ChatGPT Images

0:17 To make an image with ChatGPT, describe it in a chat ("a watercolor of a lighthouse at dusk, wide format") or select More > Images, and ChatGPT Images draws it; you can then edit it by asking for changes or selecting part of it (Images in ChatGPT). ChatGPT Images is on every plan as of Nov 6, 2026. The current version, Images 2.6, released on Nov 4, 2026, is faster, keeps details steadier across edits, and adds looping GIFs and saved reference images. Plus, Pro and Business also get "images with thinking", which can plan the image and look things up on the web first.

Quick facts

How to make an image in ChatGPT

1. In any chat, describe the image: subject, style, colors, text to include and the shape (square, wide, tall).
2. Or select More > Images, or start from a template in the sidebar under Images > Templates.
3. On mobile, type @ and choose Sketch to draw a rough layout for ChatGPT to follow.
4. Refine by asking for changes, or open the editor to Select an area, change the Aspect ratio, and Undo or Redo.
5. Find every image you made under Images at chatgpt.com/images.

Source: Images in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026. To delete an image, delete the conversation it was made in. Generated images stay in Images, not in Library (Using Library).

What is new in Images 2.6

OpenAI's Nov 4, 2026 announcement lists the changes (Introducing Images 2.6):

• Speed: images come 50% faster than before.
• Consistency: details hold better from one edit to the next (Images in ChatGPT).
• GIFs: ask for a looping GIF and adjust its playback speed. ChatGPT cannot edit an animated GIF you upload.
• Saved reference images: save a photo under a name and use it later, such as "@Pepper" for a pet.

It reached every subscription tier worldwide on desktop, mobile and web the same day.

0:00 Earlier, Images 2.5 (Sep 8, 2026) added templates, sketch to image, comments on images and shared prompts, and cut waiting by up to half against Images 2.0; OpenAI's release note said image limits stayed the same.

Images with thinking

Images 2.0, released on Apr 21, 2026, added images with thinking, where ChatGPT reasons before drawing and can use the web to find relevant information. As of Nov 6, 2026 it is on Plus, Pro and Business, with Enterprise and Edu "coming soon" (Images in ChatGPT). Free and Go do not have it (chatgpt.com/pricing).

ChatGPT image limits

OpenAI does not publish a number of images per day for Free, Go, Plus or Pro. The pricing page describes them in words only:

Sources: chatgpt.com/pricing; ChatGPT rate card and Images in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center; all read Nov 6, 2026.

Free users who choose the ad-free option lose image generation (Ads in ChatGPT). In Codex, image generation is not available on the Free plan, and image turns use your allowance about 3 to 5 times faster than text (Codex pricing). See ChatGPT Usage Limits.

Other image features

• Sticker packs (Aug 31, 2026): on mobile for all users, to add to iMessage or WhatsApp.
• Virtual try-on (Oct 1, 2026): a Try on button on clothes in shopping results uses a selfie and ChatGPT Images; set reference photos at Settings > Personalization > Reference photos (Shopping with ChatGPT Search). See Shopping in ChatGPT.
• Parental controls: parents can turn image generation off for a linked teen (Parental Controls).

Dates: ChatGPT release notes, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026.

Rules and C2PA labels

When OpenAI made GPT-4o image generation ChatGPT's default on Mar 25, 2025, it said every generated image carries C2PA metadata identifying it as AI-made (Introducing 4o Image Generation); the 2026 pages read on Nov 6, 2026 do not restate it. DALL-E 3 in ChatGPT declined requests for images in the style of a living artist (DALL-E 3 in ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise); OpenAI's current help pages read today do not set out today's image rules in detail, so refusals are best learned from ChatGPT's replies.

From DALL-E to Images 2.6

Sources: ChatGPT release notes, OpenAI Help Center; The new ChatGPT Images is here and the other OpenAI announcements listed below; all read Nov 6, 2026. The earlier models are on DALL-E. Developers use the same family through the API as GPT Image (gpt-image-2.6-sunburst and gpt-image-2.6-flare). How the images compare with Google's is on ChatGPT Images vs Nano Banana; video, after Sora was shut down, is no longer part of ChatGPT.

What testers found

4:35 In a Jun 8, 2026 video comparing ChatGPT with Claude, Igor Pogany of The AI Advantage called ChatGPT's image generator the best on the market, ahead of Google's, for combining uploaded photos of people and for marketing images with the fonts and colors asked for, and said it shone most at editing. Claude makes no images at all.

1:39 In an Aug 12, 2026 video, after a month on all three $20 plans, Parker Prompts gave ChatGPT the image round by a small margin: its strengths were getting text inside an image right and changing one detail on request without starting over, while Gemini's Nano Banana matched it on realistic photo edits and was often a bit faster.

1:21 Paul J Lipsky, in a Jun 7, 2026 video, showed ChatGPT's templates and its edits to uploaded images, said the model was considered the best in the world at the time, and recommended ChatGPT to anyone who needs the best image tool, with Gemini a fine choice for occasional use.

Frequently asked questions

Is ChatGPT image generation free? Yes, with limits. As of Nov 6, 2026, ChatGPT Images is on every plan; Free gets "limited image creation", and OpenAI publishes no daily number.

How many images can I make on ChatGPT Plus? OpenAI publishes no fixed count for Plus as of Nov 6, 2026; the pricing page says "more complex and accurate image creation", and Pro is unlimited within abuse guardrails.

How do I make a GIF in ChatGPT? Ask ChatGPT for a looping GIF in Images 2.6, released Nov 4, 2026, then adjust its playback speed. ChatGPT cannot edit an animated GIF you upload.

Where are my ChatGPT images saved? ChatGPT keeps every image you made under Images in the sidebar, at chatgpt.com/images; deleting the conversation deletes the image.

What is images with thinking? A mode of ChatGPT Images, on Plus, Pro and Business as of Nov 6, 2026, in which ChatGPT reasons and can search the web before drawing.

Does ChatGPT still use DALL-E? No. ChatGPT moved from DALL-E 3 to GPT-4o image generation on Mar 25, 2025, and the last DALL-E GPT retired on Aug 30, 2026.

Sources

• Images in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• ChatGPT release notes, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• ChatGPT rate card (Business, Enterprise/Edu credit-based pricing), OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• Ads in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• Using Library to manage files in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• Shopping with ChatGPT Search, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• ChatGPT pricing, OpenAI, read Nov 6, 2026
• Codex pricing, OpenAI, read Nov 6, 2026
• Introducing Images 2.6, OpenAI, Nov 4, 2026, read Nov 6, 2026
• Introducing ChatGPT Images 2.5, OpenAI, Sep 8, 2026, read Nov 6, 2026
• Introducing ChatGPT Images 2.0, OpenAI, Apr 21, 2026, read Nov 6, 2026
• The new ChatGPT Images is here, OpenAI, Dec 16, 2025, read Nov 6, 2026
• Introducing 4o Image Generation, OpenAI, Mar 25, 2025, read Nov 6, 2026
• DALL-E 3 is now available in ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise, OpenAI, Oct 19, 2023, read Nov 6, 2026
• Create a Coloring Page with ChatGPT / OpenAI Academy, OpenAI, Sep 16, 2026 (video)
• Templates with ChatGPT Images 2.5, OpenAI, Sep 8, 2026 (video)
• ChatGPT vs. Claude: Which Should You Use in 2026?, The AI Advantage, Jun 8, 2026 (video)
• ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini: Which $20 AI Plan Is Worth It?, Parker Prompts, Aug 12, 2026 (video)
• ChatGPT Plus vs Claude Pro vs Gemini Pro: The Best $20 AI Plan, Paul J Lipsky, Jun 7, 2026 (video)