AI model by OpenAI
GPT Image 2.5 for business
OpenAI's current image generation and editing models: Sunburst for the highest quality and Flare for fast everyday images.
- Reviewed on September 24, 2026
- OpenAI
Capability tiersRelative, not benchmarks
Key facts about GPT Image 2.5
- Model ID at review
- gpt-image-2.5-sunburst
- Provider
- OpenAI
- Main category
- Image and video
- Open weights
- No, available as a hosted service
- Last reviewed
- September 24, 2026
Fit
Where it fits and where it does not
Good at
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Generating images from text prompts.
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Editing images with instructions.
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Using reference images as input.
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Fast everyday images with the Flare version.
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Automated image steps through an API.
Not the right choice for
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Video.
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Exact brand assets without human review.
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Images of real people without consent.
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Uses where rights and sources must be fully traceable without checks.
Use cases
Business use cases we would use it for
Marketing variations
Product mockups
Image edits
Our notes
When we would choose it
GPT Image 2.5 is OpenAI's current image line, released in September 2026. OpenAI describes gpt-image-2.5-sunburst as its most capable model for image generation and editing, and gpt-image-2.5-flare as a fast model for everyday images. Both take text and images as input and return images. gpt-image-2 is still listed as well.
The older gpt-image-1 and gpt-image-1.5 models shut down on October 23, 2026, so any workflow built on them needs a planned move. The DALL-E models were already shut down in May 2026.
In business use, image models work best as a drafting tool inside a clear process: a brief, a set of brand references, generated options and a person who approves what is used. We build that process with an API, a review queue and a record of prompts and outputs. See content generation.
For comparison, Google Nano Banana, FLUX and Stable Diffusion offer image generation with different licenses and hosting options. Midjourney has no public API, which limits automation.
We also recommend a simple rule for every image workflow: keep the prompt, the model, the date and the approver with each image that is used. It makes brand reviews easier and answers questions about how an image was made.
Before you commit
Things to check before you commit
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Older models
gpt-image-1 and gpt-image-1.5 shut down on October 23, 2026. Move to a current model.
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Usage policy
Read the provider usage policies for commercial use and restricted content.
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Review step
Plan a person to review every image before it reaches customers.
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Cost
Sunburst is premium. Flare is lower cost for everyday images.
Alternatives
Models to compare it with
Nano Banana (Gemini image)
Google's Gemini-native image generation and editing models, known as Nano Banana 2 and Nano Banana Pro, which replace Imagen in the Gemini API.
FLUX.2
Black Forest Labs' FLUX.2 image models: API-only Pro, Flex and Max versions, plus open-weight Dev and Klein versions under different licenses.
Stable Diffusion 3.5
Stability AI's open-weight image models, in Large, Medium and Flash versions, which can be self-hosted or used through the Stability API.
Midjourney V8
Midjourney's image generation service, known for its visual style. V8.1 is the default since June 2026 and V8.2 followed in July. There is no public developer API.
Keep exploring
Solutions, services and guides
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View all related services- AI workflows Step-by-step automations where AI handles the reading, sorting and drafting inside a process you control.
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- Computer vision Software that reads photos and scans: damage checks, stock counts, document capture and quality control.
Solutions
View all solutions- AI-assisted content workflows Briefs, first drafts, edits and repurposing in a workflow where people set the angle and approve every word.
- Scheduling and drafting automation Turn one piece of content into posts for each channel, schedule them and track results, with approval before anything goes out.
- AI translation workflows Translate websites, products and support content quickly with AI, a shared glossary and native-speaker review where it matters.
- Feedback analysis Read every review, survey and ticket, group them by theme and sentiment, and show what customers keep asking for.
- AI document processing Read forms, applications, IDs and statements, extract the fields you need and route each document for the right review.
Industries
View all industries- Marketing agencies Landing pages, content workflows, client reporting and white-label development capacity for marketing agencies.
- Education and elearning Course platforms, student portals, content workflows and AI tutoring assistants for schools and training companies.
- SaaS and startups MVPs, subscription billing, AI features, multi-tenant platforms and scaling support for founders and product teams.
Case studies
View all case studiesGuides and articles
View all guides and articlesMCP servers
View all mcp serversGlossary terms
View all glossary terms- Multimodal model A multimodal model is an AI model that can take in more than one kind of input, such as text with images, audio or video.
- Prompt engineering Prompt engineering is the practice of designing, testing and improving prompts so AI models produce reliable results for a specific task.
- Large language model A large language model, or LLM, is an AI model trained on vast amounts of text that can understand and generate language, and often images and code.
- Prompt A prompt is the instruction and context you give an AI model to get the output you want.
- Artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence is the broad field of building software that performs tasks that normally need human judgment, such as understanding language or images.
- Fine-tuning Fine-tuning is further training an existing AI model on your own examples so it learns a specific style, format or task.
FAQ
Questions people ask us
Have a question that is not here? Ask us directly.
OpenAI positions Sunburst as its most capable image model and Flare as a faster model for everyday images at a lower price.
It shuts down on October 23, 2026, according to the OpenAI deprecations page.
Yes. It accepts images as input and can edit them from instructions.