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Imagen 4 Fast

Google · Imagen

Google's lower-latency Imagen 4 tier, now scheduled for API endpoint shutdown.

Part of Imagen family · Other versions: Imagen 4
Type
image
Context
N/A
Max Output
N/A
Status
deprecated
API Access
Yes
License
proprietary
image-generation google gemini-api fast-tier creative deprecated
Released June 2025 · Updated June 8, 2026

Overview

Freshness note: Model capabilities, limits, lifecycle dates, and availability can change quickly. This profile is a point-in-time snapshot last verified on June 8, 2026.

Imagen 4 Fast is Google’s speed-oriented Imagen 4 tier, positioned for workloads where generation latency and cost matter more than absolute top-end image fidelity. It remains documented in the Gemini API, but Google’s deprecation table lists imagen-4.0-fast-generate-001 with a June 24, 2026 shutdown date.

Capabilities

The model supports text-to-image generation for high-volume creative pipelines, experimentation loops, and product scenarios needing shorter turnaround time per render. That capability is still useful for compatibility testing, but new high-volume Google image workflows should plan around Nano Banana 2 instead.

Technical Details

Imagen 4 Fast is image-native. Token context and max-output metrics are not the primary constraints and are represented as 0 in this repository for N/A display semantics.

Current API ID: imagen-4.0-fast-generate-001. Google’s model page lists text input, image output, a 480-token text input limit, and 1 to 4 output images across Imagen 4 Ultra, Standard, and Fast.

Pricing & Access

Google’s current Gemini API pricing lists Imagen 4 Fast at $0.02 per image. The published shutdown date is June 24, 2026, so do not commit new production workloads to this route without an explicit migration plan.

Best Use Cases

Best for maintaining or migrating existing rapid concept iteration workflows. For new fast image-generation work in Google’s stack, Nano Banana 2 is the better default route.

Comparisons

Compared with Imagen 4 Standard/Ultra, Fast is the lower-cost, lower-latency Imagen route. Compared with Nano Banana 2, it is now a deprecated compatibility path. Compared with grok-imagine-image-1212, decisions usually hinge on provider ecosystem fit, output style, and lifecycle risk.