GPT Image 2.6 Flare API
OpenAI's speed-focused GPT Image 2.6 Flare model generates and edits images with up to 16 references, 4K output, and transparent backgrounds.
GPT Image 2.6 Flare is the speed-oriented tier of OpenAI's GPT Image series, built for everyday image generation and editing. It accepts text and image input to produce images, takes up to 16 reference images for editing, and supports prompts up to 20,000 characters. Output can be rendered at 1K, 2K, or 4K resolution with a long edge up to 3840 pixels, and native transparent background generation is available. Revision 2 improves editing consistency, detail preservation, and responsiveness to sketches and image annotations, and it accepts marked-up images via the API so edit regions can be specified precisely.
The model offers six quality settings — auto, low, medium, high, xhigh, and max — and chains outputs as reference images across multi-turn editing sessions, which helps keep scenes consistent over multiple revision rounds. It applies only instructed changes while preserving subject, composition, and background, and supports natural lighting, rich textures, and complex layouts. This makes it a good fit for iterative design work, character creation with brand consistency, image fusion from multiple references, and screen or layout mockups.
Speed is a central strength: latency is reported up to 50% lower than GPT Image 2, with generation reported up to 7x faster for 1024x1080 images, and roughly 6 seconds at low quality. It is well suited to interactive and high-volume work. Known limitations include noticeable noise artifacts in some areas, and GPT Image 2 is reported to handle dense multilingual text and extreme aspect ratios better.
Updated:
MODEL ID
gpt-image-2.6-flare- Input
- text / image
- Output
- image
Highlights
- Up to 16 reference images for editing
- Prompts up to 20,000 characters
- 1K, 2K, and 4K output resolutions
- Native transparent backgrounds
- Up to 50% lower latency than GPT Image 2
- Six quality settings from auto to max
Providers
Compare API prices across providers. Select a provider to view all charges and conditions.
| $5 | $2 |
Benchmarks
- 1501
Image Arena text-to-image (GPT Image 2.5 Flare)
points for GPT Image 2.5 Flare
- 1535
Image Arena text-to-image (GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst)
points for GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst
Scores as published by the model provider.
API reference
Model-specific protocol details are not published. Check the API reference for integration requirements.
API reference →Supported parameters
- n
- quality
- background
- aspect_ratio
- output_format
- input_references
- output_compression
Frequently asked questions
What is GPT Image 2.6 Flare?
GPT Image 2.6 Flare is the speed-oriented tier of OpenAI's GPT Image series, built for everyday image generation and editing. It accepts text and image input to produce images, takes up to 16 reference images for editing, and supports prompts up to 20,000 characters. Output can be rendered at 1K, 2K, or 4K resolution with a long edge up to 3840 pixels, and native transparent background generation is available. Revision 2 improves editing consistency, detail preservation, and responsiveness to sketches and image annotations, and it accepts marked-up images via the API so edit regions can be specified precisely. The model offers six quality settings — auto, low, medium, high, xhigh, and max — and chains outputs as reference images across multi-turn editing sessions, which helps keep scenes consistent over multiple revision rounds. It applies only instructed changes while preserving subject, composition, and background, and supports natural lighting, rich textures, and complex layouts. This makes it a good fit for iterative design work, character creation with brand consistency, image fusion from multiple references, and screen or layout mockups. Speed is a central strength: latency is reported up to 50% lower than GPT Image 2, with generation reported up to 7x faster for 1024x1080 images, and roughly 6 seconds at low quality. It is well suited to interactive and high-volume work. Known limitations include noticeable noise artifacts in some areas, and GPT Image 2 is reported to handle dense multilingual text and extreme aspect ratios better.
How is usage billed?
Your bill depends on the provider you use, its prices and your usage. Longer inputs or other conditions may have different prices.
What input modalities does GPT Image 2.6 Flare support?
It accepts text and image input and produces image output.
How many reference images can I use for editing?
It accepts up to 16 reference images for editing.
What output resolution options are available?
It supports 1K, 2K, and 4K resolution with a long edge up to 3840 pixels.
What quality settings can I choose from?
There are six quality settings: auto, low, medium, high, xhigh, and max.
How does it differ from GPT Image 2?
GPT Image 2.6 Flare is positioned as the speed-oriented tier: latency is reported up to 50% lower than GPT Image 2, with generation reported up to 7x faster for 1024x1080 images. GPT Image 2 is reportedly better for dense multilingual text rendering and extreme aspect ratios.
Can I use it for multi-turn editing?
Yes, outputs can be chained as reference images across multi-turn editing sessions, helping maintain scene consistency across revision rounds.
Related models
GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst
OpenAIImagegpt-image-2.6-sunburstOpenAI's GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst is a precision-focused image generation and editing model with image markup, SVG export, and high consistency across repeated edits.
Output
image
Input tokens
$5 / 1M tokens
Output tokens
$8 / 1M tokens
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst
OpenAIImagegpt-image-2.5-sunburstGPT Image 2.5 Sunburst is OpenAI's precision-focused image generation and editing model, tuned for targeted changes that preserve identity, composition and lighting.
Output
image
—
GPT Image 2.5 Flare
OpenAIImagegpt-image-2.5-flareOpenAI's speed-focused image generation model in the GPT Image 2.5 series, offering quality comparable to GPT Image 2 while generating more than 50% faster.
Output
image
—