ChatGPT GIF: how to make an animated GIF with Images 2.6

ChatGPT can now make animated GIFs from text or a photo, with the arrival of the Images 2.6 model on November 4, 2026. The feature is available on every paid plan, on the web, desktop, iOS and Android.

Key takeaways

• Images 2.6 has been available worldwide since November 4, 2026, in ChatGPT and in Codex (paid plans).
• You start from a description or a photo, then adjust the speed and edit each frame.
• OpenAI claims generation is 50% faster than the previous model, Images 2.5, released in September.
• The maximum length, file size and access for free accounts aren't specified in the articles we read.

How do you make a GIF in ChatGPT?

You need a paid subscription, then you describe in the chat what you want to see move, or upload a photo to animate.

1. Open ChatGPT with a paid account, on the web or in the app.
2. Write the scene: the subject, the movement, and whether you want it to loop. A dancing cat, a drawing coming to life or a mascot waving hello are among the examples shown at launch.
3. Another way to start: upload a photo or a drawing and ask for it to be set in motion.
4. Adjust the animation speed.
5. Edit one specific frame if a detail looks off, without redoing the whole GIF.
6. Share the result.

We don't have screenshots of the menus: the exact button names may vary from one app to another.

Images 2.6: faster, with SVG export

According to OpenAI, Images 2.6 generates images 50% faster than Images 2.5. The company also claims that characters, products and brand elements stay consistent from one edit to the next, which we can't verify without testing.

For developers, the API offers two variants: GPT-Image-2.6 Flare, built for speed (six seconds for an image at the lowest quality setting, according to OpenAI), and GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst, for work that needs more precision. Export to SVG, a vector drawing format, and a complexity setting that trades off speed against precision are also part of the release.

OpenAI says ChatGPT, Codex and the API together generate about 4 billion images per week, up from 3 billion announced in September.

Length, file size, frame count: the gaps in the spec sheet

None of the articles we read gives the maximum length of a GIF, its resolution or its file size. Nothing on free accounts either: the feature is announced for paid plans. Before turning one into a sticker or a wallpaper, test a short example and check the file size.

If AI animation intrigues you, another company sells video generated from lab-grown neurons: we checked what the promise of the Mischief 1 AI video model is worth. For API pricing, OpenAI points to its documentation.