Comparisons · 12 min read

GPT Image 2.5 Comparison: 48 Images Across 9 Models

September 9, 2026By Bilal Azhar

See GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Sunburst beside GPT Image 2, Nano Banana, Flux, Krea, Seedream and Ideogram. Real outputs, exact prompts, and test settings.

We gave GPT Image 2.5 Flare, Sunburst, and seven other image models the same four original scenes. Then we added four art-style briefs for the three OpenAI models. The result is 48 images across eight concepts, from a moon repair shop to an anime railway station.

The main difference is often the composition or interpretation, rather than whether an image looks good at first glance. This GPT Image 2.5 comparison lets you inspect those choices directly. Every image is labeled, and the original brief sits below each set.

What we tested

The first four scenes include all nine models. The anime, watercolor, woodblock, and clay rounds include GPT Image 2, Flare, and Sunburst only.

ModelRoute and settings used
GPT Image 2OpenAI Images API, High, 1024 × 1024, PNG
GPT Image 2.5 FlareOpenAI Images API, High, 1024 × 1024, PNG
GPT Image 2.5 SunburstOpenAI Images API, High, 1024 × 1024, PNG
Nano Banana 2fal.ai, square, 1K, PNG
Nano Banana Profal.ai, square, 1K, PNG
Flux 2fal.ai, square_hd, PNG
Krea 2 Largefal.ai, 1:1, Medium creativity
Seedream 5 Profal.ai, square_hd, PNG
Ideogram 4fal.ai, square_hd, QUALITY rendering, no prompt expansion

For each scene, every participating model received the identical text prompt. We used the first successful result, with one image per request and no creative retouching. One Ideogram request was rejected, then succeeded when retried with the same prompt. The images here are compressed WebP display copies.

This is a small visual sample, not a statistical benchmark. We did not equalize cost or compute, use a common seed, measure ad performance, or test reference-image editing. The same quality label does not mean the same effort across models. Open the images at full size before judging small details.

Download the original prompts and generation settings if you want to repeat the test.

Flare and Sunburst are different choices

OpenAI's current prompting guide describes Flare as optimized for speed, with image quality comparable to GPT Image 2. Sunburst prioritizes quality, with a higher overall quality target. Both support generation and editing.

Our examples show some of that difference in the handling of light, surfaces, and scene detail. They do not establish a fixed speed improvement or prove that one model is better for every style. We have kept the images together so you can make a choice based on the work you need.

The moon repair shop

This brief asks for a miniature workshop with convincing materials and a clockmaker doing a specific job. Flare and Sunburst lean toward a close, photographic treatment. Flux 2 and Krea 2 Large make the handmade miniature look more apparent. Look at the clamp, tool grip, and moon surface before choosing a favorite.

GPT Image 2: the moon repair shop.
GPT Image 2
GPT Image 2.5 Flare: the moon repair shop.
GPT Image 2.5 Flare
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: the moon repair shop.
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst
Nano Banana 2: the moon repair shop.
Nano Banana 2
Nano Banana Pro: the moon repair shop.
Nano Banana Pro
Flux 2: the moon repair shop.
Flux 2
Krea 2 Large: the moon repair shop.
Krea 2 Large
Seedream 5 Pro: the moon repair shop.
Seedream 5 Pro
Ideogram 4: the moon repair shop.
Ideogram 4
Read the exact moon repair shop prompt
An exquisitely crafted cinematic miniature of a midnight repair shop for broken moons. A fictional elderly clockmaker with silver hair, round glasses and a worn rust-red apron sits at a tiny walnut workbench, carefully repairing a glowing cracked crescent moon held upright in a brass clamp. His two natural hands hold fine tweezers and a small brush, fingers clearly separated. Several small cratered moons rest on velvet cushions on the shelves, one moon hangs from a delicate pulley. The room has deep petrol-blue walls, drawers of tiny brass tools, paper star charts without readable writing, warm amber task lights and dusty shafts of cool moonlight through a round window. Rich tactile detail in wood, patinated metal, wool and lunar plaster, fine handmade imperfections, enchanting stop-motion set craftsmanship photographed at eye level with a macro lens, layered depth and restrained film grain. Quiet concentration, visual storytelling, sophisticated art direction, not a toy advertisement. Square image, the clockmaker and glowing crescent are the clear focal point. No text, logos, lettering, borders or watermark.

A greenhouse inside a glacier

The warm pavilion against blue ice gives every model a strong composition to work with. The architecture varies much more than the palette. Check where the staircase begins, what supports the greenhouse, and whether the reflection agrees with the structure. A good-looking building can still contain an awkward connection.

GPT Image 2: a greenhouse inside a glacier.
GPT Image 2
GPT Image 2.5 Flare: a greenhouse inside a glacier.
GPT Image 2.5 Flare
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: a greenhouse inside a glacier.
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst
Nano Banana 2: a greenhouse inside a glacier.
Nano Banana 2
Nano Banana Pro: a greenhouse inside a glacier.
Nano Banana Pro
Flux 2: a greenhouse inside a glacier.
Flux 2
Krea 2 Large: a greenhouse inside a glacier.
Krea 2 Large
Seedream 5 Pro: a greenhouse inside a glacier.
Seedream 5 Pro
Ideogram 4: a greenhouse inside a glacier.
Ideogram 4
Read the exact greenhouse prompt
A breathtaking but physically believable architectural photograph of a small warm greenhouse built inside a vast translucent blue glacial cavern. A slender oxidized copper staircase curls gently from the icy floor into a glass pavilion filled with fern trees and large tropical leaves. One fictional adult botanist in a mustard-yellow coat stands inside, giving human scale. Thick sculpted ice walls reveal bubbles, cracks and milky veins; soft daylight passes through the ice ceiling, while warm lamps in the pavilion illuminate condensation on the glass. A perfectly still shallow pool reflects the greenhouse. Precise architectural geometry, realistic glass reflections and structural joints, delicate plants, huge sense of scale, pale cyan and warm copper palette, an elegant architecture magazine cover photograph without typography. Wide camera view with negative space and a strong single focal point, 35 mm perspective, natural atmospheric depth. Square image. No text, logos, lettering, borders or watermark.

An ocean in a ceramic bowl

The key instruction was a rice noodle forming a breaking wave. Some outputs turn it into flowing strands; others put a more literal water wave above the food. Flare and Sunburst add a warmer, more elaborate environment, while several other outputs keep the bowl against a quieter background. That difference matters if you need space for ad copy.

GPT Image 2: an ocean in a ceramic bowl.
GPT Image 2
GPT Image 2.5 Flare: an ocean in a ceramic bowl.
GPT Image 2.5 Flare
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: an ocean in a ceramic bowl.
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst
Nano Banana 2: an ocean in a ceramic bowl.
Nano Banana 2
Nano Banana Pro: an ocean in a ceramic bowl.
Nano Banana Pro
Flux 2: an ocean in a ceramic bowl.
Flux 2
Krea 2 Large: an ocean in a ceramic bowl.
Krea 2 Large
Seedream 5 Pro: an ocean in a ceramic bowl.
Seedream 5 Pro
Ideogram 4: an ocean in a ceramic bowl.
Ideogram 4
Read the exact an ocean in a ceramic bowl prompt
An exceptionally beautiful surreal food still-life photograph: a handmade midnight-blue ceramic bowl holds a miniature tidal sea, with one curled ribbon of translucent rice noodle forming a graceful breaking wave above it. A tiny white fishing boat rides the wave beside luminous orange salmon-roe beads like floating lanterns. Wisps of steam curl through soft evening light. A single pair of dark walnut chopsticks rests neatly on the stone counter beside the bowl, with a subtle scatter of sea salt and one green shiso leaf. Every food material is believable and appetizing, wet translucent noodles, glossy roe, rough ceramic glaze with fine crazing, delicate water reflections, no plastic-looking food. Deep indigo, warm amber and muted jade palette, refined Japanese-inspired still-life composition, high-end editorial food photography, 85 mm macro perspective, tactile detail, controlled highlights and deep soft shadows. Magical realism with a clear clean silhouette, square image. No text, logos, lettering, borders or watermark.

Face realism in a rooftop portrait

All nine models received the same description of a fictional older woman. They did not receive a shared face reference, so this is a portrait-generation comparison, not an identity-preservation test. Compare the skin, expression, hand on the radio, and relationship between the warm lamp and cool dawn. Extra skin texture alone does not make a face feel natural.

GPT Image 2: face realism in a rooftop portrait.
GPT Image 2
GPT Image 2.5 Flare: face realism in a rooftop portrait.
GPT Image 2.5 Flare
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: face realism in a rooftop portrait.
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst
Nano Banana 2: face realism in a rooftop portrait.
Nano Banana 2
Nano Banana Pro: face realism in a rooftop portrait.
Nano Banana Pro
Flux 2: face realism in a rooftop portrait.
Flux 2
Krea 2 Large: face realism in a rooftop portrait.
Krea 2 Large
Seedream 5 Pro: face realism in a rooftop portrait.
Seedream 5 Pro
Ideogram 4: face realism in a rooftop portrait.
Ideogram 4
Read the exact face realism in a rooftop portrait prompt
A cinematic environmental portrait of a fictional 68-year-old woman operating a homemade shortwave radio on the rooftop of a densely built Mediterranean city just before sunrise. She has a weathered olive face, deep expressive smile lines, dark thoughtful eyes, loose silver hair and a beautiful hand-knitted rust-orange cardigan over a simple navy dress. Chest-up three-quarter composition at eye level. One hand naturally rests on the radio tuning knob with coherent fingers; the other is outside the frame. A large copper wire antenna rises behind her, blue and ivory laundry moves softly on a line, and distant rooftops dissolve into hazy dawn. Cool lavender sky and a small warm desk lamp light her face from different directions. Real pores, uneven skin tone, fine facial hair, believable elderly anatomy, no beauty retouching. The emotional intimacy of a still from an independent film, fine 35 mm grain, delicate halation and authentic lens depth. Square image with her face as the focal point. No readable text on the radio, lettering, logos, borders or watermark.

A cel-animation railway scene

For this style round we compared only the three OpenAI models. The scene combines an adult character, rain reflections, an approaching train, and a flying koi. The framing and character proportions differ. Judge the drawing and background treatment as an illustration rather than rewarding whichever version looks most photographic.

GPT Image 2: a cel-animation railway scene.
GPT Image 2
GPT Image 2.5 Flare: a cel-animation railway scene.
GPT Image 2.5 Flare
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: a cel-animation railway scene.
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst
Read the exact a cel-animation railway scene prompt
An original hand-painted 1990s cel-animation film still. A fictional adult young woman with a short ink-black bob and a moss-green raincoat waits on the tiny platform of a railway station that floats above a flooded city at blue hour. She holds a transparent umbrella; a huge gentle koi fish swims through the air behind the telephone wires, its copper scales catching the warm windows of an approaching train. Wide contemplative composition, precise ink contours with subtle line-weight variation, flat cel-shaded characters against richly hand-painted gouache backgrounds, delicate rain streaks, puddle reflections, violet shadows and saffron light. Believable adult anatomy and expressive quiet face, cinematic framing, nostalgic analog grain. No existing characters. Square artwork, no writing, logos, signatures, border or watermark.

A watercolor library on a tortoise

The prompt asks for loose washes, paper texture, and deliberate white space. Look at how much of the tortoise stays visible and whether the detailed library still feels painted. More objects are not automatically an improvement when the brief calls for an airy composition.

GPT Image 2: a watercolor library on a tortoise.
GPT Image 2
GPT Image 2.5 Flare: a watercolor library on a tortoise.
GPT Image 2.5 Flare
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: a watercolor library on a tortoise.
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst
Read the exact a watercolor library on a tortoise prompt
An original watercolor fantasy anime illustration of a traveling library carried on the broad shell of an enormous gentle tortoise walking through pale morning clouds. A fictional adult woman librarian with windswept red hair and an indigo cloak sits on a wooden balcony reading a book, with a small white cat curled beside her. Crooked shelves filled with colorful books, hanging ferns, tiny brass lamps, soft feathered clouds drifting through open windows. Loose expressive pencil outlines, translucent watercolor washes, granulating ultramarine pigments, warm ochre and muted coral accents, visible cold-pressed paper texture and deliberate untouched white spaces. Airy sophisticated composition with the whole tortoise visible, delicate anime character design and coherent anatomy. No existing characters. Square illustration, no readable text, logos, signatures, border or watermark.

A lunar heron in woodblock style

This scene tests restraint: carved outlines, a limited palette, paper grain, and balanced negative space. All three OpenAI outputs retain a strong silhouette. Compare the placement of the bird and the graphic rhythm of the reeds and ripples. There is little reason to favor extra photographic detail here.

GPT Image 2: a lunar heron in woodblock style.
GPT Image 2
GPT Image 2.5 Flare: a lunar heron in woodblock style.
GPT Image 2.5 Flare
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: a lunar heron in woodblock style.
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst
Read the exact a lunar heron in woodblock style prompt
An original Japanese woodblock-inspired fine art print of a tall white heron standing in a shallow indigo tidal pool on the moon. A large rust-red sun and a tiny blue Earth hang in a muted ivory sky. Black reeds curve elegantly around the bird, pale ripples form graphic concentric arcs, cratered cliffs rise at the sides. Confident carved outlines, flat limited colors of deep indigo, vermilion, ivory and pale sage, visible wood grain, handmade washi paper texture, subtle pigment registration imperfections, carefully balanced negative space, elegant asymmetrical composition. The heron has anatomically coherent legs, beak, wings and detailed layered feathers rendered as carved shapes. Quiet surreal poetry, refined traditional printmaking craftsmanship. Square image, no text, calligraphy, seals, logos, signatures, border or watermark.

A clay miniature bakery

The final scene asks for a baker lifting a cloud pastry from an oven. GPT Image 2, Flare, and Sunburst all produce readable little sets, with different character shapes and staging. The important checks are the action, material texture, and clear separation of the baker, tray, and oven.

GPT Image 2: a clay miniature bakery.
GPT Image 2
GPT Image 2.5 Flare: a clay miniature bakery.
GPT Image 2.5 Flare
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: a clay miniature bakery.
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst
Read the exact a clay miniature bakery prompt
An original handcrafted stop-motion clay animation set: a tiny bakery inside the hollow trunk of an ancient tree, where a fictional adult baker with a round freckled face, rolled-up blue sleeves and a flour-dusted apron gently lifts a freshly baked crescent-shaped cloud from a copper oven using two oven mitts. Shelves of miniature cloud pastries glow softly, a sleepy orange cat rests on a sack of flour, rain falls outside a small round window. Every surface is tactile clay, felt, carved wood or patinated metal, with subtle fingerprints, tiny dents and hand-painted details, believable miniature construction. Warm amber oven light contrasts with cool teal rainlight, intimate eye-level camera, precise focal hierarchy and natural miniature depth of field. Gentle humor, coherent hands and body, no plastic CGI gloss. Square frame, no text, logos, signatures, borders or watermark.

Which one would we start with?

For the detailed launch artwork in this set, Sunburst produced several of our favorite results, especially the moon workshop and glacier greenhouse. That is an editorial preference from these examples, not a measured win rate. Flare is worth trying alongside it when the brief already works and you want another practical option.

GPT Image 2 remains worth keeping in the comparison. The older model produced usable interpretations in every art-style round, and a simpler image may fit a particular layout better than a denser one.

The other models also change the decision. The food series, for example, includes quieter compositions that could leave more room for a headline. The portrait series changes the expression and framing enough that the right choice may depend on the story you want to tell.

Repeat the comparison with your own product

Choose a small set of briefs that represent your actual work. Include an easy case, a difficult material, an exact label, a face if you use people, and an edit to an approved image.

Keep the reference images, prompt, and output dimensions fixed for the first round. Record the settings. Judge instruction following separately from taste: did the product keep its shape, did the label survive, and did the edit leave the approved details alone?

Then repeat the promising cases. A single successful image does not tell you how often a model will pass the same requirement. For production, the useful question is how reliably you get an image you can publish.

Both GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Sunburst are available on Morphed. For a practical campaign workflow, read how to use GPT Image 2.5 for ads.