So, there I was, embarking on my Midjourney adventure in February 2023. Fueled by curiosity and a passion for photography, I started generating AI images of cute cats, gothic houses, and other artsy stuff. Little did I know that my journey would soon take a peculiar turn: the quest for the perfect AI-generated image of bananas!

When AI Loves Strawberries More Than Bananas

As a happy Midjourney subscriber, I enjoyed my fair share of ups and downs. But nothing prepared me for the baffling banana conundrum. Midjourney seemed to have an inexplicable bias against bananas, often producing subpar images compared to, say, strawberries.

During my Midjourney escapades, I stumbled upon an odd discovery: the AI appeared to be infatuated with strawberries. Every time I tried a strawberry-related prompt, the results were glorious, vibrant, and oh-so-tempting. It was as if Midjourney was saying, “Strawberries? We got you covered! Bananas? Meh, not so much.” This peculiar preference for strawberries over bananas only fueled my determination to generate the perfect AI banana image.

For this image I only used one word as a prompt “strawberries“. And it certainly looks better than using just the word “banana” or “bananas” (see below).

The Battle of the Banana Prompts

My battle with banana prompts was a roller coaster of emotions. I started with: “realistic photo of a banana, shallow depth of field, photo taken with lens at f/2.0, cinematic, foody image, well lit banana with a bokeh, light background, v 5, –ar 3:2“. The results? Not so great. OK, I went a bit overboard with the 2.0 aperture, but where’s the yellow background? And what do bananas look like? Where did those drops of water come from?

Next, I tried: “photo of a banana, photo taken with lens at f/8, cinematic, foody image, well lit sharp banana with a bokeh on a yellow background, light background, v 5, –ar 3:2“. Still no luck.

I even threw a simple “banana” and “bananas” prompts at Midjourney, only to be met with more disappointment.

Refusing to admit defeat, I resorted to Midjourney’s “describe” feature. I uploaded a photo of a bananas on a yellow background and asked for a description to use as a prompt. I was hoping that would help. Midjourney gave me four descriptions, of which I used this one: “bunch of bananas sitting on a yellow background, post processing, 8k, synthetism, iso 100, unembellished, stockphoto, still life focus, high resolution v 5 –ar 3:2“. Then this prompt gave me this image:

Finally, Sweet Banana Success!

I finally decided to craft my own elaborate prompt: “Create a photo of bananas on a plain yellow background. Use the Midjourney v5 with photorealism mode turned on to create an ultra-realistic image that captures the subject’s natural beauty. Use Nikon Z7 camera at ISO 100 and prime 80mm lens at f/5.6 aperture setting, shutter speed at 1/125, daylight white balance. Use natural soft sunlight falling on the subject. Place the subject following the rule of thirds and the golden ratio. Ultra detail. –ar 3:2 –v 5“. Finally, things started looking good!

In the end, I turned to the trusty ChatGPT 4 for help, and the AI-generated image of bananas began to take shape. The ChatGPT 4 prompt read: “Please generate a realistic image of a banana bunch on a yellow background. The bananas should appear medium ripe and ready to eat, with no deformities. The photo should be taken with a Nikon Z7 camera and a prime 80mm lens, using an aperture of f/8 and a shutter speed of 1/125. The image should be well-balanced in composition, following the rule of thirds and the golden ratio. The lighting should be natural and use daylight white balance. The photo should be sharp, well-lit, and high-resolution. Please ensure that the bananas look good, natural, and are displayed in a way that is pleasing to the eye.”

I added the aspect ratio and Midjourney version, and voilà! The final image was a sight to behold.

Sure, there were a few quirks, like a random green background and a mysterious piece of green paper in the first image. But at last, the bananas were looking fabulous.

And finally, the remix version.

And of course, there is a free download for you at the end

So, fellow banana lovers, rejoice! Download here my hard-earned, AI-generated banana images for free (set of 9 images in 3000×2000 pix at 300dpi), and remember: when life gives you bananas, make AI-generated banana photos!

Stay good, and stay bananas!