OpenAI Launches GPT-Image-2.6 Flare and Sunburst: Adds GIFs, SVG Export and 6-Second API Generation

OpenAI released Images 2.6 across ChatGPT, Codex and the API as two models, GPT-Image-2.6 Flare (built for fast iteration, returning an image in as little as 6 seconds at low quality) and Sunburst (built for detailed compositions and edit consistency), with OpenAI claiming 50% faster generation than before. The update adds GIF output, SVG export, markup-guided edits and a complexity parameter (low, medium, high; default high, no extra fee), with token pricing identical to 2.5 at $5 per 1M text input, $8 per 1M image input and $30 per 1M image output tokens. OpenAI says users now generate more than 4B images per week across ChatGPT and the API, up from over 3B at the 2.5 launch eight weeks earlier.