Model comparison

GPT Image 2.6 vs 2.5

We ran the same eight prompts on both versions, side by side. Same size, same quality setting, one try each. Here is what changed.

Try GPT Image 2.6

The short answer

2.6 makes richer, more detailed pictures. The biggest gain is in photos of people.
Text stays just as accurate. Posters, menus and infographics spelled every word right on both versions.
High quality costs the same on both. Low and Medium cost a little more on 2.6.
Sunburst on 2.6 takes about 10 seconds longer. Flare on 2.6 is the fast option, at around 11 seconds.
Prompts that worked on 2.5 work on 2.6 as they are.

What changed

	GPT Image 2.5	GPT Image 2.6
Image quality	Clean and sharp	More texture, more detail in the scene
Text on images	Accurate	Accurate, with more styled type
Price at High	2 credits	2 credits
Price at Low / Medium	0.5 / 1 credit	1 / 1.5 credits
Sunburst speed (High, this test)	21 to 41 s	30 to 55 s
Flare speed (High)	About half of Sunburst	About 11 s
Reference images	Up to 8	Up to 8

Travel poster with text

Both spell every word right. 2.6 packs in more of the city, like the castle, the tiles and the flowers, and sets the subtitle in a finer style. 2.5 added a street name to the tram that we never asked for.

A vintage travel poster for 'LISBOA' with the subtitle 'Trams, tiles and sunsets since 1755' in smaller type, a yellow tram climbing a steep cobbled street, terracotta rooftops and the river behind, flat screen-print style, cream border

Infographic

Both get all five steps in order with clean text. 2.6 draws richer icons and writes more specific lines. 2.5 keeps each line shorter, closer to what the prompt asked for.

A clean infographic titled 'How Coffee Gets to Your Cup' with five numbered steps in a vertical flow: 1 Grow, 2 Harvest, 3 Dry, 4 Roast, 5 Brew, each with a small flat icon and one short line of text, warm brown and cream palette

Exact counts

A tie. Both show seven apples and three pears in the right order.

Exactly seven red apples in a row on a white shelf, with exactly three green pears to their right, studio product photo, even light, white background

Portrait photo

The biggest jump in this test. 2.6 gives deeper wrinkles, wind-worn skin and a worn work jacket, so he looks like a real fisherman. 2.5 is clean and sharp but looks more like a studio model.

Close-up portrait photo of an elderly fisherman with a weathered face, white stubble and a knitted navy cap, looking past the camera, harbor out of focus behind him, overcast light, 85mm lens, fine skin texture

Hands

Both get five fingers on each hand. 2.6 adds sweater sleeves, flour on the skin and stronger window light, which makes the scene feel lived in.

Overhead photo of two hands kneading bread dough on a floured wooden table, a small bowl of flour and a wooden rolling pin beside them, soft window light, every finger clearly visible

Edit: product in a scene

Input

GPT Image 2.5: Edit: product in a scene — GPT Image 2.5

GPT Image 2.6: Edit: product in a scene — GPT Image 2.6

Both keep the room exactly as it was. 2.6 puts the bottle in the patch of sunlight, with an amber glow on the marble. 2.5 places it smaller and further back.

Place the serum bottle from the second image on the marble counter in the first image, near the window, keep the morning light and add a soft natural shadow. Keep everything else the same.

Edit: same person, new scene

Input

GPT Image 2.5: Edit: same person, new scene — GPT Image 2.5

GPT Image 2.6: Edit: same person, new scene — GPT Image 2.6

Both keep her face, hair, jacket and earrings. 2.6 builds a fuller street, with people walking past, a latte with foam art and sun through the trees.

The same woman from the image sitting at a cafe table in Paris, holding a cup of coffee, wearing the same denim jacket and gold earrings, candid street photograph, golden hour

Run your own test

Copy any prompt above and try it on GPT Image 2.6. Pick Flare when you want it fast.

Open GPT Image 2.6 Read the prompting guide