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What Is GPT Image? GPT Image 2.5, ChatGPT Images, and Model IDs Explained
What is GPT Image? OpenAI's image model family explained: GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst and Flare, the earlier GPT Image 2, ChatGPT Images 2.5, API pricing, and retiring model IDs.
UpdatedOctober 15, 2026
In short
GPT Image is OpenAI's family of image generation and editing models in the API. It is not the same thing as ChatGPT Images, the image feature inside the ChatGPT app, although both launched their current versions on September 8, 2026. The current API models are GPT Image 2.5 Flare (gpt-image-2.5-flare), which OpenAI calls the default for most applications, and GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst (gpt-image-2.5-sunburst), for edit-heavy work that needs finer control. The image models OpenAI sold before GPT Image were shut down on May 12, 2026.
On this page4
GPT Image and ChatGPT image names, and which still work
Name | Where it lives | Status on October 15, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
GPT Image 2.5 Flare | API, | current; fast everyday generation |
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst | API, | current; most capable for editing, slower |
GPT Image 2 | API, | available, listed with earlier models |
GPT Image 1.5, GPT Image 1 mini | API, | deprecated; shuts down December 1, 2026 |
GPT Image 1 | API, | shuts down October 23, 2026 |
chatgpt-image-latest (deprecated) | API alias for the image model ChatGPT used before | deprecated; shuts down December 1, 2026 |
ChatGPT Images 2.5 | the ChatGPT app, ChatGPT Work and Codex | current on every ChatGPT plan |
Check the third column before you write code or follow an older tutorial: anything that names GPT Image 1, 1.5 or 1 mini, the deprecated chatgpt-image-latest alias, or an image model OpenAI shut down in May 2026 needs changing to a GPT Image 2.5 model.
API accounts pay per token; ChatGPT users pay nothing extra
Developers reach GPT Image through an OpenAI Platform account, with no subscription, and pay per token: $30 per million image output tokens on both 2.5 models and GPT Image 2, so cost per image depends on the model, size and quality setting. OpenAI warns that equal token rates do not mean equal cost per image, and it may ask your organization to complete API Organization Verification first. GPT Image API pricing works through the per-image figures.
People who use ChatGPT get ChatGPT Images 2.5 on every plan, from Free with limited use up to paid plans with more, and never see a model ID or a token bill.
What changed with GPT Image 2.5
- Two quality levels above high. The 2.5 models add xhigh and max quality settings; GPT Image 2 stops at high.
- Edits that leave the rest alone. OpenAI says 2.5 is better at changing only what you specify and at keeping edits consistent across several turns.
- Faster output. OpenAI says Flare generates images with 50% lower latency than GPT Image 2.
- Transparent backgrounds on both 2.5 models, in PNG or WebP.
Some limits remain. OpenAI's guide says the models can still struggle with precise text placement, keeping a recurring character or brand element consistent, and exact composition, and a complex prompt can take up to two minutes.
GPT Image makes raster files only, and Firefly, Recraft and Leonardo resell it
GPT Image generates and edits raster images: PNG, JPEG or WebP, up to 3840 pixels on the long edge. It does not produce vector files, and it has no canvas of its own. Other products build on it: Adobe Firefly lists OpenAI's image model among the partner models in its plans, Recraft lists GPT Image among its partner models, and Leonardo.Ai offers it through its API. GPT Image vs ChatGPT Images covers which of the two to use.
Official sources
Editorial guidance grounded in official product sources.
FAQ
Common questions
Is GPT Image a product or a model family?
GPT Image is best understood as OpenAI's umbrella label for its GPT-based image generation family, not a separate standalone app.
Is GPT Image the same as ChatGPT Images?
No. GPT Image is OpenAI's API model family, currently GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst and Flare, while ChatGPT Images (now ChatGPT Images 2.5) is the product name for image generation inside the ChatGPT app.
Is chatgpt-image-latest being retired?
Yes. The deprecated chatgpt-image-latest alias, which tracked the image model used in ChatGPT, shuts down on December 1, 2026. OpenAI recommends gpt-image-2.5-sunburst or gpt-image-2.5-flare instead.
Should I think about GPT Image as a buyer or developer decision?
Usually both, but at different layers. GPT Image is the useful frame when you are evaluating the model family or API surface, while ChatGPT Images is the better frame when you are evaluating the end-user app experience.
Does the retired DALL-E brand still matter in this naming map?
Mostly as history. OpenAI retired the DALL-E models in May 2026, so GPT Image is the current family label for OpenAI's GPT-based image models.
Next steps
Open the products behind the concept
- Tool profileGPT ImageOpen the API model page if you need the versioned model, pricing path, and developer surface behind the GPT Image label.
- Tool profileChatGPTOpen ChatGPT if you are evaluating the app-side image workflow rather than the underlying API model.
- GuideGPT Image API vs ChatGPT Images 2.5: Which Should You Use?Use the distinction guide next if the naming still feels blended after this explainer.