# OpenAI Image Generation API Models: Which One Should You Use in 2026?

> Three GPT Image models are live as of October 9, 2026: gpt-image-2.5-sunburst, gpt-image-2.5-flare, and gpt-image-2. Which to pick, and when old IDs shut down.

- Source: https://www.aifreeapi.com/en/posts/openai-image-generation-api-models
- Language: en
- Published: 2026-03-23
- Updated: 2026-10-09
- Publisher: AI Free API (https://www.aifreeapi.com)

As of October 9, 2026, the OpenAI API lists exactly three live image generation models on its [All models](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/all) page: **`gpt-image-2.5-sunburst`**, **`gpt-image-2.5-flare`**, and **`gpt-image-2`**. The latest ones are the two GPT-Image-2.5 models, both with a `2026-09-08` snapshot. Pick `gpt-image-2.5-sunburst` when editing precision matters, `gpt-image-2.5-flare` when you want fast everyday generation, and use `gpt-image-2` if you already run it or want the lowest published per-image price ($0.005–$0.006 at low quality); it is not deprecated.

If the ID in your code is `gpt-image-1`, it stops working on **October 23, 2026**. If it is `gpt-image-1.5`, `gpt-image-1-mini`, or `chatgpt-image-latest`, the shutdown date is **December 1, 2026**. OpenAI's [deprecations page](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/deprecations) names `gpt-image-2.5-sunburst` or `gpt-image-2.5-flare` as the replacement for all four. `dall-e-2` and `dall-e-3` were shut down on May 12, 2026.

Below, the full ID table with status, dates, and token rates comes first, then a decision rule by job, the exact official page for each fact, and the distinction that causes the most confusion: image *recognition* in the OpenAI API is done by mainline models such as `gpt-5.5`, not by GPT Image models.

![Choose image models by editing, generation and migration needs](https://www.aifreeapi.com/posts/en/openai-image-generation-api-models/img/cover.webp)

## GPT Image models in the OpenAI API: every ID, status, and shutdown date



The table pulls together what OpenAI spreads across the [All models](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/all) page, the individual model pages, the [deprecations](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/deprecations) page, and the [pricing](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/pricing) page, as of October 9, 2026. Token rates are per 1M tokens on the Standard tier; image output is the rate that dominates a per-image bill.

| Model ID | Status | Snapshot | Shutdown | Image tokens in / cached / out | Official one-line positioning |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `gpt-image-2.5-sunburst` | Live, latest | `gpt-image-2.5-sunburst-2026-09-08` | None announced | $8 / $2 / $30 | "Our most capable model for image generation and editing" |
| `gpt-image-2.5-flare` | Live, latest | `gpt-image-2.5-flare-2026-09-08` | None announced | $8 / $2 / $30 | "Fast, high-quality everyday image generation" |
| `gpt-image-2` | Live | `gpt-image-2-2026-04-21` | None announced | $8 / $2 / $30 | "State-of-the-art image generation model" with flexible sizes and high-fidelity inputs |
| `gpt-image-1.5` | Deprecated | — | December 1, 2026 | $8 / $2 / $32 | Replace with a 2.5 model |
| `chatgpt-image-latest` | Deprecated | Previous ChatGPT image snapshot | December 1, 2026 | $8 / $2 / $32 | "Previous image model used in ChatGPT" |
| `gpt-image-1-mini` | Deprecated | — | December 1, 2026 | $2.50 / $0.25 / $8 | Replace with a 2.5 model |
| `gpt-image-1` | Deprecated | — | **October 23, 2026** | $10 / $2.50 / $40 | Replace with a 2.5 model |
| `dall-e-3`, `dall-e-2` | Shut down | — | May 12, 2026 | — | No longer served |

Three details change how you read that table:

- **The API reference still lists retired IDs.** The `model` enum on the [Create image](https://developers.openai.com/api/reference/resources/images) reference includes `dall-e-2` and `dall-e-3` even though both stopped serving on May 12, 2026. Treat the All models page and the deprecations page as the source of truth for what is actually alive, not the enum.
- **Text tokens are priced the same on the three live models**: $5 per 1M input, $1.25 per 1M cached input. The deprecated models differ on text too (`gpt-image-1-mini` is $2 / $0.20; `gpt-image-1.5` and `chatgpt-image-latest` also charge $10 per 1M text output).
- **Batch halves the image rates.** On the three live models, Batch image tokens are $4 in / $1 cached / $15 out per 1M. Cached input rates for GPT Image 2 and 2.5 apply only to images generated through the Responses API, not through direct `/v1/images/*` calls, per the pricing page footnote.

Per-image dollar prices exist for only one of the three live models. The [image generation guide's "Calculating costs" section](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/image-generation#calculating-costs) publishes this table for `gpt-image-2`:

| `gpt-image-2` quality | 1024×1024 | 1024×1536 or 1536×1024 |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| Low | $0.006 | $0.005 |
| Medium | $0.053 | $0.041 |
| High | $0.211 | $0.165 |

For `gpt-image-2.5-sunburst` and `gpt-image-2.5-flare` there is no static table, only the guide's interactive calculator.

All three live models expose the same endpoints (`v1/images/generations`, `v1/images/edits`, `v1/batch`), support inpainting, and ship with the same default rate limits: 250,000 tokens and 20 images per minute on the Build tier, 3,000,000 and 150 on Launch, 8,000,000 and 250 on Grow.

## Latest OpenAI image generation model: GPT-Image-2.5 Sunburst and Flare

"Latest" has a precise meaning here. Both 2.5 models have a single dated snapshot, `2026-09-08`, and the alias IDs `gpt-image-2.5-sunburst` and `gpt-image-2.5-flare` resolve to it by default. The community announcement "Introducing GPT Images 2.5 in the API and ChatGPT" is dated September 8, 2026, which matches the snapshot. `gpt-image-2`'s only snapshot is `gpt-image-2-2026-04-21`, and OpenAI's "Introducing ChatGPT Images 2.0" post carries the same April 21, 2026 date.

What the 2.5 generation adds over earlier GPT Image models, according to the [image generation guide](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/image-generation) and the model pages:

- **Two more quality steps.** `quality` accepts `low`, `medium`, `high`, `xhigh`, `max`, and `auto` on both 2.5 models. Earlier GPT Image models, including `gpt-image-2`, stop at `high`.
- **A default on edits.** `/v1/images/edits` defaults to `gpt-image-2.5-sunburst` when you omit `model`. `/v1/images/generations` has no default; the reference tells you to specify a model explicitly.
- **Two positions instead of one headline model.** The guide now names only two current models and splits them by job: Sunburst where "editing precision matters most", Flare as "our fastest model for high-quality, everyday image generation".

If you pin snapshots in production, use the dated IDs (`gpt-image-2.5-sunburst-2026-09-08`, `gpt-image-2.5-flare-2026-09-08`). If you want to follow whatever OpenAI promotes as current, use the aliases and watch the deprecations page.

## Best OpenAI model for image generation: pick by job, not by name

![Match image settings and count the cost of accepted outputs](https://www.aifreeapi.com/posts/en/openai-image-generation-api-models/img/cost-per-usable-image.webp)

The honest short answer to "which OpenAI model is best for image generation" is that the three live models share identical token rates, so the choice is about fit and about how many tokens each one spends per image, not about a cheaper list price. Only `gpt-image-2` turns that into a published per-image price.

| Your job | Pick | Why, from the official pages |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Edits, inpainting, reference-image work where the result must respect the input | `gpt-image-2.5-sunburst` | Most capable model; aimed at workflows "where editing precision matters most"; default model on `/v1/images/edits` |
| Everyday generation at volume, latency matters | `gpt-image-2.5-flare` | "Our fastest model for high-quality, everyday image generation"; same `xhigh` / `max` options as Sunburst |
| Lowest documented price per image | `gpt-image-2` at `low` | $0.005–$0.006 per image on the guide's table; live with no shutdown date, so it stays the cheapest documented OpenAI option after December 1, 2026, when `gpt-image-1-mini` (also $0.005 at low 1024×1024) shuts down |
| Existing pipeline already on `gpt-image-2`, tuned for its size rules | `gpt-image-2` | Not deprecated, no shutdown date; documented free `WIDTHxHEIGHT` sizes with a 3,840 px max edge, both edges multiples of 16, long-to-short ratio up to 3:1, total pixels between 655,360 and 8,294,400 |
| Any of the deprecated IDs | Move to a 2.5 model before the date | OpenAI's stated replacement for `gpt-image-1`, `gpt-image-1.5`, `gpt-image-1-mini`, and `chatgpt-image-latest` is Sunburst or Flare |

### Why equal token rates do not mean equal cost per image

The guide states this directly: "Equal token rates don't mean equal cost per image." Cost comes from how many output image tokens a model spends for a given size and quality. OpenAI publishes those counts for earlier models: 272 tokens at `low`, 1,056 at `medium`, and 4,160 at `high` for a 1024×1024 image. Multiply by the output rate to get the image cost:

- `gpt-image-1.5` or `chatgpt-image-latest` at `medium`: 1,056 tokens × $32 per 1M = **$0.034**, which matches the $0.034 per-image price printed on the [chatgpt-image-latest model page](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/chatgpt-image-latest) for a 1024×1024 medium image. At `high`: 4,160 × $32 per 1M = $0.133, again matching the published $0.133.
- `gpt-image-2` spends a different number of tokens at the same rate as the 2.5 models. Working back from its published prices: $0.053 ÷ $30 per 1M ≈ 1,767 output tokens for a 1024×1024 medium image, and $0.006 ÷ $30 per 1M = 200 at low. Same $30 rate, very different bill depending on quality.
- For the 2.5 models, OpenAI has not published token counts or a per-image table, and the Sunburst model page says the GPT Image 2 calculator "does not estimate GPT Image 2.5 token consumption." As an illustration only: if a 2.5 image spent the same 1,056 tokens at `medium`, it would cost 1,056 × $30 per 1M = about $0.032. The real number may differ, especially at `xhigh` and `max`.

The practical way to settle Sunburst versus Flare versus GPT Image 2 for your own prompts: generate a small batch with each, read `usage.output_tokens` from every response (the Images API returns `usage` with `input_tokens`, `output_tokens`, and a split of image and text input tokens), and multiply by $30 per 1M. Add prompt text tokens at $5 per 1M; for most prompts they are a rounding error next to the image tokens. For a deeper side-by-side with request examples, see [GPT Image 2.5: Flare vs. Sunburst, Pricing, and API Examples](/en/posts/gpt-image-2-5); for per-image budgeting on the older generation, see [GPT Image 2 API Pricing: Cost per Image and Project Budget](/en/posts/openai-image-generation-api-pricing).

## Deprecated GPT Image models: gpt-image-1, 1.5, 1-mini, chatgpt-image-latest

These four IDs still answer requests today, which is why so much existing code still uses them. The dates on the [deprecations page](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/deprecations):

- **`gpt-image-1`**: deprecation announced April 22, 2026; shutdown **October 23, 2026**.
- **`gpt-image-1.5`**, **`gpt-image-1-mini`**, **`chatgpt-image-latest`**: announced June 2, 2026; shutdown **December 1, 2026**.
- Recommended replacement for all four: `gpt-image-2.5-sunburst` or `gpt-image-2.5-flare`.

What actually changes when you swap the ID:

- **Coming from `gpt-image-1.5` or `gpt-image-1`**: the request shape is the same, and the 2.5 image output rate is lower ($30 per 1M versus $32 for `gpt-image-1.5` and $40 for `gpt-image-1`). You gain `xhigh` and `max`. Whether your bill goes up or down depends on token consumption per image, so run the `usage` check above before and after.
- **Coming from `gpt-image-1-mini`**: budget for a rate increase on 2.5. Mini bills image output at $8 per 1M; the 2.5 models bill $30, which is 3.75 times the rate. If low cost was the reason you chose mini, test `gpt-image-2` at `low` first: $0.005–$0.006 per image on the official table, and it has no shutdown date. Also drop `input_fidelity` on edits: mini only accepted `low`, and the guide says to omit the parameter for the GPT Image 2 family, which always uses high-fidelity input. The [gpt-image-1-mini API](/en/posts/gpt-image-1-mini-api) page covers that model's request pattern if you need to read the old code before migrating.
- **Coming from `chatgpt-image-latest`**: this alias "points to the Image snapshot previously used in ChatGPT", and its model page already recommends GPT-Image-2.5 Sunburst for API use. Its published per-image prices ($0.009 / $0.034 / $0.133 for a 1024×1024 image at low / medium / high; $0.013 / $0.05 / $0.20 at 1024×1536 or 1536×1024) sit alongside the `gpt-image-2` table above as the two published baselines; compare both against your own 2.5 measurements, since the 2.5 models have no per-image table.

Nothing on the deprecations page lists `gpt-image-2` as deprecated. If you are on it and the April 2026 snapshot does what you need, you can stay; just plan around the fact that OpenAI's guide documents only the 2.5 models as current.

## Official OpenAI image generation API docs: which page answers what

OpenAI's official image generation API documentation is spread across six pages, and none of them contains the whole picture. This is where each fact lives:

| Official page | What it contains | What it does not |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Image generation guide](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/image-generation) | The two ways to generate (Images API vs Responses tool), current models and quality options, size rules for `gpt-image-2`, token rates, the per-image price table for `gpt-image-2`, the cost calculator for 2.5, `moderation_blocked` errors | Shutdown dates; a per-image price table for the 2.5 models (calculator only) |
| [All models](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/all) | The three live image models with one-line positioning; a Deprecated list that includes GPT-Image-1.5, chatgpt-image-latest, GPT-Image-1 Mini, and GPT-Image-1 | Dates; rates |
| Model pages ([Sunburst](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/gpt-image-2.5-sunburst), [Flare](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/gpt-image-2.5-flare), [GPT Image 2](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/gpt-image-2)) | Snapshot IDs, supported endpoints, quality options, token rates, default rate limits per tier | A shutdown date for `chatgpt-image-latest` (its own page shows none; the date is on the deprecations page) |
| [Images API reference](https://developers.openai.com/api/reference/resources/images) | Every request parameter, the `model` enum, the response shape (`b64_json`, `usage`) | Which enum values still work; it lists retired `dall-e-*` IDs and the retired `/v1/images/variations` endpoint |
| [Deprecations](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/deprecations) | Announcement date, shutdown date, and recommended replacement per model | Anything about capabilities |
| [Pricing](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/pricing) | Token rates for every GPT Image model, Standard and Batch, plus the footnote on cached input and Responses | Per-image dollar figures; it points you to the guide's cost section |

Two more pages matter for adjacent questions: the [Responses image generation tool guide](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/tools-image-generation) for multi-turn generation inside a conversation, and the [Images and vision guide](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/images-vision) for the recognition side covered next.

## OpenAI model for image recognition: use a mainline model, not GPT Image

If your task is to *read* an image (classify it, extract text, describe a screenshot, answer questions about a photo), you do not use a GPT Image model at all. GPT Image models produce images. The Sunburst, Flare, and GPT Image 2 model pages list only `v1/images/generations`, `v1/images/edits`, and `v1/batch` as supported endpoints; a GPT Image ID is not accepted as the top-level `model` of a Responses or Chat Completions request.

Image recognition in the OpenAI API means sending the image as input to a mainline language model through the Responses API or Chat Completions. The [Images and vision guide](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/images-vision) lists these models for image input as of October 9, 2026: `gpt-6-astra`, `gpt-5.6-sol`, `gpt-5.6-terra`, `gpt-5.6-luna`, `gpt-5.5`, `gpt-5.4`, `gpt-5.4-mini`, `gpt-5.4-nano`, `gpt-5.2`, `gpt-5.1`, `gpt-4.1`, `gpt-4.1-mini`, `gpt-4o`, and `gpt-4o-mini`. The same page marks `gpt-5`, `gpt-5-mini`, `gpt-5-nano`, `gpt-4.1-nano`, `o1`, `o1-pro`, `o3`, and `o4-mini` as deprecated for this use.

So the two-sentence routing rule is: text or image in, text out → a mainline model from that list. Text or image in, image out → `gpt-image-2.5-sunburst`, `gpt-image-2.5-flare`, or `gpt-image-2`. A single Responses request can do both, by giving a mainline model the `image_generation` tool, which is the next section.

## OpenAI image generation API: model choice vs endpoint choice

![Images API and Responses image tool use different model fields](https://www.aifreeapi.com/posts/en/openai-image-generation-api-models/img/api-surface-split.webp)

After you have picked a model ID, there are still two places it can go, and putting it in the wrong field is the most common reason a correct ID "does not exist".

**Images API (`POST /v1/images/generations` and `POST /v1/images/edits`).** The guide's rule: "If you only need to generate or edit a single image from one prompt, the Image API is your best choice." The GPT Image model ID goes straight into `model`. GPT Image models always return the image inline as base64 in `data[].b64_json`; `url` is unsupported for them, and there is no endpoint to fetch an image later by ID, so your code has to decode and store the bytes itself. Edits accept up to 16 input images and an optional `mask`. The old `/v1/images/variations` endpoint is retired; use edits with a prompt instead. Ready-to-copy requests are in [OpenAI Image Generation API cURL: Current Generate and Edit Requests](/en/posts/openai-image-generation-api-curl).

**Responses API with the `image_generation` tool.** For conversations, multi-step edits, or generating an image as part of a larger agent flow, the top-level `model` is a mainline text model and the GPT Image model goes inside the tool:

```json
{
  "model": "gpt-5.5",
  "input": "Draw a line-art icon of a paper plane, then make it blue",
  "tools": [
    { "type": "image_generation", "model": "gpt-image-2.5-sunburst" }
  ]
}
```

The tool-level `model` accepts `gpt-image-2.5-sunburst`, `gpt-image-2.5-flare`, `gpt-image-2`, and, until their shutdown dates, `gpt-image-1.5`, `gpt-image-1`, and `gpt-image-1-mini`. For the top-level model, the guide says image generation in Responses "requires gpt-5 or a newer model"; the tool page lists a wider set, so pick a current mainline model and confirm support on its model page before you rely on it. The image comes back as an `image_generation_call` item whose `result` is base64; pass `previous_response_id` to keep editing the same image across turns. Two billing consequences: Responses requests also bill the mainline model's tokens, and this is the only path where the $2 cached image input rate applies. Each streamed partial image adds 100 output tokens. The endpoint-level comparison, including what the Responses `ig_` IDs are and are not, is in [OpenAI Image Generation API Endpoint](/en/posts/openai-image-generation-api-endpoint); streaming previews are covered in [OpenAI Image Generation API Streaming: How Partial Image Previews Work](/en/posts/openai-image-generation-api-streaming).

## GPT Image request fails: check shutdown date, field, and parameters first



Most "the model does not exist" or "invalid parameter" failures around these IDs come from one of five things, in this order:

1. **The ID has passed its shutdown date.** `gpt-image-1` after October 23, 2026, or any of `gpt-image-1.5`, `gpt-image-1-mini`, `chatgpt-image-latest` after December 1, 2026. `dall-e-3` and `dall-e-2` already fail. Switch to a 2.5 model.
2. **The ID is in the wrong field.** A GPT Image ID at the top level of a Responses request is rejected; it belongs in `tools[].model`. Conversely, the `model` enum on `/v1/images/generations` contains only image model IDs, so a mainline model ID does not work there.
3. **A quality value the model does not support.** `xhigh` and `max` exist only on `gpt-image-2.5-sunburst` and `gpt-image-2.5-flare`. Earlier models accept `low`, `medium`, `high`, and `auto`.
4. **A parameter the model rejects.** `input_fidelity` should be omitted for the GPT Image 2 family; `gpt-image-1-mini` only accepted `low`. Free `WIDTHxHEIGHT` sizes must respect the 3,840 px edge limit, multiples of 16, the 3:1 ratio, and the pixel bounds listed above. `background: "transparent"` requires `png` or `webp` output and is marked "in preview" for `gpt-image-2`.
5. **The request was blocked, not misrouted.** A content refusal returns error code `moderation_blocked` with `moderation_details` that tell you the categories and whether it was the input or the output stage. Changing the model ID will not fix it.

If the error text mentions organization verification rather than the model or a parameter, that is an account-state problem; follow [Fix GPT Image 2's 'Your organization must be verified' Error](/en/posts/openai-image-generation-api-verification) rather than swapping IDs.

## FAQ

**Which GPT models do image generation in the OpenAI API?**

Three live ones as of October 9, 2026: `gpt-image-2.5-sunburst`, `gpt-image-2.5-flare`, and `gpt-image-2`. Four more still respond but are deprecated: `gpt-image-1` until October 23, 2026, and `gpt-image-1.5`, `gpt-image-1-mini`, and `chatgpt-image-latest` until December 1, 2026. Mainline models such as `gpt-5.5` can trigger image generation in the Responses API, but the image itself is always rendered by one of the GPT Image models above.

**What is the latest OpenAI image generation model?**

GPT-Image-2.5, in two variants: `gpt-image-2.5-sunburst` (most capable, editing precision) and `gpt-image-2.5-flare` (fastest for everyday generation). Both have the `2026-09-08` snapshot.

**Is `gpt-image-2` deprecated?**

No. As of October 9, 2026, it is listed among the three live image models and does not appear on the deprecations page. Its only snapshot is `gpt-image-2-2026-04-21`, its token rates are identical to the 2.5 models, and it is the only live model with an official per-image table ($0.005–$0.006 at low, up to $0.211 for a 1024×1024 high-quality image).

**Is DALL·E 3 still available in the OpenAI API?**

No. `dall-e-3` and `dall-e-2` were shut down on May 12, 2026. The IDs still appear in the API reference's `model` enum, but requests no longer succeed. Use a GPT Image model; note that GPT Image models return base64 only and do not return `revised_prompt` on the Images API.

**Which OpenAI model is best for image processing or recognition?**

A mainline model with image input through the Responses API or Chat Completions, not a GPT Image model. The Images and vision guide currently lists `gpt-6-astra`, the `gpt-5.6` models, `gpt-5.5`, the `gpt-5.4` family, `gpt-5.2`, `gpt-5.1`, `gpt-4.1`, `gpt-4.1-mini`, `gpt-4o`, and `gpt-4o-mini` for that job.

**What image model does ChatGPT use, and can I call it from the API?**

The API alias `chatgpt-image-latest` points to the image snapshot *previously* used in ChatGPT, not the current one, and it shuts down on December 1, 2026. OpenAI's September 8, 2026 announcement introduced GPT Images 2.5 "in the API and ChatGPT" together, so for API work the model page's own recommendation applies: use `gpt-image-2.5-sunburst`.