OpenAIImage modelBetter, at half the wait.
Around 50 percent lower latency than GPT Image 2, at higher quality. When you are generating a hundred variants, that is the difference between a session and an afternoon.
High volume social
Twenty variants of a post, generated in the time the previous model took for ten.
Rapid prototyping
Explore a direction at speed, and only slow down for the frame that is going to be the hero.
Consistent brand faces
One reference set, many scenes, and the same person in all of them.
Iterative retouching
Fix it, look at it, fix the next thing. Localized editing makes turn three as clean as turn one.
Catalog imagery
A product in twelve contexts, from one set of references, without twelve photoshoots.
- Provider
- OpenAI
- Released
- September 2026
- Positioning
- Default for most applications
- API model ID
- gpt-image-2.5-flare, aliased from gpt-image-2.5
- Latency
- Around 50 percent lower than GPT Image 2
- Quality
- Higher than GPT Image 2 across the board
- Reference photos
- Stronger subject fidelity across settings and styles
- Editing
- Localized, with multi turn consistency
- Text rendering
- Inherits GPT Image 2's strength
- Plans
- Every plan, including free
- Cost
- 1 to 69 credits per image up to high; about 2x at xhigh, 3x at max
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst
The shot is the hero and you want tighter control across edits, at the cost of speed.
GPT Image 2
You want the cheapest OpenAI option and the extra speed is not worth the credits.
Side by side with the models people weigh it against. Both run on the same plan.
What is GPT Image 2.5 Flare?
Flare is one of two API models OpenAI released with ChatGPT Images 2.5 in September 2026. It delivers higher quality than GPT Image 2 at around 50 percent lower latency, and is positioned as the default for most applications.
How is Flare different from Sunburst?
Speed against precision. Flare is tuned for volume: fast, high quality, the everyday choice. Sunburst takes longer and gives you tighter control across edits, for hero shots and campaign creative.
Is Flare better than GPT Image 2?
Yes, on quality, speed, reference fidelity and editing precision, and it costs the same per image. GPT Image 2 stays available as the previous generation, and older API ids resolve to it.
How much does Flare cost on APImage?
The same as GPT Image 2: an HD image is about 3 to 5 credits at medium and 12 to 17 at high, and it is included on every plan down to the free tier. Quality xhigh costs about twice that and max three times. You pay what OpenAI actually used, and the most it can cost is shown before you generate.
Does it still render text well?
Yes. Flare inherits the text rendering that made GPT Image 2 the pick for anything with words in the frame, and improves on the real world information embedded in images generally.
Do new models cost extra on APImage?
Never. Every model is in your plan, priced in the same credits out of the same pool. New models simply appear, and Ultra gets them first.
How do I use it?
Open the image studio and pick GPT Image 2.5 Flare. Upload your reference photos. This is the model that rewards good references. Describe the scene, and quote any text that has to appear in the frame. Generate, then refine with localized edits rather than starting over.