Disclaimer: This is an independent creative test made with AI, for demonstration only. It isn't an ad for any brand shown or named, and isn't affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by them. All trademarks belong to their owners
Nano Banana Pro + Kling 3.0 - a crocodile hands over a green cap
A crocodile crawls into a white studio and hands a man his green cap, built from three stills
Tested by Nouamane Benbrahim
In today's "animal frames" series I did a test spot styled on Lacoste's look. A guy in a deep green blazer waits in a white studio, and a full-grown crocodile crawls in with his cap in its mouth. Lacoste isn't a client, this was just a test. It ended up being one of my best performing posts in the series, and I think it's because a crocodile handing you a cap makes zero sense in the best way.
Here's my exact process.
1. Make the room
I started with an empty white studio from a prompt alone: tall window on the left, long diagonal shadows, a pale concrete floor. Then I ran one more pass to make the floor white and keep everything else.
Exact prompt
Create a new photorealistic image. This is a photograph taken inside a minimalist white studio from the start — not a composite. Shoot the whole space natively, with a single unified natural light source across every surface. THE VIBE: Austere, hushed, expensive emptiness — the pared-back quiet-luxury minimalism of a high-fashion campaign set before anything is placed in it. The room feels intellectual and cool, precise but not sterile, where the quality of light and the fall of a shadow are the only events. Stillness and generous negative space. THE SETTING: A clean, modern white studio — a seamless matte-white cyclorama sweep curving gently from floor to wall with no visible seam, its surface carrying the faintest real texture and tonal variation so it reads as painted plaster, not a flat digital void. A polished pale microcement floor with a soft satin sheen, subtle and almost imperceptible reflections. One tall floor-to-ceiling window just out of frame to the left. Architectural, uncluttered, refined proportions. THE LIGHT: Soft directional daylight raking in low from the left through the unseen window, casting long, clean, elongated geometric shadows across the white sweep and floor — the crisp diagonal of a window frame and mullions stretched across the wall. Gentle falloff from bright highlight to soft grey shadow, smooth gradients, no harsh clipping. Cool-neutral white balance with the faintest warmth where the sun lands. THE KEY DETAILS: The natural window-cast shadows are the subject — long, soft-edged diagonal bars and a rectangle of light on the floor. Delicate dust motes suspended in the light shaft. Subtle tonal gradation across the seamless wall. THE MOOD: Editorial, muted, cold-clinical calm with a breath of warmth. Restrained luxury. A clean neutral grade, whites held just off pure white, soft grey shadows, nothing oversaturated. THE COMPOSITION: Wide architectural frame, eye level, straight-on and balanced. Vast negative space with the shadows placed on a rule-of-thirds diagonal as the leading lines; low emphasis, open airy upper frame. THE CAMERA: Cinematic editorial architectural still — wide framing, eye-level straight position, deep focus with everything sharp edge to edge, lit exclusively by the single window daylight source with no studio strobes and no artificial separation, a clean cool-neutral naturalistic grade in the vein of Roger Deakins' understated natural light. Light falls off gently toward the frame edges. Hyperreal, tactile, every surface present.
Exact prompt
Create a new photorealistic image, but the floor is now white. Preserve everything else from the reference exactly — the seamless matte-white cyclorama wall, the soft low directional daylight from the left, the long clean geometric window-cast shadows, the composition, framing, grade and mood all stay identical. THE FLOOR (CHANGED): The floor is now a clean matte white, continuous with the seamless white cyclorama sweep so wall and floor read as one unbroken white surface, no visible seam. A soft satin sheen with subtle, almost imperceptible reflections, the faintest real texture and tonal variation so it reads as painted plaster rather than a flat digital void — never pure clipped white. THE SETTING (LOCKED): The minimalist white studio, the seamless curving cyclorama, the tall floor-to-ceiling window just out of frame to the left. Do NOT redesign the environment. THE LIGHT (LOCKED): Soft directional daylight raking in low from the left, casting long, clean, elongated geometric window-frame and mullion shadows across the white sweep and now the white floor, with gentle falloff to soft grey and smooth gradients. Cool-neutral white balance with the faintest warmth where the sun lands. Delicate dust motes in the light shaft. THE MOOD (LOCKED): Editorial, muted, cold-clinical calm with a breath of warmth, restrained luxury, clean neutral grade, whites held just off pure white. THE COMPOSITION (LOCKED): Wide architectural frame, eye level, straight-on, vast negative space, the shadows on a rule-of-thirds diagonal as leading lines, open airy upper frame. THE CAMERA (LOCKED): Cinematic editorial architectural still, deep focus everything sharp edge to edge, lit exclusively by the single window daylight source, clean cool-neutral naturalistic grade, gentle edge falloff. Hyperreal and tactile.
2. Dress him in text
No product photos on this one. I wrote the whole look out: a tailored blazer in Lacoste's deep green, an oversized green and white striped piqué polo with a tiny tonal crocodile, cream trousers and white tennis sneakers.
One tip: ask for no big logos or brand text on the clothes. The model loves slapping a wordmark across a chest, and it never spells it right.
Exact prompt
Create a new photorealistic image. This is a photograph taken inside the same minimalist white studio from the start — not a composite. A man stands in the space dressed head-to-toe in Lacoste Fall/Winter 2026 sport-heritage style; rebuild the whole scene as if shot natively here, one unified natural light source across him and the room. THE VIBE: Austere, hushed, expensive minimalism meets elevated tennis-heritage cool — a high-fashion campaign frame. Fresh, sporty-refined, confident and relaxed. He is the single crisp event in a vast field of white negative space. IDENTITY LOCK: A man in his early thirties, tall with an athletic build. Warm medium-brown skin with a natural healthy sheen. Short cropped dark hair, neatly faded, with a well-groomed short stubble beard. Dark brown eyes, strong jawline, clean confident features. Calm, assured, easy expression. THE SUBJECT: He wears a cohesive head-to-toe Lacoste FW26 look — a tailored blazer in Lacoste's signature deep green, cut slightly relaxed, worn open over an oversized white-and-green horizontally striped long-sleeve piqué polo at generous dramatic scale, tucked loosely into sharply cut but relaxed cream off-white trousers, finished with clean white leather tennis sneakers. A small tonal embroidered crocodile emblem sits subtly at the chest of the polo; no large brand text or wordmarks anywhere on the clothing. He stands in a confident, easy editorial stance: weight on his right leg, left hand slipped casually into his trouser pocket, right arm relaxed at his side, shoulders squared and loose, chin level, gaze sent just off-camera to the left toward the light. Cool, self-assured, unhurried. THE FACE: Natural skin texture, no airbrushing, no plastic or waxy skin, real skin with subtle tonal variation, fine detail in the stubble, faint natural sheen. Eyes with a natural catchlight and individual lashes. Soft organic light. THE SETTING (LOCKED, from the reference): The clean modern white studio — the seamless matte-white cyclorama sweep curving unbroken into the continuous matte-white floor, wall and floor as one white surface with faint painted-plaster texture and a soft satin floor sheen, the tall window just out of frame to the left. Do NOT redesign the environment. THE LIGHT (LOCKED, from the reference): Soft directional daylight raking in low from the left through the unseen window, casting long, clean, elongated geometric window-frame and mullion shadows across the white floor. That same single source lights the man — soft key from his left, gentle falloff across the green blazer to soft shadow on his right, his own long soft-edged shadow cast to the right, aligned with the existing window shadows. Cool-neutral white balance with the faintest warmth where the sun lands; the deep green and cream glowing against the cool white. Delicate dust motes in the light shaft. THE MOOD: Editorial, muted, cold-clinical calm warmed by the rich Lacoste green and cream. Restrained sporty luxury, quiet confidence. Clean neutral grade, whites held just off pure white, deep saturated green, soft grey shadows. THE COMPOSITION: Wide architectural frame, eye level, straight-on. He stands off-centre on the left rule-of-thirds line, full length in frame with generous headroom and vast open white negative space filling the rest, the window shadows leading diagonally toward him. Airy, balanced, unhurried. THE CAMERA: Cinematic editorial fashion still — wide-to-medium framing, eye-level straight position, deep focus with subject and space sharp, lit exclusively by the single window daylight source with no studio strobes and no artificial rim separation, a clean cool-neutral naturalistic grade in the vein of Roger Deakins' understated natural light. Gentle light falloff toward the frame edges. Hyperreal, tactile, present.
3. Bring in the crocodile
This frame took two passes. In the first, I had him crouch down to the crocodile's level with the cap resting on his knee and one hand on its head. I also asked for the crocodile's shadow to fall the same way as his, so it doesn't look pasted in.
The second pass only changed the framing. I pulled the camera way back so they both sit small in the lower left with tons of white space, which matches the rest of the spot.
Exact prompt
Create a new photorealistic image. This is a photograph taken inside the same minimalist white studio — not a composite. The same man is crouched down petting a sleek crocodile that rests beside him, having just delivered him a green Lacoste cap, which he holds. Rebuild the whole scene natively in the space with one unified light source across the man, the crocodile, and the room. THE VIBE: Austere, hushed, expensive minimalism with a surreal, playful, sporty edge — a high-fashion Lacoste campaign frame. Fresh green-and-cream cool against an all-white void. The story reads instantly: his crocodile has brought him the cap. IDENTITY LOCK: Preserve the man exactly from the first reference — early thirties, athletic build, warm medium-brown skin, short cropped dark faded hair, well-groomed short stubble, strong jaw. He wears the identical head-to-toe Lacoste FW26 look: the deep Lacoste-green tailored blazer open over the oversized green-and-white striped long-sleeve piqué polo, relaxed cream off-white trousers, and clean white leather tennis sneakers, with the small tonal crocodile emblem at the chest. Do NOT source his face, hair, or outfit from anywhere else, and keep no large brand text or wordmarks on the garments. THE SUBJECT: He is crouched down low on the LEFT of the frame in a relaxed, athletic squat — balanced on the balls of his feet, one knee bent up, brought down to the crocodile's level, his body angled toward it on his right. His right hand (nearest the crocodile) rests gently on the crocodile's head mid-caress. His left hand holds a deep green Lacoste cap — a classic six-panel curved-brim cap with a small tonal crocodile emblem — resting on his knee as though just received. He looks toward the crocodile with a calm, warm, easy expression, a faint smile. Cool, grounded, effortless. THE FACE: Natural skin texture, no airbrushing, no plastic or waxy skin, subtle tonal variation, fine stubble detail, natural catchlight and individual lashes. Soft organic light. THE KEY DETAILS: The cap — a deep Lacoste-green six-panel baseball-style cap, curved brim, structured crown, a small subtle tonal crocodile emblem at the front, clean and crisp. Held in his left hand on his knee. THE CROCODILE: A full-grown sleek crocodile — rich olive-green scaly hide with realistic textured armored scales and a soft directional sheen catching the window light along its back, calm pale underjaw, low and long, resting on the white floor close beside him on the RIGHT of the frame, its long tail extending toward the right edge, head lifted slightly toward his hand as it is petted, composed and serene, mouth gently closed. It is photographed in the same studio under the same window daylight, casting its own long low soft-edged shadow to the right that matches the direction and softness of the man's shadow — fully grounded in the space, sharing his light, not pasted in. THE SETTING (LOCKED, from the first reference): The seamless matte-white cyclorama sweep curving unbroken into the continuous matte-white floor, faint painted-plaster texture, soft satin floor sheen, the tall window just out of frame to the left. Do NOT redesign the environment. THE LIGHT (LOCKED, from the first reference): Soft directional daylight raking in low from the LEFT, long clean window-frame and mullion shadows falling to the RIGHT across the white floor. One source lights man, crocodile and room; gentle falloff to soft grey; cool-neutral white balance with the faintest warmth where the sun lands; the green and cream glowing against the cool white. Delicate dust motes in the light shaft. THE MOOD: Editorial, muted, cold-clinical calm warmed by rich Lacoste green and cream, with a surreal playful edge. Restrained sporty luxury, quiet cool. Clean neutral grade, whites just off pure white, soft grey shadows. THE COMPOSITION: Wide architectural frame, eye level, straight-on. The man crouched low on the LEFT, the sleek crocodile stretched along the floor on the RIGHT, the two forming one grounded unified group across the lower third of the frame, the green cap as a small focal accent. Generous open white negative space above; the window shadows lead diagonally across. Balanced, airy, cinematic. THE CAMERA: Cinematic editorial fashion still — wide framing, eye-level straight position, deep focus with man, crocodile and space sharp, lit exclusively by the single window daylight source with no studio strobes and no artificial rim separation, a clean cool-neutral naturalistic grade in the vein of Roger Deakins' understated natural light. Gentle edge falloff. Hyperreal, tactile, present.
Exact prompt
Create a new photorealistic image. Preserve the man, the sleek olive-green crocodile, the green Lacoste cap, the outfit, the studio and the window lighting exactly from the first reference. The ONLY change is the FRAMING: pull the camera much further back into a wide architectural shot, so the scene is composed exactly like a full, wide studio establishing shot — the crouched man and the crocodile appear SMALLER within the frame, sitting low in the lower-left portion, surrounded by vast open white negative space above and to the right. Do NOT crop in tight. Show the full figures with plenty of empty white floor and wall around them. THE VIBE: Austere, hushed, expensive minimalism with a surreal, playful sporty edge — a wide high-fashion Lacoste campaign frame, tiny figures in a huge white void. The story still reads: his crocodile brought him the cap. IDENTITY LOCK: Preserve the man exactly from the first reference — early thirties, athletic build, warm medium-brown skin, short cropped dark faded hair, short stubble, strong jaw, in the identical head-to-toe Lacoste FW26 look: deep green tailored blazer open over the oversized green-and-white striped piqué polo, relaxed cream trousers, white tennis sneakers, small tonal crocodile chest emblem. Do NOT change his face, hair, or outfit, and keep no large brand text on the garments. THE SUBJECT: He stays in the same relaxed athletic crouch low on the LEFT, balanced on the balls of his feet, one knee bent up, angled toward the crocodile on his right, his right hand resting on the crocodile's head mid-caress, his left hand holding the deep green six-panel Lacoste cap on his knee as though just received, looking toward the crocodile with a calm warm expression. Just rendered smaller in the wider frame. THE CROCODILE (UNCHANGED except scale in frame): The same full-grown sleek crocodile — rich olive-green textured scaly hide with soft directional sheen, low and long, resting on the white floor on the RIGHT with its tail extending toward the right, head lifted slightly toward his hand, composed and serene, mouth closed. Casts its own long low soft-edged shadow to the right matching the man's shadow, fully grounded in the space. THE KEY DETAILS: The cap — a deep Lacoste-green six-panel curved-brim baseball cap with a small tonal crocodile emblem, crisp and clean, held on his knee. THE SETTING (LOCKED, from the first reference): The seamless matte-white cyclorama sweep curving unbroken into the continuous matte-white floor, faint painted-plaster texture, soft satin floor sheen, the tall window just out of frame to the left. Do NOT redesign the environment. THE LIGHT (LOCKED, from the first reference): Soft directional daylight raking in low from the LEFT, long clean window-frame and mullion shadows falling to the RIGHT across the white floor. One source lights man, crocodile and room; gentle falloff to soft grey; cool-neutral white balance with the faintest warmth; the green and cream glowing against the cool white. Delicate dust motes in the light shaft. THE MOOD: Editorial, muted, cold-clinical calm warmed by rich green and cream, surreal playful edge. Restrained sporty luxury. Clean neutral grade, whites just off pure white, soft grey shadows. THE COMPOSITION (THE KEY CHANGE): Wide architectural establishing frame, eye level, straight-on, matching a full wide studio shot. The crouched man and crocodile grouped small and low in the lower-left third of the frame; vast open white negative space filling the upper two-thirds and the right side; the window shadows leading diagonally across the empty floor toward them. Airy, expansive, cinematic — a wide shot, not a close-up. THE CAMERA: Cinematic editorial fashion still — WIDE framing pulled well back, eye-level straight position, deep focus with man, crocodile and the whole space sharp, lit exclusively by the single window daylight source with no studio strobes and no artificial rim separation, a clean cool-neutral naturalistic grade in the vein of Roger Deakins' understated natural light. Gentle edge falloff. Hyperreal, tactile, present.
4. Put the logo on the wall
Empty room again, this time with the Lacoste logo. I gave it a logo file as a second reference and asked for its exact colours: green crocodile, red mouth, black wordmark.
Exact prompt
Create a new photorealistic image — a minimalist luxury fashion-film end-card. Take the empty white studio scene from the first reference and place the Lacoste logo from the second reference onto it as a clean, crisp graphic title. THE VIBE: Austere, hushed, expensive minimalism — a high-fashion campaign sign-off frame. Vast white emptiness, one clean logo lockup, nothing else. Restrained, iconic, still. THE SETTING (from the first reference): The clean modern white studio — the seamless matte-white cyclorama sweep curving unbroken into the continuous matte-white floor, faint painted-plaster texture, soft satin floor sheen. Preserve it exactly. THE LOGO (from the second reference): The Lacoste logo lockup — the iconic green crocodile emblem (facing right, open jaw with a small red mouth accent, textured scaly back) above the bold black serif-less wordmark LACOSTE — reproduced in its EXACT original colours (deep green crocodile, red mouth, solid black LACOSTE wordmark), with the exact artwork, letterforms, spacing and proportions from the second reference, precise and legible with clean sharp edges. Perfectly level and horizontal, centred left-to-right, sitting in the clean upper-middle white space of the frame at an elegant restrained scale (roughly a third of the frame width), like a crisp printed campaign title laid over the scene. Do NOT distort, restyle, misspell, redraw, recolour, or add any other text or elements. THE LIGHT (from the first reference): Soft directional daylight raking in low from the left, long clean window-frame and mullion shadows falling to the right across the lower white floor. Cool-neutral white balance with the faintest warmth. Delicate dust motes in the light shaft. THE MOOD: Editorial, muted, cold-clinical calm with a breath of warmth. Restrained luxury. Clean neutral grade, whites held just off pure white; the logo in its true green, red and black. THE COMPOSITION: Wide frame, eye level, straight-on, symmetrical. The colour logo centred in the upper-middle white negative space; the soft window shadows across the lower floor as the only other element; generous open white all around. Balanced, airy, iconic. THE CAMERA: Cinematic editorial still — wide framing, eye-level straight position, deep focus everything sharp, lit exclusively by the single window daylight source, clean cool-neutral naturalistic grade. Gentle edge falloff. The logo itself is a flat crisp graphic, not lit or textured. Hyperreal, tactile studio; sharp clean logo.
5. Walk him in
Now the clips. The empty room is the first frame and his pose is the last. He strolls in from the right and slides his hand into his pocket when he lands.
Exact prompt
Create a new video where a man in a head-to-toe Lacoste look walks slowly and smoothly into an empty minimalist white studio from the right and settles into a confident, easy stance, lit throughout by soft daylight from the left. Cool, refined, unhurried, calm slow motion. [SCENE 1] THE STARTING FRAME: the empty white studio — seamless white wall-and-floor sweep, soft directional daylight raking from the left, long clean window-shadows across the floor. Video animates FROM this empty frame. Hold a calm beat — the setting static, light and shadows steady. [SCENE 2] The man enters smoothly from the right edge — deep green tailored blazer open over an oversized green-and-white striped piqué polo, relaxed cream trousers, white tennis sneakers — walking with a slow, confident, easy stride across the open white space, his long soft shadow gliding with him, aligned with the window light. [SCENE 3] He arrives off-centre on the left and eases naturally into a relaxed confident stance — weight settling onto his right leg, left hand sliding into his trouser pocket, right arm relaxed at his side, chin level, gaze drifting just off-camera to the left toward the light. [SCENE 4] He holds the stance, cool and still — a soft breath, the blazer settling, a few dust motes drifting through the light shaft. The frame is locked; no camera movement.
6. The hand-off
Here the crocodile comes in low with the cap in its mouth, and he drops into a crouch to take it. That crouch is what makes it work. With him standing, the cap would be down by his ankles and you'd barely see the hand-off.
Exact prompt
Create a new video where a sleek olive-green crocodile walks calmly into a wide minimalist white studio carrying a green Lacoste cap gently in its mouth and delivers it to a man in a Lacoste look, who crouches down, takes the cap and softly pets the crocodile. Soft daylight from the left throughout, cool and unhurried, calm slow motion, wide establishing framing held steady. [SCENE 1] THE STARTING FRAME: the man stands off-centre on the left in a relaxed confident stance — green blazer, cream trousers, left hand in his pocket, gaze off to the left. Video animates FROM this position. Hold a calm beat. The wide white studio and its window-shadows stay static. [SCENE 2] A sleek olive-green crocodile enters low and smooth from the right, holding a deep green Lacoste cap gently in its mouth, and moves calmly across the floor toward him, its long low shadow gliding with it, aligned with the window light. [SCENE 3] Noticing it, the man lowers himself into a relaxed athletic crouch, balancing on the balls of his feet, coming down to the crocodile's level as it settles beside him on his right. [SCENE 4] He reaches out unhurried and takes the green cap from the crocodile's mouth with his left hand, resting it on his knee. [SCENE 5] He lifts his right hand and gently pets the crocodile's head, looking toward it with a calm, warm, easy expression as it rests calmly beside him. The frame is locked and wide; no camera movement.
7. Exit and logo
He stands up, puts the cap on and walks off to the right with the crocodile crawling next to him. I asked for the logo to appear all at once instead of fading in.
Exact prompt
Create a new video where a man in a Lacoste look and a sleek olive-green crocodile move off together to the right across a wide white studio, and the Lacoste logo snaps on all at once as a flat title overlay, holding crisp and static like a clean edit. Soft daylight from the left throughout, cool and unhurried, wide establishing framing held steady. [SCENE 1] THE STARTING FRAME: the man is crouched low on the left petting the crocodile's head, a green Lacoste cap on his knee, the crocodile resting low on the right. Video animates FROM this position. Hold a calm beat. The wide white studio and window-shadows stay static. [SCENE 2] The man rises smoothly from the crouch to standing, settling the green cap onto his head, and turns toward the right. [SCENE 3] Together the man and the crocodile move off toward the RIGHT side of the frame — he walks slow and easy, the crocodile crawling low and smooth alongside him — their long soft shadows gliding with them as they head toward the frame edge. [SCENE 4] While they are still mid-motion heading right, the Lacoste logo — the green crocodile emblem above the black LACOSTE wordmark, in its true green, red and black colours — appears ALL AT ONCE in a single instant, snapping into place fully formed and centred over the frame as a flat crisp title graphic, NOT fading or dissolving in, and holds perfectly still and sharp as the pair finish moving out to the right, resolving to the clean white studio with the logo centred. The frame is locked and wide; no camera movement.
8. Stitch it together
I had Emero join the three clips into one video. Any editor works too.
Exact prompt
Combine the clips in order
Why it works
The crocodile does all the heavy lifting. A green outfit on its own is just a nice outfit. Put the brand's own logo animal next to it doing something it could never do, and people stop scrolling.
Your turn: look up the logo of a brand you like. If there's an animal in it, you've got your spot.
And if you'd rather skip the prompting, Emero writes the prompts for you and remembers your brand, at cost.
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