OpenAI announced Images 2.6 on 4 November, adding animated GIFs to ChatGPT and Codex on every subscription tier. TestingCatalog covered the launch, which also puts two new image models in front of developers.
OpenAI says the update draws images 50% faster than before, and that its products now produce 4 billion images per week. Users can turn mascots, product shots, sketches, and storyboards into short loops, and keep reference images of themselves, pets, or characters saved for reuse.
Developers get two new models, named Flare and Sunburst, under the GPT-Image-2.6 label. Flare is built for speed and for poster or product layouts, and on its lowest quality setting it can return a picture in about six seconds. Sunburst aims for finer detail and steadier edits when quality is set to medium or high. Both gain image markup, SVG export for web, app, and print work, and a complexity setting that decides how much thinking the model puts in before drawing.
The 50% and six-second figures are OpenAI’s own, and TestingCatalog cites no independent timing. Teams paying per image should run Flare against their current model on their own prompts before switching.
Reported by TestingCatalog on 5 November 2026, citing OpenAI’s posts of 4 November 2026.
