OpenAI ships ChatGPT Images 2.6 with animated GIFs and new Flare and Sunburst API models

Images 2.6 is OpenAI's first image update to make motion a native output. Users can create animated GIFs directly in ChatGPT, and they can anchor a reference image so that a character or product stays consistent across a series of generations. The update reaches both ChatGPT and Codex users. Decrypt noted that the GIF capability appeared before OpenAI had formally announced the model.

On the API side, OpenAI split its offering by workload. Flare is aimed at high-volume, latency-sensitive pipelines and returns images in under six seconds. Sunburst targets quality and adds SVG export, which matters for designers who need editable vector assets rather than raster images. OpenAI also says weekly image volume has passed 4 billion, roughly 33% growth in about two months.

The launch arrives alongside product restructuring. OpenAI is retiring the ChatGPT Classic desktop app and testing a combined Chat and Work experience. It has also introduced a shared usage limit that now spans both ChatGPT and Codex. That limit is already drawing developer complaints, and r/ChatGPT threads report new caps on image generation.

The open question is cost. Billions of weekly images consume a lot of compute, and OpenAI is introducing shared limits and smaller routed models at the same time. Both moves suggest capacity is the constraint to watch, not capability.