GPT Image 2.6 is on the board, Flare and Sunburst, priced the same
OpenAI put out ChatGPT Images 2.6 on November 4, again as two models. OpenAI says both draw pictures 50% faster than before. Flare is the everyday one. Sunburst is slower and, at medium or high quality, keeps the details the same from one edit to the next. Both are on the picker now.
The picture at the top of this post was drawn by GPT Image 2.6 Flare. Nothing was retouched and nothing was drawn over it.
Pricing at low, medium and high
GPT Image 2.5 had five quality steps. 2.6 goes back to three: low, medium and high. A new box starts at medium, the same place every picture box in the product starts.
Every number below comes off a real generation on each step, read off the bill, not off a rate card. Flare and Sunburst billed the same number at every step, so picking between them is about what each one is good at, never about money.
| Quality | Credits for one picture | When you would use it |
|---|---|---|
| low | 0.47 | Trying a few versions of a composition to see which one holds |
| medium | 0.86 | Where a new box starts. Fine for a plate or a cast sheet |
| high | 1 | A frame somebody is going to look at closely |
The same on Flare and on Sunburst, at every step. Attaching a picture to edit costs a bit more: 0.64 credits at low instead of 0.47. The number sits on the Generate button before you press it.
Flare or Sunburst
Flare is the picture model OpenAI sets as the default for most uses. Natural light, rich texture, and it handles busy layouts, so it is the one to reach for when you are filling a board out.
Sunburst takes longer and spends that time on fine detail. Its real use is editing the same picture over and over: change the jacket, change the light, move the camera back, and at medium or high the small details stay put. That is the thing a cast sheet needs most.
Both take reference pictures, both do up to 10 pictures on one press, and both can come back with a transparent background.
Next to GPT Image 2.5
At the bottom 2.6 costs more: 0.47 credits a picture at low against 0.15 on 2.5 Flare. At the top it costs less: 1 credit at high against 1.27 on 2.5. So the steps sit much closer together on 2.6, and high is a small step up from medium instead of a big one.
GPT Image 2.5 is still on the picker and nothing was taken off. If you want its xhigh or max steps, it is still there.
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Got questions left?
Does Sunburst cost more than Flare?
No. Both were run on low, medium and high and both billed the same number at every step. Sunburst costs you time, not credits.
Can it make a GIF in MiniCut?
Not yet. OpenAI added GIFs in 2.6, but in MiniCut both models come back as a still picture, in png, jpeg or webp.
What happened to GPT Image 2.5?
It is still on the picker and still the model it was. OpenAI says 2.6 is faster, and its high step costs less here, but nothing was removed.
