OpenAI
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GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst API

GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst API: OpenAI's newest image model for detailed work, from $0.008 per image.

Price per image85%off
1K
$0.008$0.053
2K
$0.025$0.055
4K
$0.035$0.10
Animated GIF
$0.028$0.035
Cache-write pricesAll prices
Get your API keyTry it in the playground
Model IDgpt-image-2.6-sunburstUpdated
generate.py
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.zurelay.com/v1",
    api_key="YOUR_ZURELAY_KEY",
)
image = client.images.generate(
    model="gpt-image-2.6-sunburst",
    prompt="A red fox sitting in fresh snow at dawn, photo",
    size="1536x1024",
    quality="high",
)
print(image.data[0].url)

Base URL https://api.zurelay.com/v1. Works with any OpenAI SDK. GPT Image guide

Sizes
Up to 3840 px
Price
By size, 1K to 4K
Input
Text, Image
Output
Image
Released
Nov 4, 2026
Status
Operational

Examples

Made with GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst. Straight from the API.

Every image and GIF here is a single API call with the prompt underneath it, not retouched or upscaled. They're shown as compressed WebP; the API returns full-quality PNG, and each GIF opens full size as it was made.

Make your own
  • Macro photograph of a watchmaker's hands assembling a mechanical watch movement with fine tweezers, tiny gold gears and ruby jewels in sharp focus, a loupe and tools on a green leather bench mat, warm lamp light, shallow depth of field.
  • A steaming cup of coffee with swirling steam, cozy illustration, seamless loop.
  • A vintage botanical illustration plate of a maidenhair fern, fine ink lines and soft watercolor, labeled parts with thin leader lines: "frond", "pinnule", "rachis", "rhizome", and the title "ADIANTUM CAPILLUS-VENERIS" in small capitals at the bottom, aged cream paper.
  • The grand reading hall of an old library at golden hour, tall arched windows casting long beams of light across rows of wooden desks with green lamps, towering bookshelves and a spiral staircase, dust in the air, architectural photography, ultra detailed.
  • A sleepy orange cat curled up on a windowsill, its tail swishing slowly, raindrops running down the window behind it, warm cozy illustration, seamless loop.
  • Overhead food photograph of a bowl of tonkotsu ramen with a halved soft-boiled egg, chashu pork, nori, scallions and sesame seeds, steam rising, on a dark wooden table with chopsticks, moody natural light, food magazine style.

Pricing

GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst API pricing. A fraction of the list price.

Pay as you go from prepaid credit, with no subscription. Top up from $10. Requests that fail are never billed.

RateZurelayOpenAI list
1K image
up to 1024 × 1024, any quality
$0.008$0.053
2K image
up to 2560 × 1440, any quality
$0.025$0.055
4K image
larger, to 3840 × 2160, any quality
$0.035$0.10
Animated GIF
9 frames, each up to 512 × 512
$0.028$0.035
Animated GIF
9 frames, each up to 768 × 768
$0.045$0.059
Animated GIF
9 frames, each up to 960 × 960
$0.064$0.083

Priced by size, always high quality. OpenAI's prices are what it bills by output tokens for a 1024 × 1024, a 2560 × 1440 and a 3840 × 2160 image at high quality.

Every GPT Image model and price
Savings calculator

Move the sliders to your monthly usage.

Images per month1,000
Resolution
Zurelay
$8.00
OpenAI list price
$53.00
You save every month$45.00

$540.00 a year

Cost

GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst API cost, worked out.

Typical workloads at Zurelay's live prices, next to the list price.

  • One image

    1 image at 1K.

    $0.008$0.053 at list

  • A product catalog

    100 images at 2K.

    $2.50$5.50 at list

  • A month of social posts

    1,000 images at 1K.

    $8.00$53.00 at list

Overview

What is GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst?

GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst is OpenAI's image model for detailed visual work, released on November 4, 2026. The GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst API on Zurelay makes and edits detailed images from a text prompt and up to 16 reference images, through OpenAI-compatible endpoints. Every image is made at high quality, from $0.008 at 1K to $0.035 at 4K.

GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst is one of two image models OpenAI released on November 4, 2026. OpenAI describes it as image generation and editing for detailed visual work, next to GPT Image 2.6 Flare for fast iteration. It follows GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst, OpenAI's quality-first model of September 2026, at the same prices per token. The GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst API on Zurelay uses the model ID gpt-image-2.6-sunburst.

Sunburst takes the same settings as Flare: OpenAI's standard sizes 1024x1024, 1536x1024 and 1024x1536, and custom WIDTHxHEIGHT sizes with both edges in multiples of 16, a ratio between 1:3 and 3:1 and up to 3840 pixels on the long edge. Quality can be low, medium or high, and Zurelay asks for high unless you set it. A 1024x1024 request usually comes back at 1254x1254.

Sunburst suits campaign creative, product shots and layouts where small flaws show. It writes legible text when you quote the exact words and say where they go, makes transparent backgrounds for cut-out assets, and edits pictures while keeping their subject, or combines up to 16 reference images into one scene. New in 2.6, it also makes looping 9-frame animated GIFs from a prompt.

OpenAI charges Sunburst and Flare the same token rates, about $0.053 for a 1024x1024 image at high quality and more for larger sizes. Zurelay makes every image at high quality and charges by size: $0.008 up to 1024x1024 (1K), $0.025 up to 2560x1440 (2K) and $0.035 above that (4K). Send requests to POST https://api.zurelay.com/v1/images/generations in the OpenAI images format and get a URL back by default, or base64 with response_format set to b64_json.

Strengths

Where GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst shines. And what teams build with it.

01

Built for detailed work

OpenAI positions Sunburst for detailed visual work, where texture, lighting and small elements need to hold up.

02

A low price at every size

On Zurelay an image costs $0.008 up to 1024x1024 (1K), $0.025 up to 2560x1440 (2K) and $0.035 above that (4K), and every image is made at high quality.

03

Precise edits

Relight a scene or swap its setting while the subject stays, or combine up to 16 reference images into one picture.

04

Animated GIFs

Set output_format to gif and describe the motion: a looping 9-frame GIF from $0.028, for mascots, reactions and product loops.

Use cases

  • Campaign creative

    Ad visuals and key art headed for production, where lighting and texture need to hold up.

  • Product imagery

    Polished product shots and lifestyle scenes for stores, catalogs and launch pages.

  • Posters and infographics

    Graphics with text in the image, made at high quality. Check spelling before you publish.

  • Hero and large-format images

    Wide banners, website heroes and 4K wallpapers using custom sizes up to 3840 pixels on the long edge.

Get started

Call GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst in three steps.

No waitlist and no new SDK. If your code already talks to OpenAI, it already talks to Zurelay.

  1. 1

    Create a key

    Sign up, add credit and create an API key. Set a monthly budget or a rate limit per key if you like.

    Get your API key
  2. 2

    Point your SDK at Zurelay

    Change the base URL. Everything else in your code stays the same.

    https://api.zurelay.com/v1
  3. 3

    Use gpt-image-2.6-sunburst

    Send a prompt to /v1/images/generations with a size and aspect ratio, and get back a link to your image.

    gpt-image-2.6-sunburst

Works with the tools you already use

Compare

Similar models. All on the same key.

85%off

GPT Image 2.6 Flare

from $0.008 per image

Pick Flare for fast iteration in apps and high-volume jobs. Same price on Zurelay.

GPT Image 2.6 Flare API
85%off

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst

from $0.008 per image

The September 2026 Sunburst, if your prompts are tuned to it.

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst API
74%off

Nano Banana Pro

from $0.035 per image

Pick Nano Banana Pro to compare Google's image model, with fixed 1K, 2K and 4K outputs and a focus on legible text.

Nano Banana Pro API

FAQ

GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst API questions.

Anything else? Ask our team and we’ll answer by email.

How much does the GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst API cost per image?

Zurelay charges by the size you ask for: $0.008 up to 1024x1024 (1K), $0.025 up to 2560x1440 (2K) and $0.035 above that (4K), so 1536x1024 and 1024x1536 are 2K and 3840x2160 is 4K. Quality doesn't change the price, and images are made at high quality unless you ask for another level. OpenAI bills by tokens, and its cost for a 1024x1024 image at high quality is about $0.053, so you save 85%.

Is there a cheaper GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst API?

Yes. Zurelay serves Sunburst from $0.008 per image, 85% below OpenAI's cost for a 1024x1024 high-quality image. Larger sizes cost $0.025 (2K) and $0.035 (4K), against about $0.055 and $0.10 on OpenAI for a 2560x1440 and a 3840x2160 image at high quality.

How do I call the GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst API?

Point the OpenAI SDK at https://api.zurelay.com/v1 with your Zurelay API key and call images.generate with model set to gpt-image-2.6-sunburst. Pass a prompt and a size, plus background or n (1 to 4) if you need them. You get image URLs by default, or base64 with response_format set to b64_json.

What's new in GPT Image 2.6 compared with 2.5?

OpenAI's 2.6 release adds animated GIF output, SVG output, a complexity setting and markup-guided edits to the Images API, at the same token prices as 2.5, and OpenAI says it generates images 50% faster. On Zurelay, 2.6 makes and edits still images and makes animated GIFs; SVG, complexity and markup aren't available yet. On Zurelay, 2.6 and 2.5 cost the same at every size.

Can GPT Image 2.6 make animated GIFs?

Yes. Set output_format to gif on /v1/images/generations and describe the motion in your prompt. Each GIF has 9 frames, size sets each frame (from about 272x272 to 960x960, 512x512 by default) and frame_duration_ms sets how long each shows (200 ms by default). A GIF costs $0.028 with frames up to 512x512, $0.045 up to 768x768 and $0.064 up to 960x960. GIFs are made from a prompt alone, without reference images.

GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst vs Flare: what is the difference?

OpenAI describes Sunburst as image generation and editing for detailed visual work, and Flare as the one for fast iteration. Both take the same sizes and settings, and on Zurelay both cost the same, from $0.008.

What sizes and quality does GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst support on Zurelay?

Ask for 1024x1024, 1536x1024, 1024x1536 or a custom size with both edges in multiples of 16, a ratio between 1:3 and 3:1 and up to 3840 pixels on the long edge. A 1024x1024 square usually comes back at 1254x1254. Images are made at high quality unless you ask for low or medium; the price is the same at every level.

Can I edit images or use reference images with GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst on Zurelay?

Yes. Call images.edit in the OpenAI SDK, which uploads your pictures to /v1/images/edits, or pass up to 16 images in images on /v1/images/generations, as https URLs or base64 data URLs. An edit costs the same as a new image of that size. Masks (inpainting) are not available, so describe the area to change in the prompt instead.

How long does Zurelay keep generated images?

Images are stored for 30 days behind the URL in the response. Download any image you want to keep before then. If you request b64_json, the image data comes back in the response itself.

Is this the same GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst model as OpenAI's?

Zurelay serves the gpt-image-2.6-sunburst model and accepts requests in the OpenAI images format. Image generation varies from run to run, so the same prompt will not return byte-identical images. Zurelay is an independent service and is not affiliated with OpenAI.

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