Image Models Not Functioning To Their Full Potential (effects actions: Nano Banana, Open AI, VEO3, Fal, etc)

Bugs / Site Issues
1

Video Overview (with visuals) Here: Clips

Summary of Bug Report
When attempting to pass an image through Pickaxe actions to tools like ChatGPT or Nano Banana, the system does not actually pass the images through in a way that those platforms can interact with them.

Instead of editing the original image, those platforms will generate a new one that doesn’t maintain character or product consistency. This is because those platforms cannot work with an Image URL which is how Pickaxe is passing the images through the API. This produces results that are nothing close to what the user desires.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Try to pass any image through a Pickaxe action to something that would edit that image (chatgpt edit image, nano banana, fal, etc)

  2. Compare the result with doing the same request using a direct image upload on that platform itself

Expected Behavior

  • Pickaxe should pass the image data from the URL into the model so that edits preserve the original subject, product, or character.

  • Tools like ChatGPT or Nano Banana should “see” the linked image the same way they do when an image is uploaded directly.

Actual Behavior

  • The model does not pass through the linked image in a way that can be “read” by the other platforms.

  • this produces outputs that are “close” but doesn’t preserve subject/character consistency.

  • Nano Banana fails entirely when given just the link, as it can’t read external URLs

Use Case Impact
This issue is blocking several high-value workflows, especially in e-commerce and creative tools, where consistent edits are essential:

  • Lifestyle imagery for product brands (placing a product in different environments).

  • Consistent logo iterations.

  • Character and subject continuity across graphic design outputs.

  • Any photo editing capabilities

Without reliable link-based image handling, these use cases break.

Notes / Additional Context

  • Tested with both embedded actions and custom-built actions (20+ hours spent troubleshooting).

  • Reference the Nano Banana thread for more examples.

  • Nano Banana and VEO3 are currently trending tools with high user interest. Correct functionality here could significantly boost Pickaxe adoption.

Request

Please clarify whether this is a bug (image data not being passed along with URLs) or simply a limitation of the current Pickaxe wiring. If it’s a limitation, are there plans to support full image handling via URL in the near future or remove Actions that rely on it to avoid confusion?

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What is the team doing with the $3.8 million, if not providing solutions or workarounds (or even responses) to issues blocking high-value workflows, after a full business week?
The fundamental on this issue seems to be “We added Nano Banana” without actual understanding or review of what the unique value proposition of Nano Banana is.

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@kenlyle The seed round money just landed. Hiring, training, orienting new staff will take time. Pickaxe is still considered a startup that survived the first set of trials. It’s well on its way to breaking the ceiling of the next set of trials.

Just for contrast, direct Pickaxe competitors raised anywhere between $800K - $1M.

All the issues that are top priority for users will be fixed soon. Give it some time.

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Thanks. I hope you noted the points in my post.
In the absence of documentation, non-response through the only support channel to an issue that blocks a lot of functionalities doesn’t help. Partial implementations of leading edge tech like Nano Banana don’t either.

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Hi @kenlyle, I hear you, and I’m really sorry it feels like things are taking too long. Just to share a bit of context, every email to info@pickaxeproject.com is acknowledged within two business days, and most issues get resolved soon after. In rare cases, it takes additional time. Forum posts are also reviewed within a few days, as you’ll see from other threads.

Your success is our success. We have no incentive to delay or leave things unresolved…..it’s in everyone’s best interest to get you moving quickly. We’re a small team right now, but we’re growing fast, especially after our recent round of funding. That growth is helping us scale so we can serve the community even better.

We’re on it, and we’ll keep at it until this is sorted. Thanks for hanging in there with us, and it really means a lot. :slight_smile:

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@stephenbdiaz, Thanks for the clear documentation and for explaining it. I will escalate it to our engineering team.

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Hi, @stephenbdiaz
We’ve added image uploads and image links support to our Nano Banana action. Please, feel free to test it out now! Appreciate your patience

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There seems to be a bug with Nano Banana edits.

When multiple models (Replicate, Flux, Gemini/Nano Banana) generate images, the edit doesn’t apply to the image the user selects. Instead, Nano Banana always reuses its own generated image as the base (e.g., asking to edit Image B still edits Image C).

Expected: The edit should use the exact image/tag the user selects or uploads.
Actual: Only Nano Banana’s output is passed for editing, ignoring other models’ images.
Impact: This breaks the editing workflow and makes multi-model selection unusable.

Suggestion: Please make Nano Banana respect the selected image/tag or uploaded image when performing edits, and if a link has expired, prompt the user to re-upload.

Here’s the editing section logic I’m currently using

  1. Editing

When the user requests to edit an image, always ensure the correct base image is sent to Nano Banana along with the user’s edit instructions.

Image Tagging Rules

Assign each generated image a sequential letter tag, starting from A through Z (e.g., Image A, Image B, Image C).

Display the tag clearly next to each generated image.

Users may refer to an image either by its letter tag (e.g., “Image B”) or by pasting/uploading the image link.

Image Selection Rules

If the user specifies a letter tag (A–Z), automatically select the corresponding image and use it as the base image for editing.

If the user pastes or uploads an image, always use that image as the base for editing.

If the user refers back to a previous image by sharing its link or tag, use that image as the base.

If the stored image link has expired or is broken, politely ask the user to re-upload or paste the image again before proceeding.

Always show this fallback message:
“This image link has expired. Please re-upload it or choose from your saved history to continue.”

Editing Rules

Always pass both the selected base image and the user’s edit prompt to Nano Banana.

Always treat the first generated version of an image (A, B, C, etc.) as the permanent base.

When the user requests an edit, apply the changes to that exact base image, not a regenerated version.

If the user says “keep the first Image and only modify a specific element”, ensure only that change is applied, preserving the rest of the original.

Each new edit must be applied sequentially to the most recent generated image, unless the user specifies “original version”.

Never regenerate from scratch unless explicitly requested by the user.

After each edit, return the updated image link with its tag and ask if further refinements are needed.

Always store the most recent generated/edit image locally (not just a signed URL), so future edits don’t fail from expired links.

Exact-Tag Base Selection & Edit Execution

When the user says “Edit Image ” (e.g., “Remove chairs from Image C”), parse the tag and map it to session.images.

Use session.images.original_url as the default base unless the user says “edit latest” or “use newest version”.

Do NOT regenerate a new image; use Nano Banana’s inpainting/edit endpoint with the base image and localized mask (if applicable).

Always display confirmation before sending the edit:
“Editing Image C — Gemini (original): [thumbnail] [url]”

Negative Prompt & API Error Handling

Do NOT include negative_prompt in Nano Banana’s edit/inpaint call unless explicitly required by the API.

If the API error mentions negative_prompt, retry once without negative_prompt.

If it still fails or regenerates instead of editing, stop and show:
“I attempted to edit Image but the edit failed or regenerated the image. Please re-upload the image, or confirm if you want a full regeneration.”

Retry Limits & Safeguard

Maximum 2 retries per edit.

If both fail, return:
“Edit attempt failed twice. Please re-upload Image or select another image to continue.”

Session State Updates

After a successful edit:

session.images.latest_url = <new_edited_url>

Append the new version to session.history.

When returning, display:
“Edited Image (based on original Image ): [link]”

Tags remain consistent () or get incremental sub-tags (C1, C2) if versioning is enabled.

Disambiguation Rule

If the tag is missing, duplicated, or the stored original expired, never guess.

Instead ask:
“I can’t find a valid original for Image . Please re-upload the image, paste the link, or choose from your saved history.”

Could you please confirm if this approach is correct for handling edits, or if Nano Banana expects a different flow?

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Yup I’ve noticed the same issue. I’m sure the pickaxe team will be able to resolve this at some point but hopefully it’s soon. Having this feature could unlock so many possibilities. Thanks for reminding them again, I’ve seen similar posts a few times. This should be a pretty high priority as far as functionality goes. They have built such a great product so far I really love Pickaxe.

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Hey @artsiom check this out :eyes:

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Same issue here. Although part of wonders if all that ends up passing to the LLM is a text description of the image.

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Thanks @Ned.Malki I hope you noted the points in my post.

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Hey @_abdul_samad_44 I hear you, but you have to tag support for such issues. Try @abhi-support or @lindsay_support or @danny_support

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Thanks, Ned. But maybe the issue is some kind of real ticketing system, or some kind of commitment from the team after 21 days, a fine bug report, and corroboration from multiple users?

Users shouldn’t have to know the usernames of specific Pickaxe personnel…The support process shouldn’t be played like an MMORPG, where users have to navigate a complex quest just to get help, tagging specific employees as if they’re summoning NPCs for a mission.
@abhi-support or @lindsay_support or @danny_support

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@kenlyle I can only try to alert the Pickaxe team of when an urgent issue pops up in the community. I’m not a direct member of the Pickaxe team. Rather, an accredited 3rd party expert and community member.

The main email address where you can get support quickly is info@pickaxeproject.com

Hope that helps.

-Ned

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I know that, @Ned.Malki , and THANKS!
My comments stand, not so much for you, but I guess more @admin_mike and @nathaniel
That is why I posted How Userback Uses Userback

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Hi everyone - we appreciate you all commenting here on this issue. While it’s true that the fastest way to hear back from us is email, we do check this forum frequently, and I apologize for not leaning in sooner. We have been working hard behind the scenes to address these image generation issues. We’ve made some fixes during this time (thank you @artsiom!) but I understand that there are ongoing problems. Thank you for your patience! We have pushed some new changes in the last day or so - would you folks mind checking to see if these issues are persisting?

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Thanks, @lindsay_support . As of hours ago, chatting with _abdul_samad_44 we still have the issue he explained, but do have a single and exclusively Nano Banana workflow working well. As I noted elsewhere, NB does sometimes ignore prompts, but that is more likely a NB issue.

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Hey Lindsay it seems like I am able to edit an image that was generated with Nano Banana great, but it will not edit an image that I take or upload. This really inhibits Nano Bananas capability. Hopefully we can get this up and running. I believe in you guys!

Working: Generate an image of a dog > make the dog bigger with a hat

Not Working: I take a picture of a dog > make the dog bigger with a hat

Does anyone have a workaround for this? Any insights would be great! Thanks guys!

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Hi @motheraigaia the issues with image editing (including with NB) should definitely have been resolved right now - would you mind sending some information (Pickaxe name) and documentation (video of issues) to info@pickaxeproject.com?