How do I send a base64-encoded image from Google Drive to Gemini?

Below is an example approach using Python to convert your downloaded image to Base64 and then send it to Gemini via its API. Note that Gemini accepts image content either as inline data (Base64 encoded) or via the File API. Make sure your image meets the requirements (e.g., a supported MIME type and proper orientation).

Step 1. Convert the Image to Base64

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import base64

def convert_image_to_base64(path, mime_type="image/jpeg"):
    # Read the image in binary mode
    with open(path, "rb") as image_file:
        encoded_bytes = base64.b64encode(image_file.read())
    # Decode to string
    encoded_str = encoded_bytes.decode("utf-8")
    # Return data URL style string if needed by the API (includes MIME type)
    return f"data:{mime_type};base64,{encoded_str}"

# Example usage:
image_path = "path/to/your/image.jpg"
base64_image = convert_image_to_base64(image_path)

Step 2. Prepare and Send the API Request

Assuming your Gemini API accepts inline Base64 data, you can include the encoded image in the JSON request payload. Here’s an example using the requests library:

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import requests

# Replace with the appropriate Gemini endpoint and API key if needed
gemini_api_url = "https://api.google.com/gemini/v1/process"  
headers = {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
}

payload = {
    "image": base64_image,
    # Include other request parameters, for example a text prompt
    "prompt": "Describe the content of this image."
}

response = requests.post(gemini_api_url, json=payload, headers=headers)

if response.ok:
    print("Success:", response.json())
else:
    print("Error:", response.status_code, response.text)

Best Practices

• Check MIME Type: Ensure you use the correct MIME type in the Base64 string. For example, if your image is in PNG format, change the MIME type to image/png.
• Image Orientation: Rotate your image to the correct orientation before converting.
• Size Handling: Remember that Gemini scales images — larger images are reduced to 3072x3072 and smaller ones up to 768x768. No processing improvements occur for higher resolutions.
• Using the File API: If your entire payload (files plus text) exceeds 20MB, consider using the Gemini File API to upload the image file instead of sending it inline.

This example should help you get your Base64 conversion and API call working as part of your automation workflow. Let me know if you need additional details specific to Gemini’s image processing nuances.