OpenAI releases ChatGPT Images 2.5 with two API variants, Sketch feature, prompt sharing, and Adobe Firefly as a launch integration
OpenAI Images 2.5 launches with Adobe Firefly as first named integration
The Adobe Firefly integration extends Images 2.5 into an established enterprise creative tool at launch, broadening reach beyond direct ChatGPT users. Speed improvements and two differentiated API models affect developers and creators choosing how to deploy image generation at scale.
The full picture
OpenAI released ChatGPT Images 2.5 on September 8, 2026, with up to 50% lower latency than Images 2.0 and improvements to detail, lighting, texture, multi-turn instruction-following, and subject preservation in reference photos. Two API model variants ship with the release: GPT-Image-2.5 Flare, the default for fast everyday generation, and GPT-Image-2.5 Sunburst, a slower, higher-control option for production creative work. Adobe is a launch customer and has integrated the model into Firefly. The release rolls out across all ChatGPT tiers on desktop, mobile, and web. A Sketch feature lets users draw directly in ChatGPT as a visual reference for the model to render, and a prompt-sharing feature lets users distribute prompts alongside generated images for remixing. OpenAI reports more than 3 billion images are generated weekly across ChatGPT Images and the GPT-Image API, though the figure is self-reported. Pricing, architecture details, and numerical benchmarks comparing Flare and Sunburst have not been officially confirmed.
How it developed
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