Fast enough to iterate
Two to four times quicker than GPT Image 2 in our run. Try three directions in the time one used to take, then keep the best.
GPT Image 2.5 Flare
OpenAI's fastest image model.
Get this pack · $10$18$42.50$187.50$280
20% off with GPTIMAGE20 GPTIMAGE20 applied
What is GPT Image 2.5 Flare?
GPT Image 2.5 Flare is OpenAI's fast image model, released on September 8, 2026 alongside Sunburst. OpenAI calls it the default choice for most work: better images than GPT Image 2 at half the latency.
It ranked second on LMArena's text-to-image and image-edit leaderboards in late September 2026, behind only Sunburst, and spelled every word right in our tests, Japanese included. Use it for drafts, social posts, mockups and quick rounds of edits.
What it does best
Social posts and thumbnails
Carousel covers, thumbnails and ads with the exact headline you typed, in a layout that already fits the feed.
Product and app mockups
Put a logo on a tote, a label on a bottle or a screen in an app, with text that stays readable.
Quick edits that keep the product
Swap the background and keep the bottle, the cap and every word on the label. Say what changes and what stays.
Same prompt, three models
One try per model with Fiddl's settings, nothing retouched. Times are from our run on October 3, 2026.
Jazz night poster
All three spelled every line correctly.
Candid cafe portrait
Three natural, believable candids from the same sentence.
Coffee infographic
Flare added a kicker and two taglines nobody asked for; the other two used only the requested text.
More examples
First tries with GPT Image 2.5 Flare, nothing retouched. Tap one to see its prompt.
It can add words you did not ask for
On our coffee infographic Flare added a kicker and two taglines that were not in the prompt; Sunburst and GPT Image 2 used only the requested text. When the wording matters, end the prompt with "no extra text", or use Sunburst.
Flare or Sunburst?
Pick Flare when speed matters and everyday quality meets the brief: drafts, variations, social content, mockups. Switch to Sunburst when a face, a product or a line of copy must come through an edit unchanged, or when Flare's result is close but not quite right. Both cost the same per image on Fiddl.
| Model | Flare | Sunburst | GPT Image 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Fast everyday images and edits | Precise edits and polished campaign work | Lettering and layouts on a budget |
| Speed in our test | 27 s | 40 s | 99 s |
| LMArena text-to-image September 24, 2026 | #2 | #1 | #3 |
| LMArena image editing September 29, 2026 | #2 | #1 | #3 |
| Images with the Studio pack | about 125 | about 125 | about 250 |
| Reference images | up to 16 | up to 16 | up to 10 |
| Released |
Prompting tips that work
Condensed from OpenAI's image prompting guide and our own tests.
- Start with the deliverable: "Instagram carousel cover", "product photo", "app screen".
- Put every word that must appear in quotes, and add "no extra text".
- For edits, say "change only" the one thing, then list what must stay the same.
- Draft fast with Flare; when something must be exact, run the final with Sunburst.
- Give the real numbers and labels for charts and menus; the model will not invent them correctly.
Start creating with GPT Image 2.5 Flare
Launch offer 20% off any pack with code GPTIMAGE20
Code GPTIMAGE20 applied: 20% off every pack
- One payment. No subscription.
- Works with every model on Fiddl, not just this one.
- Failed generations are restored automatically.
- Make Images Worth Keeping is included as your visual starting point
Already on Fiddl? Open GPT Image 2.5 Flare in the app Use code GPTIMAGE20 on your next pack
Questions, answered
What is GPT Image 2.5 Flare?
OpenAI's fast image model for everyday generation and editing, released on September 8, 2026. It takes text and up to 16 reference images on Fiddl and makes images up to 4K in 11 aspect ratios.
Flare or Sunburst: which should I use?
Flare for speed: drafts, social posts, mockups and lots of variations. Sunburst for precision: campaign creative, product edits and faces that must stay the same. In our test Flare took about 27 seconds per image and Sunburst about 40; on Fiddl they cost the same.
Is Flare better than GPT Image 2?
OpenAI says Flare is higher quality than GPT Image 2 at half the latency, and Flare ranked above GPT Image 2 on LMArena's leaderboards in late September 2026. OpenAI's own prompting guide is more modest and calls the quality comparable, so think of Flare as GPT Image 2 quality or better, much faster.
How much does Flare cost on Fiddl?
About 25 Flare images with the $10 Starter pack and about 125 with the $42.50 Studio pack, from $0.28 per image on the largest pack. 4K images cost a little more. During the launch, code GPTIMAGE20 takes 20% off any pack until November 2, 2026.
Can I use Flare for free?
There is no free tier for Flare on Fiddl. Packs are one-time payments from $10 with no subscription, and the balance stays in your account.
Can Flare edit my own photos?
Yes. Add up to 16 reference images, say what should change and what must stay, and Flare edits from them. For difficult edits where a face or a product must be preserved exactly, Sunburst is the stronger choice.
Can Flare make transparent backgrounds?
OpenAI's API supports transparent output, but Fiddl currently returns images with a normal background. Ask for a plain white background, then remove it with Fiddl's background remover.
Do I need to write prompts myself?
No. Describe what you need and your creation agent writes the prompt and picks the model. Every example here shows the exact prompt we used, if you want a starting point.