OpenAI Images 2.6 adds GIF creation and faster editing in ChatGPT
OpenAI launched Images 2.6 on 4 November with native GIF creation, about 50% faster generation, and new API models Flare and Sunburst. The company says people now create 4 billion images a week across ChatGPT, Codex and the API.
OpenAI introduced Images 2.6 on 4 November 2026 in ChatGPT, Codex and the API, adding native GIF creation and faster, more consistent image editing.
What’s new
- GIFs: users can prompt for a looping animation or upload a still and ask ChatGPT to animate it; playback speed can be adjusted and GIFs shared. The Verge notes ChatGPT could not previously generate GIFs in a single native step. GIF creation is rolling out; ChatGPT cannot edit an animated GIF that the user uploads.
- Speed: OpenAI says Images 2.6 generates images about 50% faster. In the API, GPT‑Image‑2.6 Flare (low quality can take as little as about six seconds) and GPT‑Image‑2.6 Sunburst (higher detail and consistency at medium/high quality) are available, with markup-guided edits, SVG export and a complexity parameter.
- Volume: OpenAI says people create 4 billion images per week across ChatGPT, Codex and the API — more than half a billion a day, up from 3 billion a week reported in September according to The Verge.
Availability
Images 2.6 is available globally in ChatGPT and Codex on all subscription tiers (desktop, mobile and web). API pricing for Flare and Sunburst is listed on OpenAI’s pricing page; a system card covers safety evaluations.
Product claims about speed and quality come from OpenAI and have not been independently benchmarked in this report.
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