OpenAI has integrated native animated GIF creation into its platform as part of the Images 2.6 model update, launched on 05 November 2026. Users can now generate GIFs from personal photos or text prompts, with the ability to adjust playback speeds and edit individual frames directly within the interface.
New Features in Images 2.6
The update allows users to bypass external editing software by handling animation tasks within ChatGPT. Alternatively, the model can generate animations from text alone.
OpenAI suggests specific prompts to demonstrate the capability, such as:
Once an animation is generated, users can modify the output by adjusting the playback speed between 0.5x and 2x. Additional controls allow for the editing of individual frames, resizing elements, or removing unwanted objects. This functionality ensures that users do not have to settle for the initial result, as they can tweak the animation until it meets their requirements.
Users Generate over Four Billion Weekly Images
The release of Images 2.6 follows a sharp increase in platform activity. OpenAI reported that users now generate more than 4 billion images every week across ChatGPT and its API, an increase from the 3 billion figure recorded eight weeks prior when the Images 2.5 model was introduced. This data highlights the significant growth in image generation usage on the platform.
Availability
The new features are rolling out across web, desktop, and mobile applications. This means that users in India can now access these new GIF-making and image-editing capabilities directly. As the rollout is happening in stages, some users may experience a delay before the GIF-making tools become active on their accounts.