Model Garden vs. Vertex AI Studio: From Selection to Execution

When working with Generative AI on Google Cloud, you will rely on two primary components of Vertex AI: Model Garden and Vertex AI Studio. While closely related, they serve different purposes at distinct stages of development. Understanding how they complement each other is key to choosing the right models faster and moving efficiently toward production.

Model Garden: Discovery and Selection

Model Garden is a centralized hub for discovering, comparing, and selecting foundation models. It acts as a catalog where developers and architects can browse a wide variety of options:

• Google Models: Including the Gemini family.
• Open-source models such as Gemma or Llama.
• Partner Models: Built by third-party providers.

Model Garden helps you answer the question: “Which model should we use?” It allows you to explore capabilities (text, code, multimodal), compare models at a high level, and experiment before committing.

Pricing Note: Model Garden itself is not priced. You pay the standard usage pricing of the selected model, whether you access it through the Studio or via APIs.

Vertex AI Studio: Design and Iteration

Once a model is selected, you move to Vertex AI Studio. This is an interactive environment for designing, testing, and preparing your GenAI solutions for production. While the Garden is for selection, the Studio is for defining behavior.

In Vertex AI Studio, you can:

• Refine Prompt Design: Use a chat-based interface to iterate on prompts.
• Configure Parameters: Adjust settings like temperature and max tokens.
• Validate Outputs: Ensure the model behaves consistently with your system instructions.
• Export for Production: Generate the code snippets needed to integrate the model into your application.

The Core of the Studio: Prompt Design

A prompt is more than just a request; it is a structured input that includes questions, instructions, and contextual data, designed to elicit a high-quality response.

Prompt effectiveness is driven by two factors:

1. Content: Including clear objectives, specific constraints, and relevant context.
2. Structure: Using clear labeling and formatting to help the model parse the input correctly.

Best Practices for Vertex AI Studio:

• Give specific instructions and assign the model a clear role.
• Include "few-shot" examples to guide the output format.
• Use system instructions to set global rules.
• Break down complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps.
• Continuously evaluate outputs as you iterate on parameter values.

The Recommended Workflow

To work effectively on Google Cloud, follow this path:

1. Model Garden: Explore available models and select the best fit for your use case.
2. Vertex AI Studio: Design your prompts, configure model behavior, and validate the logic.
3. Optimize: Refine for quality and cost efficiency (token optimization) before deployment.

Final Thoughts

Model Garden helps you decide which model to use; Vertex AI Studio helps you define how that model behaves. Together, they provide a structured path from initial exploration to a production-ready solution.