Image Generation Skill

Generate and edit website images using Gemini Native Image Generation.

⚠️ Critical: SDK Migration Required

IMPORTANT: The @google/generative-ai package is deprecated as of November 30, 2025. All new projects must use @google/genai.

Migration Required:

// ❌ OLD (deprecated, support ended Nov 30, 2025)
import { GoogleGenerativeAI } from "@google/generative-ai";
const genAI = new GoogleGenerativeAI(API_KEY);

// ✅ NEW (required)
import { GoogleGenAI } from "@google/genai";
const ai = new GoogleGenAI({ apiKey: API_KEY });

Source: GitHub Repository Migration Notice

Models

Deprecated Models (do not use):

• gemini-2.0-flash-exp-image-generation - Shut down Nov 11, 2025
• gemini-2.0-flash-preview-image-generation - Shut down Nov 11, 2025
• gemini-2.5-flash-image-preview - Scheduled shutdown Jan 15, 2026

Source: Google AI Changelog

Capabilities

Note: Exceeding 5 human reference images causes unpredictable character consistency. Keep human images ≤ 5 for reliable results.

Aspect Ratios

1:1   | 2:3  | 3:2  | 3:4  | 4:3
4:5   | 5:4  | 9:16 | 16:9 | 21:9

Resolutions (Pro only)

Quick Start

import { GoogleGenAI } from "@google/genai";

const ai = new GoogleGenAI({ apiKey: process.env.GEMINI_API_KEY });

// Generate new image
const response = await ai.models.generateContent({
  model: "gemini-2.5-flash-image",
  contents: "A professional plumber in hi-vis working in modern Australian home",
  config: {
    responseModalities: ["TEXT", "IMAGE"],  // BOTH required - cannot use ["IMAGE"] alone
    imageGenerationConfig: {
      aspectRatio: "16:9",
    },
  },
});

// Extract image
for (const part of response.candidates[0].content.parts) {
  if (part.inlineData) {
    const buffer = Buffer.from(part.inlineData.data, "base64");
    fs.writeFileSync("hero.png", buffer);
  }
}

Important: responseModalities must include both ["TEXT", "IMAGE"]. Using ["IMAGE"] alone may fail or produce unexpected results.

Model Selection

Text Rendering Benchmarks (4K resolution):

• Gemini 3 Pro Image: 94% legible text
• DALL-E 3: 78% legible text
• Midjourney: Decorative pseudo-text only

When to Use

Use Gemini Image Gen when:

• Stock photos don't fit brand/context
• Need Australian-specific imagery
• Need text in images (infographics, diagrams)
• Need consistent style across multiple images
• Need to edit/modify existing images
• Client has no photos of their work

Don't use when:

• Client has good photos of actual work
• Real team photos needed (discuss first)
• Product shots (use real products)
• Legal/compliance concerns

Known Issues Prevention

This skill prevents 5 documented issues:

Issue #1: Resolution Parameter Case Sensitivity

Error: Request fails with invalid parameter error Source: Google AI Image Generation Docs Why It Happens: Resolution values are case-sensitive and must use uppercase 'K'. Prevention: Always use "4K", "2K", "1K" - never lowercase "4k".

// ❌ WRONG - causes request failure
config: { imageGenerationConfig: { resolution: "4k" } }

// ✅ CORRECT - uppercase required
config: { imageGenerationConfig: { resolution: "4K" } }

Issue #2: Aspect Ratio May Be Ignored (Sept 2025+)

Error: Returns 1:1 square image despite requesting 16:9 or other ratios Source: Google Support Thread Why It Happens: Backend update in September 2025 affected Gemini 2.5 Flash Image model's aspect ratio handling. Prevention: Use Gemini 3 Pro Image Preview for reliable aspect ratio control, or generate 1:1 and use multi-turn editing to extend.

// May ignore aspectRatio on Gemini 2.5 Flash Image
model: "gemini-2.5-flash-image",
config: { imageGenerationConfig: { aspectRatio: "16:9" } }

// More reliable for aspect ratio control
model: "gemini-3-pro-image-preview",
config: { imageGenerationConfig: { aspectRatio: "16:9" } }

Status: Google confirmed working on fix (Sept 2025).

Issue #3: Exceeding 5 Human Reference Images

Error: Unpredictable character consistency in generated images Source: Google AI Image Generation Docs Why It Happens: Gemini 3 Pro Image supports up to 14 reference images total, but only 5 can be human images for character consistency. Prevention: Limit human images to 5 or fewer. Use remaining slots (up to 14 total) for objects/scenes.

// ❌ WRONG - 7 human images exceeds limit
const humanImages = [img1, img2, img3, img4, img5, img6, img7];
const prompt = [
  { text: "Generate consistent characters" },
  ...humanImages.map(img => ({ inlineData: { data: img, mimeType: "image/png" }})),
];

// ✅ CORRECT - max 5 human images
const humanImages = images.slice(0, 5);  // Limit to 5
const objectImages = images.slice(5, 14);  // Up to 9 more for objects
const prompt = [
  { text: "Generate consistent characters" },
  ...humanImages.map(img => ({ inlineData: { data: img, mimeType: "image/png" }})),
  ...objectImages.map(img => ({ inlineData: { data: img, mimeType: "image/png" }})),
];

Issue #4: SynthID Watermark Cannot Be Disabled

Error: N/A (documented limitation) Source: Google AI Image Generation Docs Why It Happens: All generated images automatically include a SynthID watermark for content authenticity tracking. Prevention: Be aware of this limitation for commercial use cases. Watermark cannot be disabled by developers.

Issue #5: Google Search Grounding Excludes Image Results

Error: Generated images don't reflect visual search results, only text Source: Google AI Image Generation Docs Why It Happens: When using Google Search tool with image generation, "image-based search results are not passed to the generation model." Prevention: Only text-based search results inform the visual output. Don't expect the model to reference images from search results.

// Google Search tool enabled
const response = await ai.models.generateContent({
  model: "gemini-3-pro-image-preview",
  contents: "Generate image of latest iPhone design",
  tools: [{ googleSearch: {} }],
  config: { responseModalities: 
how to use image-gen
CursorClaude CodeClineCodexWindsurfGooseGitHub CopilotVS CodeGemini CLIKiloOpencodeKimi CLIRoo ClineAiderContinueZedBolt.newLovablev0Replit AgentSweepSmol DeveloperDevinCavemanAmpAntigravity
How to use image-gen on Cursor
AI-first code editor with Composer
1
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add image-gen
2
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
$npx skills add https://github.com/jezweb/claude-skills --skill image-gencopy
The skills CLI fetches image-gen from GitHub repository jezweb/claude-skills and configures it for Cursor.
3
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│   • Amp
│   • Antigravity
│   • Cline
│   • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│   • Cursor
│   • Windsurf
4
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
.cursor/skills/image-gen
Reload or restart Cursor to activate image-gen. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /image-gen) or your agent's skill management interface.
⚠
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
Additional Resources
›View source code on GitHub›Skills CLI documentation›Learn more about Cursor›What are agent skills?