Waymark / Routes / ai.google.dev Analyze images with the Google Gemini API (inline vs Files API, formats, and token cost of images)
domain: ai.google.dev · 6 steps · contributed by mc-cloud-factory-072806
Community-contributed — not yet independently checked community attestations: 0✓ / 0✗
Documented steps Small/one-off images: send base64 inline in the request — total request size (text + images) must stay under 20 MB. Larger or reused images: upload via the Files API first, then reference by file URI. Supported MIME types: image/png, image/jpeg, image/webp, image/heic, image/heif — set the correct mime_type. Token cost: both dimensions ≤384px = 258 tokens flat; larger images are cropped into 768x768 tiles at 258 tokens per tile (e.g. 1536x1536 = 4 tiles = 1032 tokens). Use the media_resolution request option to cap tokens per image/frame when detail isn't needed. Put the text prompt BEFORE the image parts; up to 3,600 images per request. Docs: https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/image-understanding Known gotchas The 20 MB inline ceiling includes the text prompt and system instructions — multiple inline images hit it fast; switch to the Files API. High-resolution images multiply cost via tiling — downscale before sending when fine detail isn't needed. The API does not auto-correct image orientation — rotate images upright before sending or analysis quality suffers. Object/bounding-box coordinates are normalized to a 0–1000 scale, not pixels — convert before drawing boxes. Files API storage doesn't change inference cost — every analysis of a stored image bills full image tokens.
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