your brief into one clear offer: your offer.
Choose one product or service that makes the offer visible: your product or service.
Write a short headline that can fit comfortably in the graphic: your exact short headline.

What Does a Focused Brief Look Like?

For example, an invented coffee shop could use Harbor Bean as its name. Its offer could be a coffee-and-croissant morning offer.

The product could be coffee and a croissant. The headline could be MORNING SPECIAL.

Generate the first draft

This first prompt defines the campaign content. One generation gives you a visible starting point to evaluate.

Return to the Images prompt field from earlier.
Enter the completed prompt below in that field:

Create a square social media marketing graphic for a [[BUSINESS_TYPE="your business type"]] called “[[BUSINESS_NAME="your business name"]].” Promote [[OFFER="your offer"]]. Include the exact headline “[[HEADLINE="your exact short headline"]].” Show [[PRODUCT_OR_SERVICE="your product or service"]]. Do not add any other text.

What Does This Prompt Control?

The phrase square social media marketing graphic gives the image a clear layout goal.
The phrase Include the exact headline treats your wording as required content.
The phrase Do not add any other text keeps the message focused.

Before you submit, which visual decisions do you think Gemini will make without asking you? Your answer stays in your head until the result appears.

Select Submit below the prompt field.

Image generation can take a moment. The quiet wait means Gemini is building the draft.

Your first draft is now live. You have a real visual to assess.

You should see a square marketing graphic for your chosen business. The image should feature your offer.

It should show your product or service. It should also include your short headline.

No Image After Submitting?

Confirm that you entered the prompt in the Images area from earlier.
Wait for access to return if Gemini indicates a usage limit.

Help me troubleshoot why Gemini did not generate an image from my marketing graphic prompt.

Inspect Gemini's choices

Your prompt left the mood open. It also left the colour direction open.

Gemini filled both gaps with its own creative choices. This intended shortfall gives you a baseline for judging the first draft.

Before you inspect the details, which parts do you think Gemini followed most closely? The checks below put that expectation to the test.

Check whether the graphic represents your business name.
Check whether the graphic promotes your offer.
Check whether the image clearly shows your product or service.
Proofread the visible headline against your exact short headline.
Identify the mood communicated by the image.
Identify the main colours Gemini selected.
Keep the first draft unchanged in the current conversation.

You should now have one active Gemini conversation. It contains the submitted prompt plus one generated marketing graphic.

The graphic should show your chosen campaign content. Its mood and colours came from Gemini's interpretation of the open brief.

Why Is This Gap Useful?

Your brief deliberately left mood open. It also left colour open.

Gemini had to choose both. The draft now gives you a clear baseline for your next creative decision.

Your brief has become a real design. Next, you will take control of one visual decision while keeping the campaign anchored.

Direct the Mood

Your first graphic turned your campaign brief into something you can see. Its mood still reflects choices made by Gemini.

A single mood edit makes the design fit your audience more intentionally. You will apply that edit in the existing conversation so the campaign stays focused.

In this step, get ready to:

Continue from the first graphic in the same conversation.
Submit one mood-only follow-up prompt.
Compare the second graphic with the first version.

Continue from the first image

Conversational image editing uses the existing image as context for your next instruction. This connection helps Gemini preserve the design choices you want to keep.

Return to the first generated image in the Gemini conversation from earlier.
Select Chat beneath the generated image.

You should see a prompt field connected to the first graphic. Your next instruction now edits that concept.

Why Edit in the Same Conversation?

The existing conversation gives Gemini the first design as visual context. A fresh generation could change several creative decisions at once.

Keeping the edit connected makes the effect of one instruction easier to judge.

Choose one mood and submit it

A single-variable change isolates one design decision. Your follow-up protects the campaign details while changing only its emotional direction.

Choose one mood that suits your target audience from options such as warm and welcoming, energetic, calm, playful, or premium.
Record your selected mood here: your chosen mood.
Enter this follow-up instruction in the Chat prompt field:

Keep the business, product, composition, and exact wording the same. Change only the mood to [[MOOD="your chosen mood"]].

What Does This Prompt Control?

The first sentence protects the important campaign details from intentional changes.
The second sentence gives Gemini one clear visual decision to make.
Your selected mood provides the direction for lighting, atmosphere, styling, or expression.

Before you submit, which visual details do you expect to shift while the campaign details stay fixed? Hold that prediction in mind.

Select Submit to generate the mood-directed version.

Gemini should display a second marketing graphic that applies your selected mood while keeping the original campaign recognisable.

You now have a controlled second version based on one deliberate creative decision.

No Second Image?

Confirm that you selected Chat beneath the first generated image.
Check that the prompt field contains the complete mood instruction.
Return to Settings if image generation remains unavailable.
Check Usage Limits for a current limit message.

If the current limit has been reached, wait for access to refresh before trying again.

Help me troubleshoot why Gemini did not generate my mood-edited image.

Compare both versions

A useful comparison checks the requested mood shift separately from campaign accuracy. This reveals whether Gemini followed the targeted edit without losing important content.

Before you compare, do you expect every visual detail to stay fixed apart from the mood? Test that prediction against both versions.

Compare the two generated images in the same conversation.
Inspect the lighting in each version.
Inspect the atmosphere in each version.
Inspect the styling in each version.
Inspect expressions if people or characters appear.

What Counts as a Mood Shift?

A successful mood edit changes how the graphic feels to its audience. Evidence can appear through brighter lighting, softer styling, stronger contrast, or a different sense of energy.

Proofread every visible word in the second image.
Confirm that the business remains the same.
Confirm that the offer remains the same.
Confirm that the product or service remains the same.
Confirm that the composition remains recognisable.

The second image should communicate your chosen mood. The campaign details should remain consistent with the first version.

You have turned an automatic creative choice into a deliberate direction for your audience.

Your graphic now has an intentional mood. Next, you will fix the most important remaining issue and download the strongest version.

Make a Final Fix and Download

Your first two Gemini versions show how one mood change can reshape a design. This final pass turns the strongest direction into a downloadable marketing concept.

Generated promotional text can contain spelling errors. An accidental colour palette can also weaken the business identity.

In this step, get ready to:

Audit Version 2 for one highest-priority issue.
Create Version 3 with one targeted correction.
Download the strongest graphic as your final marketing concept.

Audit the second version

A useful final edit starts with quality control. Checking the design in a fixed order helps the most important problem stand out.

Return to Version 2 in the same Gemini conversation.
Check the headline against your exact requested wording.
Check whether the graphic still communicates the correct offer.
Check whether the product or service remains clear.
Judge whether the selected mood suits your target audience.
Check whether every important element is readable.

Incorrect headline text takes priority because published promotional words must be accurate. A correct headline leaves the colour palette as the final controlled refinement.

Choose the headline correction if any headline text is wrong.
Choose the palette correction if the headline is already exact.

Submit one final correction

A targeted edit changes one defined element while protecting the rest of the design. This keeps Version 3 useful because it tests one decision.

Choose the tab that matches your selected correction.

Fix the headline

Enter your exact requested wording here: your exact headline.
Prepare the headline-only correction by copying this prompt:

Keep everything else the same. Change only the headline text to exactly: “[[HEADLINE="your exact headline"]].” Do not add any other text.

Why this prompt stays focused

The first sentence locks the current design. The remaining instructions specify one text correction.

Before you submit, which single element should look different in Version 3?

Paste the prompt into the message field beneath Version 2.
Select Submit.

Gemini should display a third image with the exact requested headline. Version 3 should preserve the current business details and visual direction.

Your final generation now has a specific job. It tests whether one precise text instruction improves the graphic.

Did more than the headline change?

A targeted edit can still alter nearby visual details. Your final choice can come from any of the three versions.

Check whether Version 1 or Version 2 preserves the intended design more faithfully.

Ask for help with the comparison: Help me compare an edited marketing graphic with its earlier versions.

Set the colour palette

Enter your first chosen colour here: your first colour.
Enter your second chosen colour here: your second colour.
Prepare the palette-only correction by copying this prompt:

Keep everything else the same. Change only the colour palette to [[COLOUR_1="your first colour"]] and [[COLOUR_2="your second colour"]].

Why this prompt stays focused

The instruction preserves the current content. It gives Gemini one visual decision to update.

Before you submit, what should remain unchanged after the palette shifts?

Paste the prompt into the message field beneath Version 2.
Select Submit.

Gemini should display a third image using your two selected colours. Version 3 should preserve the current wording and campaign details.

Your final generation now tests one deliberate brand decision. The three versions give you a clear comparison.

Did other details change?

A palette edit can still influence nearby styling. Your final choice can come from any of the three versions.

Check whether Version 1 or Version 2 preserves the intended content more faithfully.

Ask for help with the comparison: Help me assess an unexpected change after a palette edit.

Compare the versions and download

A strong final graphic combines accurate content with a clear visual direction. Your last comparison decides which version meets that standard best.

Review all three versions in the same Gemini conversation.
Compare exact headline spelling across the three versions.
Compare offer accuracy across the three versions.
Compare product or service clarity across the three versions.
Compare the selected mood across the three versions.
Compare readability across the three versions.
Choose the strongest version.
Proofread every visible word in the selected version.

Human approval still matters

The downloaded image is a marketing concept. A person still needs to approve every visible word before publication.

Before you download, where do you expect your browser to show that the image file was saved?

Hover over the selected image.
Select Download full size.

Your browser should show that an image file has downloaded.

That closes the loop. Your strongest graphic is now saved to your computer as a marketing concept.

Can't find the download?

Look in the folder where your browser normally saves downloaded files.
Return to the selected image if the download did not complete.
Hover over the image again to reveal Download full size.

Ask for help locating the file: Help me find the marketing graphic I downloaded from Gemini.

Secret mission

Build a Reusable Campaign Template

Turn your successful three-image conversation into a reusable campaign template without generating another image. You will test the structure with a different business so the workflow is ready for future promotions.

Clean Up Your Resources

This project leaves no billable cloud resources running. Decide whether to keep your conversation and downloaded graphic, pause by closing the browser, or delete both entirely.

Resources you used:

One Gemini conversation containing three generated image versions and a reusable campaign template.
One downloaded marketing graphic on your computer.

Keep everything running

No action needed. Choose this option if you want to reuse the prompts or compare the three image versions later.

Leave the Gemini conversation in recent chats so its prompts, images, and reusable campaign template stay together.
Keep the downloaded marketing graphic on your computer for future review.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

Pausing leaves your saved work untouched until you return. There is no running process or billable resource to shut down.

Close the browser tab.
Return to gemini.google.com when you want to continue.
Select Open Sidebar if the side panel is hidden.
Select the saved conversation from the side panel.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Deleting the conversation is permanent, so choose this option only when you no longer need its prompts, images, or template.

The downloaded graphic stays on your computer until you delete that file separately.

Select Menu if the sidebar is hidden.
Hover over the Gemini conversation in the side panel.
Select More.
Select Delete.

The conversation is removed from recent chats. Its created content is also removed from Gemini Apps Activity.

Locate the downloaded marketing graphic with your computer's file manager.
Delete the downloaded marketing graphic from the location where your browser saved it.
Confirm that the marketing graphic no longer appears in that location.

Nice Work!

You did it! You turned a rough promotional idea into a proofread marketing concept using Gemini. Your downloaded graphic now shows how focused creative direction can improve an AI-generated design.

You've learned how to:

Turn a short creative brief into a marketing graphic that communicates a specific business promotion to its intended audience.
Refine an existing design through single-variable changes that direct the mood, headline, or colour palette without replacing the whole concept.
Apply visual quality control by checking the wording, offer, product, mood, readability, and strongest version before downloading the graphic.
Secret Mission: Build a reusable campaign prompt template with a filled example for a second business without spending another image generation.

Ready to quiz yourself?