OpenAI has released ChatGPT Images 2.6, an update to the image tool inside ChatGPT. The headline additions are animated GIFs and reference images that stay saved between sessions. Alongside it, the company added two image models to its API for developers, GPT-Image-2.6 Flare and GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst, and said image generation is now 50% faster. The announcement was posted on OpenAI's developer community forum on 4 November.
The details
The update brings three main changes for people making pictures in ChatGPT:
- Animated GIFs. A text prompt or an existing picture can now be turned into a looping GIF. Users can change how fast it plays, edit single frames and then share the result.
- Saved reference images. Pictures of yourself, a pet or a recurring character can be stored once and used again in later images, without uploading them each time.
- Markup and SVG. OpenAI said users can mark up an image to guide changes and export work as SVG, a vector format that can be resized without losing sharpness.
For developers, OpenAI split the new image technology into two models with different jobs:
| Model | What OpenAI says it is for |
|---|---|
| GPT-Image-2.6 Flare | Fast generation and editing for quick iteration; can produce an image in as little as six seconds |
| GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst | Higher-quality, detailed compositions and more consistent results across a series of edits |
OpenAI's model pages say both models accept text and images as input and return images, and that both support a new complexity setting, edits guided by markup, SVG output and animated GIF output.
Who gets it and when
OpenAI announced ChatGPT Images 2.6 on 4 November. The announcement did not give a rollout schedule and did not say which ChatGPT plans get the GIF and reference image features, or whether free users are included. The two API models are listed on OpenAI's developer site under the names gpt-image-2.6-flare and gpt-image-2.6-sunburst.
Numbers
OpenAI's model pages list the same prices for Flare and Sunburst:
| Per 1 million tokens | Input | Cached input | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text tokens | $5.00 | $1.25 | n/a |
| Image tokens | $8.00 | $2.00 | $30.00 |
The pages do not give a fixed price per finished image, because cost depends on how many tokens each picture uses.
What is still unknown
OpenAI has not said which ChatGPT plans include the new features, how many GIFs or saved references a user can keep, or how long GIFs can be. It also did not publish detailed benchmark results comparing 2.6 with the previous version. For design work outside ChatGPT, our Canva review covers one of the best-known tools.
Announced by OpenAI on its developer community forum: read the announcement
