# GPT Image 2.6

> Source: https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/gpt_image_2_6
> Updated: 2026-11-05
> Categories: AI Models, Generative AI, Image Generation, OpenAI
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> Cite as: AI Wiki. "GPT Image 2.6." aiwiki.ai, 5 Nov 2026. https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/gpt_image_2_6
> From AI Wiki (https://aiwiki.ai), the free encyclopedia of artificial intelligence. Reuse freely with attribution.

**GPT Image 2.6** is [OpenAI](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/openai)'s image-generation and editing model family, announced on November 4, 2026. The release appears in [ChatGPT](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/chatgpt) as **ChatGPT Images 2.6** and in the [OpenAI API](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/openai_api) as **GPT-Image-2.6 Flare** and **GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst**. It follows [GPT Image 2.5](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/gpt_image_2_5), with faster generation, revised editing behavior, animated GIF output and additional controls for developers.[1][2][3]

The API models take text and images as input and produce images. Their documented endpoints are image generation and image editing; their model pages do not list audio, video, fine-tuning, Batch or direct Responses API support. A looping GIF is an image output feature, not support for the Videos API.[2][3]

## Release and model variants

OpenAI announced Images 2.6 for ChatGPT, [Codex](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/openai_codex) and the API. Its launch article described availability across subscription tiers, while the Help Center distinguished general image access from the paid-plan availability of Images with thinking and described GIF creation as a rollout.[1][4]

| Name | API identifier | Documented emphasis |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GPT-Image-2.6 Flare | `gpt-image-2.6-flare` | Faster iteration and interactive generation or editing |
| GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst | `gpt-image-2.6-sunburst` | Detailed compositions and editing work requiring greater precision |
| ChatGPT Images 2.6 | Product feature rather than an API model identifier | Conversational creation, editing, GIFs and saved reference photos |

OpenAI describes Flare as the smaller model and Sunburst as the base model. Its prompting guide recommends testing them against the same prompts, references and settings when choosing between them. These descriptions do not disclose parameter counts or establish an independent quality ranking.[2][3][5]

The launch announcement says generation is 50% faster than before and that Flare can produce an image in as little as six seconds at low quality. These are OpenAI's claims, not a guaranteed response time. The announcement does not provide a full latency test configuration or distribution.[1]

## ChatGPT features

ChatGPT supports creating an image from a description, uploading a still image for editing, and selecting an area to describe a local change. The editing selection is approximate: changes can extend outside the highlighted area.[4]

Two features accompanied the November 2026 release:[4][6]

| Feature | Documented behavior | Boundary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GIF creation | Generate a loop from a description or animate an uploaded still image; change a generated GIF through conversation and adjust playback speed | The Help Center says ChatGPT cannot edit an animated GIF uploaded by the user |
| Saved reference photos | Save an uploaded photo under a name and reuse it in a later chat with `@name` | This is a product feature; it is not evidence that the underlying image-model weights learn that identity |

The Help Center listed ChatGPT Images on all tiers and on web, iOS and Android. Images with thinking was listed for Plus, Pro and Business, with Enterprise and Edu described as forthcoming. Availability statements and rollout status were checked on November 5, 2026.[4]

## API controls and editing

The Image API exposes `POST /v1/images/generations` for generation and `POST /v1/images/edits` for editing. Both 2.6 model identifiers appear in the official model catalog and request reference.[2][3][7][8]

| Control | Meaning in GPT Image 2.6 |
| --- | --- |
| `quality` | Rendering detail; documented values are `auto`, `low`, `medium`, `high`, `xhigh` and `max` |
| `complexity` | Planning before rendering; `low`, `medium` or `high`, with `high` used when omitted |
| `size` | Output dimensions, with `auto` and supported explicit dimensions |
| `background` | `auto`, `opaque` or `transparent` |
| `output_format` | Raster formats include PNG, JPEG and WebP; generation also supports GIF and SVG workflows |
| `markup` | An annotation overlay supplied to the edit endpoint to identify a requested change |

Quality and complexity are separate settings. OpenAI recommends holding one fixed while comparing the other. Higher complexity can add latency or introduce unwanted changes; it is not a guarantee of a better result. Transparent raster output should use PNG or WebP, and the prompting guide recommends inspecting the decoded alpha channel.[5]

Markup-guided editing uses the original image plus a separate transparent PNG overlay, such as a circle around an object. The overlay must match the first image's dimensions after orientation. It applies to that first image; additional inputs can serve as references. The guide says not to combine `markup` with `mask` or `prompt_rewriter`.[9]

These controls guide generation rather than guarantee pixel-identical preservation. OpenAI's prompting guide recommends compositing an approved edit into the original when untouched regions must remain exact.[5]

## GIF and SVG output

### Animated GIFs

The generation guide documents `output_format="gif"` on the image-generation endpoint, with `frame_count` and `frame_duration_ms` controlling the loop. Both the guide and request reference specify defaults of nine frames and 200 milliseconds per frame. The output is returned as base64-encoded animation bytes.[7][9]

The documentation had unresolved differences on November 5, 2026. The guide listed 2-64 frames, while the generated request reference limited `frame_count` to 2-16 and said GIF output required access to a model-specific preview. The guide said the edit endpoint did not support GIF output, although its generated schema included GIF fields. Those differences do not establish that the larger frame range or GIF editing is available to an account.[7][8][9]

### SVGs

SVG generation uses `output_format="svg"` and `n=1`. The API first creates a reference image, then an authoring model produces static vector content. Its SVG output excludes scripts, external resources and embedded raster images. The guide does not support SVG output from the image-edit endpoint.[9]

The request reference describes separate SVG authoring-model selection and reasoning settings, subject to access. This authoring reasoning is distinct from the image model's `complexity`. SVG generation does not support streaming, partial images, custom output compression or `prompt_rewriter`.[7]

## API pricing

The following published rates were checked on November 5, 2026. Flare and Sunburst had the same token prices, although the tokens consumed for a particular output can differ.[2][3][10]

| Token category | Flare, USD per million tokens | Sunburst, USD per million tokens |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| Text input | $5.00 | $5.00 |
| Cached text input, published rate | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Image input | $8.00 | $8.00 |
| Cached image input, published rate | $2.00 | $2.00 |
| Image output | $30.00 | $30.00 |

These are token rates, not fixed prices per image. Output size, quality and token consumption affect the bill. The model pages list cached-input prices, but that listing alone does not establish that a particular direct Image API request qualifies for caching.[2][3][10]

The guide says complexity has no separate fee and markup editing has no additional markup charge. SVG billing includes the reference image and the separate authoring model's token usage. It is therefore not adequately described by the image-output rate alone.[9]

## Safety evaluations and provenance

OpenAI's system card describes checks on requests, input images and generated outputs. In an offline evaluation of 3,077 adversarial requests, the rate of outputs graded unsafe and not blocked was 1.72% for 2.6 Sunburst versus 1.92% for its 2.5 baseline, and 2.14% for 2.6 Flare versus 1.49% for its baseline. Neither overall difference was statistically significant. These results concern the tested moderation configurations, not the frequency of harmful images delivered in production.[11]

The card notes that GIFs can convey harmful meaning through motion across frames, and that motion-related violations remain difficult to detect. It describes [C2PA](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/c2pa) metadata and [SynthID](https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/synthid) watermarking as complementary provenance signals, without presenting either as a complete provenance solution.[11]

## Limitations

OpenAI's documentation identifies remaining problems with exact text, precise layout and consistency across generations. Its migration guidance calls for checking repeated outputs and complete editing sequences rather than accepting a favorable example as representative.[5][9]

The release sources provide product documentation, examples and developer-run safety evaluations. They do not establish a universal latency, an independent visual-quality benchmark ranking, or that every announced API feature is enabled for every account. In particular, the GIF schema differences and SVG access requirements matter when implementing those formats.[1][7][8][11]

## References

1. OpenAI. [Introducing Images 2.6](https://openai.com/index/introducing-images-2-6/). November 4, 2026.
2. OpenAI. [GPT-Image-2.6 Flare model](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/gpt-image-2.6-flare). Model, endpoint and pricing documentation, accessed November 5, 2026.
3. OpenAI. [GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst model](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/gpt-image-2.6-sunburst). Model, endpoint and pricing documentation, accessed November 5, 2026.
4. OpenAI Help Center. [Images in ChatGPT](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11084440-images-in-chatgpt). Accessed November 5, 2026.
5. OpenAI. [Image prompting: GPT Image 2.6](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/image-prompting#gpt-image-2.6-guide). Accessed November 5, 2026.
6. OpenAI Help Center. [ChatGPT release notes](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes). November 4, 2026 entry, accessed November 5, 2026.
7. OpenAI. [Create image](https://developers.openai.com/api/reference/resources/images/methods/generate). API request reference, accessed November 5, 2026.
8. OpenAI. [Edit image](https://developers.openai.com/api/reference/resources/images/methods/edit). API request reference, accessed November 5, 2026.
9. OpenAI. [Image generation](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/image-generation). Sections on GPT Image 2.6, markup, SVG, GIF, limitations and costs, accessed November 5, 2026.
10. OpenAI. [API pricing](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/pricing#image-generation). Image-generation rates, accessed November 5, 2026.
11. OpenAI. [ChatGPT Images 2.6 System Card](https://deploymentsafety.openai.com/chatgpt-images-2-6/safety-evaluations). November 4, 2026.