GPT Image 2.6 is here: animated GIFs and SVG vectors

OpenAI released GPT Image 2.6 on 4 November, and it is live on Lightlyn Images now, in Flare and Sunburst. Describe a moving loop and get a GIF; describe a logo and get an SVG you can edit. Below: real results, and the same prompts on 2.6 and 2.5.

By Linger · Tested 5 November 2026 · Published 5 November 2026

Animated GIF

A short loop that plays forever, from a sentence or from your own photo.

SVG vector

Logos, icons and illustrations as clean shapes you can edit and scale.

Make a GIF Make an SVG

New accounts get 30 free credits¹. GPT Image 2.5 stays available.

Animated GIF: an orange cat mascot holding a glowing lantern waves and blinks — **2.6 Flare** · a mascot that waves

Real GIFs, nine frames each. Not retouched.

Animated GIF: a white LIGHTLYN earbuds case opens, the earbuds rise and settle, the lid closes — **2.6 Sunburst** · a product that opens

What’s new

What GPT Image 2.6 adds

Same two versions as before: Flare for speed, Sunburst for precision. You choose for every message.

Animated GIFs

Nine frames at 0.2 seconds each, looping forever. Up to 1280 × 720 per frame. Start from a description or from a photo you upload, and keep editing in the same chat.

SVG vectors

Real vector files: paths, shapes and colors, no embedded pictures. Open them in Figma, Illustrator or Inkscape, or put them straight on a website.

A faster Flare

In our five tests 2.6 Flare was the fastest model every time, 1.1 to 1.7 times faster than 2.5 Flare. 2.6 Sunburst was slower than 2.5 Sunburst on its second day.

2.5 is still here

Pick GPT Image 2.5 Flare or Sunburst in the same menu. For an edit where every untouched pixel matters, 2.5 Sunburst still did best in our test.

New · Animated GIF

Describe the motion, get a loop

Choose GPT Image 2.6, open Advanced and pick GIF as the format, then say what moves.

What we saw: the case, the earbuds and the LIGHTLYN label stayed the same in every frame, and each loop ends where it starts. From a photo, the cup and the table stayed put; only the steam and the light move.

Make a GIF

Still photo: a latte with heart art on a wooden café table by the window — **The photo** · a still image

The same photo as an animated GIF: steam rises and curls above the latte — **Made to move** · 2.6 Flare · 22.8 s · GIF, 1152 × 768

Prompts (Animated GIF; mascot and product 1:1 high, photo 3:2 high)

Mascot (2.6 Flare, 20.9 s): A cheerful round orange cat mascot with a tiny lantern, waving hello and blinking, soft flat illustration style, clean pastel background, gentle seamless loop.

Product (2.6 Sunburst, 38.6 s): A white wireless earbuds charging case labelled "LIGHTLYN" on a sage-green studio background: the lid opens, the two earbuds rise and float a little, then settle back and the lid closes. Clean product animation, seamless loop.

Photo (2.6 Flare, with the photo uploaded): Make this photo move: gentle steam rises and curls above the latte, soft light flickers slightly. Keep the cup, the table and the window exactly as they are. Seamless loop.

Download the originals: mascot GIF · product GIF (960 × 960 each).

New · SVG vector

Logos, icons and illustrations as vectors

Pick SVG as the format in Advanced. Only the ratio matters: a vector has no fixed pixel size.

What we saw: clean, editable files of 2 to 13 KB. The logo spelled its name right, the six weather icons share one stroke width, and the photo became a flat illustration with the same cup and vase. SVGs take longer: 70 to 95 seconds.

Make an SVG

Logo · 2.6 Flare · 69.2 s · SVG

Icon set · 2.6 Sunburst · 67.2 s · SVG

Photo: a latte on a saucer beside a small vase of white flowers by a café window — **The photo**

The same scene as a flat vector illustration in warm browns and cream — **As a vector** · 2.6 Sunburst · 95.0 s · SVG

Prompts (Vector; logo 1:1, icons and photo 3:2)

Logo: A logo for a small coffee roastery called "Harbor Roast": a simple coffee bean merged with a wave, the name in clean bold lettering below, two colours, deep navy and warm orange.

Icons: A set of six matching line icons for a weather app arranged in a 3 by 2 grid: sun, cloud, rain, snow, thunderstorm, wind. Consistent stroke width, rounded ends, one accent colour.

Photo (with the photo uploaded): Turn this photo into a clean flat vector illustration with a limited warm palette, keeping the cup, the latte art and the window.

2.6 vs 2.5

Same five prompts, four models

The prompts from our 2.5 Flare vs Sunburst test, run again on all four models at the same moment. Times are how long each took to answer, as measured by our gateway.

Test	Flare2.5 → 2.6	Sunburst2.5 → 2.6	What we saw
1 · Realistic photoA short, simple prompt	10.9 → 9.7 s	15.5 → 18.1 s	All four convincing.
2 · Event posterA title and a subtitle	25.5 → 15.0 s	40.0 → 48.2 s	Every word right in all four.
3 · Product adBrand name and two claims	17.7 → 11.8 s	18.7 → 20.2 s	All exact; 2.6 sets the claims bigger and cleaner.
4 · Scale diagramSeven levels, many rules	25.9 → 18.6 s	40.8 → 53.3 s	2.6 Flare now follows the rules that tripped up 2.5 Flare.
5 · Change one thingYour photo, sofa only	24.0 → 17.0 s	24.4 → 41.2 s	2.5 Sunburst left the rest of the room most intact.

Test 1 of 5 · Simple

A realistic photo

One subject, a mood, a camera style.

Verdict: all four pass as real photos. 2.6 brings out the glaze and the wood grain a little more. Flare 2.6 was the quickest.

Try it with 2.6 Flare

2.5 Flare: a latte on a saucer on a round wooden table by the window — **2.5 Flare** · 10.9 s

2.6 Flare: a rustic glazed latte cup on a sunlit wooden table — **2.6 Flare** · 9.7 s

2.5 Sunburst: a latte with a small jar of flowers and a street outside — **2.5 Sunburst** · 15.5 s

2.6 Sunburst: a latte beside a glass vase of white flowers by the window — **2.6 Sunburst** · 18.1 s

Prompt (Realistic photography template, 3:2)

Subject: a ceramic cup of latte with simple heart latte art, set in a quiet neighborhood café by the window.
Photography style: 35mm, shallow depth of field, documentary style.
Lighting: natural light, mood: calm, early morning.
Detail requirements: ceramic glaze, milk foam texture, slight film grain.
Output: A highly realistic photographic image.

Test 2 of 5 · Text

An event poster with a title

A title, plus a subtitle with a time and a place.

Verdict: every word right in all four. 2.6 Flare finished in 15 seconds instead of 25, with a tidier layout. Both Sunburst versions put the subtitle at the foot of the poster.

Try it with 2.6 Flare

2.5 Flare: SUMMER NIGHT MARKET poster with lanterns over a crowded street and a noodle cook — **2.5 Flare** · 25.5 s

2.6 Flare: the same title and subtitle over a red stall, a Ferris wheel and a crowd — **2.6 Flare** · 15.0 s

2.5 Sunburst: vintage poster with NIGHT in orange, a cook at a steaming stall, subtitle at the bottom — **2.5 Sunburst** · 40.0 s

2.6 Sunburst: harbor night market with a noodle cook, diners and the subtitle on a dark band at the bottom — **2.6 Sunburst** · 48.2 s

Prompt (Poster layout template, 2:3)

Design an event poster themed around a summer night market, paper lanterns and street food.
Main visual: strings of glowing paper lanterns over a busy noodle stall, title copy: "SUMMER NIGHT MARKET", subtitle: "Fridays · 6–11 PM · Harbor Square".
Layout: centered composition, style: vintage.
Colors: deep navy + warm orange, mood: lively, nostalgic.
Output: A high-resolution poster suitable for social media.

Test 3 of 5 · Text

A product ad with a brand name

The brand on the case, two selling points with icons.

Verdict: every word exact in all four. Both 2.6 models set the two claims larger and cleaner, closer to a finished ad. For your own product, start from its photo: see product photos.

Try it with 2.6 Flare

2.5 Flare: open LIGHTLYN case with earbuds in front and two small icons on the right — **2.5 Flare** · 17.7 s

2.6 Flare: LIGHTLYN case with earbuds inside, 40H BATTERY and NOISE CANCELLING in large type below — **2.6 Flare** · 11.8 s

2.5 Sunburst: LIGHTLYN case with earbuds inside and two small icons at the top — **2.5 Sunburst** · 18.7 s

2.6 Sunburst: a larger LIGHTLYN case with the two claims in a clean row along the top — **2.6 Sunburst** · 20.2 s

Prompt (Product commerce template, 1:1)

Generate a LIGHTLYN wireless earbuds e-commerce hero image, featuring a 40-hour battery and active noise cancelling.
Scene: studio shot on a solid sage-green background, shot: close-up.
Material details: matte white ceramic finish, brushed metal accents, lighting: rim lighting.
Additional elements: two selling-point icons with the copy "40H BATTERY" and "NOISE CANCELLING", and the word "LIGHTLYN" on the charging case.
Output: A product display image ready for direct use on e-commerce platforms.

Test 4 of 5 · Hard

A scientific scale diagram

Six to eight levels, frames of different sizes, a list of don’ts.

Verdict: the biggest step forward. 2.5 Flare again drew a strip of near-equal frames; 2.6 Flare drew growing frames from 1 nm to a 40,000-bee colony, in order, as both Sunburst versions did, and in 19 seconds instead of 41 to 53.

Try it with 2.6 Flare

2.5 Flare: seven similar-sized frames in one row from molecule to colony — **2.5 Flare** · 25.9 s · one row, similar sizes

2.6 Flare: frames growing down a diagonal, molecule 1 nm, cell 10 µm, hair 100 µm, eye 2 mm, wing 1 cm, bee 1.5 cm, colony — **2.6 Flare** · 18.6 s · growing, in order

2.5 Sunburst: four hexagons above three large circles, molecule to colony — **2.5 Sunburst** · 40.8 s · growing, in order

2.6 Sunburst: frames climbing from a molecule at the bottom to the colony at the top, each labelled — **2.6 Sunburst** · 53.3 s · growing, in order

Prompt (Scientific scale diagram template, 3:4)

Generate a scientific scale-zoom infographic for the honeybee.
Structure: 6–8 circular or hexagonal frames arranged in a progression of scales from microscopic to macroscopic.
Each frame contains: a scale name, an insight of 3–5 words, a unit of measurement or magnification, and a highly detailed 3D rendering at that scale.
Connect the scales with thin lines and avoid repeating levels. Use the title "HONEYBEE: AT EVERY SCALE".
Style: scientific editorial infographic, precise macro lighting, clear hierarchy, short, readable text.
Constraints: no generic magnifying-glass icons, do not depict all scales at the same size, and do not cram in long paragraphs of body text.

Test 5 of 5 · Your photo

Change one thing, leave the rest alone

Recolor the sofa, nothing else.

Verdict: all four sofas look right, but 2.5 kept the rest of the room closer to the original. Outside the sofa, 2.6 Sunburst changed about 1.5 times as much as 2.5 Sunburst, and 2.6 Flare about twice as much as 2.5 Flare. For edits like this, use 2.5 Sunburst; our photo pages still start on it.

Edit a photo

2.5 Flare: the living room with a dark green velvet sofa — **2.5 Flare** · 24.0 s

2.6 Flare: the living room with a dark green velvet sofa — **2.6 Flare** · 17.0 s

2.5 Sunburst: the living room with a dark green velvet sofa — **2.5 Sunburst** · 24.4 s

2.6 Sunburst: the living room with a dark green velvet sofa — **2.6 Sunburst** · 41.2 s

Difference map for 2.5 Flare: the sofa bright, the table and dog faint — **What changed** · 2.5 Flare

Difference map for 2.6 Flare: the sofa bright, the notebooks and shelves clearly visible too — **What changed** · 2.6 Flare

Difference map for 2.5 Sunburst: mostly the sofa, the rest dark — **What changed** · 2.5 Sunburst

Difference map for 2.6 Sunburst: the sofa bright, the table and notebooks faintly visible — **What changed** · 2.6 Sunburst

Black is unchanged; the brighter, the more a pixel moved from the original photo.

Prompt (what the photo editor page fills in)

Change only the sofa to dark green velvet. Keep everything else in the photo unchanged.

How to choose

Which model for what

All four are in the model menu, and you can switch for every message.

2.6 Flare

New images from a prompt: the fastest model in every test.
Posters, product ads and diagrams with rules.
Animated GIFs and SVGs when you want them quickly.

2.6 Sunburst

GIFs where a product or label must stay exact in every frame.
Icon sets and vectors that need consistent detail.
When you would rather wait than redo.

2.5 Sunburst

Editing your own photo when the rest must stay as it was.
Removing a background or changing one thing.

2.5 Flare

The look you already know, for series you started on 2.5.

How we tested

Fair, small and repeatable

Same request, one run each

Tested on 5 November 2026, the day after release, through Lightlyn’s own request code. For each test the four models started at the same moment. All 26 results succeeded first time: no retries, no picking, no retouching.

What the numbers mean

Standard size, about 1 megapixel; GIFs at 960 × 960 and 1152 × 768 per frame. Times run from sending the request to the answer starting to arrive, measured by our gateway, so download time is left out. Speeds on day two may not last.

FAQ

GPT Image 2.6, briefly

What is new in GPT Image 2.6?

Animated GIF output, SVG vector output, and in our tests a noticeably faster and more rule-following Flare. Like 2.5, it comes in two versions: Flare and Sunburst.

How do I make a GIF or an SVG?

In the studio, choose GPT Image 2.6, open Advanced and pick GIF or SVG as the format, then describe what you want. Writing “make a GIF” alone is not enough: without the format you get a still image.

How long is a GIF, and how big?

Nine frames at 0.2 seconds, so about 1.8 seconds, looping forever. Frames are made at the largest size, about 920,000 pixels: 1280 × 720 at 16:9, 1088 × 816 at 4:3, 960 × 960 at 1:1.

Can I animate my own photo?

Yes. Upload it, choose Animated GIF under Advanced and describe the motion. In our test the cup and table stayed as they were and only the steam moved.

Can I edit the SVG files?

Yes. They are plain vector drawings with paths and colors, no embedded pictures or scripts, so any vector editor opens them. Results are simplified, flat designs rather than photos.

Is GPT Image 2.6 better than 2.5?

For new images, 2.6 Flare matched or beat 2.5 in every test and was faster. For editing your own photo, 2.5 Sunburst left the rest of the picture more intact, so we keep both.

What do Quality and Complexity under Advanced do?

Quality sets how fine the detail is: High or Max gives more detail and takes a little longer. Complexity, on 2.6 only, sets how carefully the composition is planned: turn it up for busy scenes, careful layouts, charts or comics. Both start on Auto.

What does it cost?

Still images cost the same on 2.6 and 2.5: 1 to 4 credits by size. An SVG costs 2 credits, a GIF 8. High or Max quality in Advanced multiplies the credits by 2 or 4 (starter pack or subscription required). Failed generations are refunded. See pricing.

Can I try it for free?

New accounts get 30 free credits¹ and 3 more with each daily check-in, enough for several GIFs and SVGs.

Make your first GIF or SVG

Pick GPT Image 2.6, choose the format under Advanced, and describe it.

Make a GIF Make an SVG

Free credits (the sign-up gift and daily check-ins) are for accounts registered with a common email provider such as Gmail, Outlook, iCloud or Yahoo, or with a school address. Daily quantities are limited, and free credits expire after 30 days.

GPT Image 2.6, GPT Image 2.5, Flare and Sunburst are models by OpenAI. Lightlyn is an independent product, not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenAI.