ChatGPT Images 2.6 now makes animated GIFs

What's new

On November 4, 2026, OpenAI announced ChatGPT Images 2.6, an update to the image tool in ChatGPT. The biggest news is that ChatGPT can now create an animated GIF from a text description or an uploaded photo. A GIF is a short, looping image sequence that many people know from messages and social media.

You can also save reference images of people, pets and characters and reuse them later without uploading them again. According to OpenAI, image generation is about 50 percent faster than before. That is OpenAI's own claim, and there is no independent measurement.

For developers, there are two new API models: GPT-Image-2.6 Flare and GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst. The API is the access point companies use to build image generation into their own systems.

What's smart

The GIF feature doesn't stop at the animation itself. According to Unite.AI, you can afterward change the playback speed, page through the individual frames and edit them before sharing the GIF. Unite.AI says this changes both the output format and the editing workflow, so you can work with timing and individual frames directly in ChatGPT.

The saved reference images are handy if you want the same person, dog or cartoon character to appear in multiple images.

Flare is built for speed and, according to OpenAI, can deliver an image in as little as six seconds at low quality. Sunburst is built for more detail and for keeping the look consistent through many edits, at medium or high quality. The API also gets a complexity parameter that controls how much the model plans. Low is recommended for quick edits, medium or high for complex scenes.

Markup editing, where you point out exactly where a change should happen, is now also available in the API (familiar from ChatGPT). SVG export has also been added, a scalable image format for websites, apps and print. The sources don't make clear whether SVG applies to both models or only Sunburst.

Cheaper or better?

Better and faster, if OpenAI's numbers hold up. According to Unite.AI, the predecessor Images 2.5 cut generation time by up to 50 percent compared with Images 2.0, so 2.6 follows the same path. A weekly volume of more than 4 billion images across ChatGPT and the API is mentioned.

The price of Images 2.6 isn't stated in the sources, and OpenAI refers to its pricing page. For 2.5, third-party sites list $5 per million text tokens in, $8 per million image tokens in and $30 per million image tokens out. That is not confirmed for 2.6, but Flare and Sunburst had the same token prices in 2.5. No comparisons with competitors are mentioned.

What it's good for

Flare suits quick tasks where layout matters, such as posters and product images. Sunburst is a better fit when you want to refine an image over many rounds without the style drifting, or when you need SVG graphics for the web, apps or print.

For everyday users, the GIF tool and the saved reference images are the most obvious news: make a small animation of your pet or a character, adjust the tempo and share it. The features are rolling out globally in ChatGPT and Codex on web, desktop and mobile, on all subscription tiers. The sources don't say whether there are special conditions for Denmark or the EU.