GPT Image 2.6: Flare vs. Sunburst, GIFs, and the December 1 Deadline

OpenAI released GPT Image 2.6 on November 4 with two API models, Flare and Sunburst, plus GIF output, SVG export, and a new complexity parameter. OpenAI is retiring three older image model IDs — gpt-image-1-mini, gpt-image-1.5, and chatgpt-image-latest — on December 1, 2026, with gpt-image-2.5-flare or gpt-image-2.5-sunburst recommended as replacements and no migration fee for the model ID swap.

OpenAI released GPT Image 2.6 on November 4 with two distinct API models — Flare and Sunburst — alongside GIF output, SVG export, and a new complexity parameter. It also started a countdown: three older image model IDs retire on December 1, 2026. If you’re calling gpt-image-1-mini, gpt-image-1.5, or chatgpt-image-latest in production today, you have three weeks. The December 1 Deadline Is Real OpenAI is retiring three model IDs on December 1, 2026: The recommended replacements are gpt-image-2.5-flare or gpt-image-2.5-sunburst — 2.6 variants work too. There’s no migration fee; it’s a model ID swap. But that doesn’t mean it’s invisible: … The post