If you use AI-generated images, then you’ve heard that Google DeepMind just launched their latest AI image model, Imagen 4. But, is it really worth all the hype? I was eager to find out!
Unveiled at Google I/O 2025, this new AI model is developed to generate richer and more detailed imagery with even greater clarity and speed than its predecessor, Imagen 3.
Google also claimed that it can realistically render nuanced color, as well as intricate details and textures like fabrics, animal fur, or even water droplets.
In this sense, the AI image model can excel at photorealism and abstract styles. Besides that, Imagen 4 is also designed to offer better spelling and typography.
This means I can use it to create all sorts of text-heavy images like posters, comics, slides, invitations, etc.
Imagen 4 is also set to offer enhanced prompt adherence, provide access to a wider range of aspect ratios, and produce images of up to 2K resolution.
Given the number of improvements Imagen 4 offers, it seems Google DeepMind is pushing for a new level of creative control and quality.
My Journey with Imagen 4
But the question remains: How does Imagen 4 hold up when placed in the hands of regular users? I was curious to find out, so I opted to carry out a test of my own.
Right off the bat, I wanted to start with something simple. So, I requested the Imagen 4 model to generate a scene of a military base with soldiers preparing for war.
Unfortunately, the generated output was subpar. While Imagen 4 did manage to create a relatively good render of a militaristic scene, it failed to capture key character details.
To be specific, their faces just looked sort of mushed and mangled. There’s very little effort placed on rendering proper and unique facial features on each of the characters in the scene.
It seems the AI model was primed on creating the environment as a whole, but ignored the small aspects that would have further emphasized the image’s realism.
In this test, I’d give Imagen 4 a resounding 5/10.
Since that attempt was a bust, I decided to try out something simpler instead. I requested Imagen 4 to create an image of a lady by the river using a fish-eye lens.
I wanted to see if it would perform better with one subject rather than a multi-character scene. But even with this change, the result was still slightly disappointing.
The AI model rendered an unusual image of a lady with three hands! I’m not sure why that happened, but it’s clear that Imagen 4 is struggling a little with consistent prompt adherence.
If anything, it seems even less effective than Imagen 3. I’ll admit the level of image quality and detail in this scene is good, so that’s something.
But even with just a specific subject to work on, Imagen 4 still failed to render a realistic depiction that could be used.
And based on other user impressions, it seems I’m not the only one struggling to get the prompting style to work on this AI image model.
For this test, I’d give Imagen 4 a 3/10.
To further emphasize my point, I tried out the same prompt on Imagen 3, and this was the result below. As you can see, Imagen 4 has undoubtedly fallen backward to its predecessor when it comes to following instructions accurately and rendering proper imagery.
For my final test, I decided to use an even more detailed prompt. Here is what I entered: "A futuristic, dark-colored vehicle, reminiscent of a hovercraft or armored vehicle, is depicted in mid-air, positioned above a city skyline at night. The vehicle is sleek and angular, with large, off-road tires and multiple red lights along its back. Rain streaks are visible on its surface, and it appears to be in motion, possibly flying or hovering. The city is illuminated by vibrant neon lights, predominantly pink and red, creating a vivid contrast against the dark vehicle. The urban setting shows illuminated buildings and a bridge in the background, suggesting a nighttime cityscape. The perspective is slightly low, as if viewed from below the vehicle, enhancing the sense of speed and agility. The composition focuses on the vehicle, placing it centrally in the frame, with the cityscape providing a backdrop. The vehicle's orientation is looking forward, and the colors are bold, with a cool palette of dark blacks, greys and contrasting bright neon hues. A sense of energy and dynamism is prevalent in the image. The style is modern, stylized, and reminiscent of a video game scene or futuristic action film, with a significant focus on detailed lighting, rain, and visual effects. The overall atmosphere is gritty, intense, and fast-paced, conveying a sense of urban adventure."
And below is what it generated:
In this test, I was thoroughly impressed. Imagen 4 managed to capture almost every key detail with impeccable accuracy to create a stunning image that looks straight out of a video game.
The level of detail on the car, the fluorescent cityscape lighting, and even the feeling of urgency in the scene… all of this was rendered explicably well.
I’ll confess Imagen 4 caught me off guard with this one! I can’t deny that it did a fantastic job on this. It seems the AI model’s prompting style may perform better with more detailed instructions.
Also, looking at Google DeepMind’s Imagen 4 samples on its website, it seems that using long and specific instructions may be the only option to get the most out of this AI model.
This time around, I’d award Imagen 4 a 9/10 in performance. Very well handled.
Since this latest image output was good, I was now a little on the fence! Naturally, I decided to carry out one more test before I made up my mind about Imagen 4’s capabilities.
In this final test, I wanted to see how the AI image model fares at typography. So, I asked for a unique, retro-style promotional movie poster about sharks with a bold title design.
For this request, Imagen 4 managed to create an eye-catching poster with bold fonts in vibrant colors. But, Imagen 4 failed to render the poster text completely, which was frustrating to see.
It essentially presented me with an incomplete image, so it’s not really usable. But apart from that, I must confess that the poster design was not too bad.
If anything, Imagen 4 rendered the retro art style well and produced something that looks cool and exciting. Once again, this was a test with mixed results. Frankly, I would rate it at a 6.5/10.
Overall, I believe that Imagen 4 could use a bit more work. It may have new enhancements over its predecessor, but it still seems a bit sloppy, especially when it comes to complex scenes.
Besides that, it could also use an improvement in its creative design. While the image quality is undeniable, Imagen 4 seems a little shackled in its imagination.
Also, the new prompting style Imagen 4 seems to be less flexible and intuitive. For the everyday user, this will likely cause some level of frustration in trying to get the right result.
Need Something Better Than Imagen 4? Try Out Pollo AI!
Given that Imagen 4 still has a few kinks to fix, the next best choice in the current market that I would highly recommend using is Pollo AI.
This is an all-in-one image and video generation platform that comes integrated with several top-class AI generation models that cater to almost any visual style.
You can access AI image models like Imagen, GPT-4o, Recraft, Stable Diffusion, and Flux. Pollo AI also offers AI video models such as Kling AI, PixVerse AI, Luma AI, Hailuo AI, and Runway.
With all these options in one place, you can freely switch between them to generate all kinds of unique and imaginative outputs.
But it doesn’t just end there! Ever wanted to customize existing images and videos without needing professional editing skills?
With Pollo AI, you will get access to dozens of AI effects, templates, and tools that can help you transform any visual media into all sorts of entertaining outputs.
The best part? You can go try out Pollo AI’s vast capabilities now without having to pay anything via its free trial plan!
Conclusion
Imagen 4 is an intriguing AI image model that comes with all new bells and whistles but it is still a work in progress, at least from a user standpoint. Until it becomes a more refined product, I suggest choosing a more consistent, creative, and reliable AI tool to help generate your images. And based on my personal experience, you just can’t go wrong with Pollo AI!