OpenAI released GPT-Image-2.6 as two API models—Flare for rapid iteration and Sunburst for detailed compositions—claiming 50% faster generation than the prior version, with Flare achieving latency as low as six seconds at low quality. The update introduces a complexity parameter (low, medium, high; default high) that controls pre-render planning without extra fees, alongside markup-guided edits, animated GIF output, and SVG export for scalable assets such as icons and UI elements. ChatGPT users can now create GIFs from prompts or photos, adjust frame speed, edit frames individually, and save reference images of people or characters for reuse. OpenAI reports usage exceeding four billion images weekly across ChatGPT and the API, up from three billion eight weeks earlier, averaging over 500 million daily. Pricing remains token-based and identical for both models: $5.00 per million text input tokens ($1.25 cached), $8.00 per million image input tokens ($2.00 cached), and $30.00 per million image output tokens. Compared to Google Nano Banana 2.1 ($0.0336–$0.113 per 1K image) and BFL FLUX 3 Image ($0.048–$0.607 per 1K image), OpenAI offers native GIF and SVG output but lacks published per-image cost transparency and benchmark scores. Both Flare and Sunburst are closed-weight, OpenAI-hosted only, with undisclosed parameter counts and maximum reference image limits.