What Is GPT Image 2.6? Flare vs Sunburst
What GPT Image 2.6 is, what OpenAI says changed, and how its two models, Flare and Sunburst, map to the quality options here.
GPT Image 2.6 is an image model from OpenAI. OpenAI released it on 2026-11-04. It is also called ChatGPT Images 2.6. It is not Microsoft MAI-Image-2.6.
Pixel Orchard is an independent third-party tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by OpenAI. This post only says what the model is and how it is offered here.
Flare and Sunburst
The release comes as two models. Flare is the speed model and Sunburst is the quality model.
On Pixel Orchard, low and medium quality use Flare. High quality uses Sunburst. You can generate square 1:1, landscape 3:2 or portrait 2:3 images.
What OpenAI says changed
These are OpenAI's statements about the model, not features of this site:
- Image generation is 50% faster than before.
- GPT Image 2.6 adds animated GIF generation. Pixel Orchard does not make GIFs yet.
- The new API models add complexity control, markup-guided edits and SVG output.
- ChatGPT now supports saved reference images.
What it costs here
Each image costs credits, and the cost depends on the quality:
| Quality | Credits per image |
|---|---|
| Low (Flare) | 6 credits |
| Medium (Flare) | 10 credits |
| High (Sunburst) | 15 credits |
Credit packs are one-time purchases and the credits do not expire. You can try low quality 1:1 images for free, within a daily limit. Signing in with Google is needed to generate.
Try GPT Image 2.6 on Pixel Orchard, or read the pricing first.
