GPT Image 2 vs GPT Image 2.5 Flare for image generation
The results split by task: choose GPT Image 2 for structured graphics, faithful object and product preservation, and precise text edits. Choose GPT Image 2.5 Flare for lighting, advertising composition, scene relighting, and outpainting; typography, anatomy, and counting were ties.
Side-by-side facts
| Feature | GPT Image 2 | GPT Image 2.5 Flare |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | OpenAI | OpenAI |
| Availability on Banana Pie | Available now | Available now |
| Credits from | 20 credits | 25 credits |
| Max resolution | 4K | 4K |
| Reference images | Up to 8 | Up to 8 |
Scenario by scenario
Same prompt. Two models. Judge the difference in the published images below.
Product material and lighting
Better here: GPT Image 2.5 FlareBoth outputs follow the prompt closely, but the right image has the clearer half-fill level and more legible upper-left lighting. Its minor internal-tube distortion does not outweigh those advantages.
- Exactly one transparent rectangular perfume bottle is visible, with no text, logo, or extra objects: tie. Both images show a single upright rectangular bottle on bare wet stone, with no visible writing, branding, plants, or separate props.
- The bottle is visibly filled halfway with amber liquid: right does better. The right liquid line sits very close to the midpoint of the bottle chamber, while the left appears somewhat more than half full.
- The glass refraction and the reflection on the wet black stone are physically coherent: left does better. Its glass edges, amber transmission, and aligned reflection read consistently; the right has a visibly curved internal tube and more irregular optical distortion near the bottle base.
- Upper-left lighting produces consistent highlights and a plausible contact shadow: right does better. The upper-left light direction is especially clear from the bright left-side highlights and the grounded shadow extending into the darker right side.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
A premium product photograph of exactly one transparent rectangular perfume bottle, half filled with amber liquid, standing upright on wet black stone. Light comes from the upper left, creating coherent refraction, a contact shadow, and one subtle reflection. No text, logo, plants, or extra objects.
Multilingual typography
Depends on the taskBoth outputs are effectively identical against the rubric. They reproduce the wording, order, and colors correctly, but both visibly split the requested first line into two lines, resulting in five lines instead of exactly four.
- Exactly four centered text lines and no additional text: Tie. Both posters contain five visible text lines because "MOONLIGHT MARKET" is split across "MOONLIGHT" and "MARKET"; neither contains additional wording.
- Exact text and order: Tie. Both render "MOONLIGHT", "MARKET", "月光市集", "18 OCT", and "RIVER HALL" in the requested order, but both fail to keep "MOONLIGHT MARKET" on one line.
- Text colors: Tie. Both render "月光市集" in red and all visible English text in black.
- Legibility, spacing, and alignment: Tie. Both posters have sharp, legible type with centered alignment and broadly even vertical spacing; no clear visual advantage is apparent.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Design a clean cream-colored vertical event poster. Show exactly four centered text lines and no other text: "MOONLIGHT MARKET", "月光市集", "18 OCT", and "RIVER HALL". Render "月光市集" in red and all other lines in black.
Human anatomy and contact
Depends on the taskLeft is stronger on the prompt's strict hand and finger visibility requirements, while Right has more convincing anatomy and shaping contact. These advantages balance across the rubric.
- Exactly two fully visible hands are present, with no extra hands or people: Left does better. Both images show one person and exactly two hands, but Left exposes both hands more completely; in Right, substantial parts of the fingers are hidden inside or behind the bowl.
- Each hand has exactly five distinct, naturally formed fingers: Left does better. Five separate digits can be followed on each hand more clearly in Left, while overlapping and occlusion make the exact count on Right's hands less certain.
- The fingers, joints, and contact with the clay are anatomically plausible: Right does better. Its inside-and-outside grip follows the bowl wall naturally, with more convincing finger alignment; several fingertips in Left look crowded or partially fused by clay.
- The clay bowl, spinning wheel, and shaping action are clearly recognizable: Right does better. The bowl and wheel are prominent in both, but Right's opposing hand placement more clearly communicates active shaping.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
A photorealistic close-up of an adult potter shaping a clay bowl on a spinning wheel. Both hands are fully visible, each with five natural fingers touching the clay. No other people or hands. Soft window light.
Counting and attribute binding
Depends on the taskBoth images fulfill all four criteria with no clear compliance difference. Their object counts, attribute binding, arrangement, handle orientation, and clean background are effectively equivalent.
- Object count and placement: tie; both images visibly show exactly three red cubes in a row on the left, exactly two blue spheres on the right, and one yellow mug centered behind them.
- Color, shape, and material binding: tie; both show red, subtly textured wooden cubes, blue transparent reflective glass spheres, and a glossy yellow ceramic mug.
- Mug handle direction: tie; the mug handle is clearly visible on the right side in both images.
- No additional objects or text: tie; neither image contains any visible extra objects or text.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
On a matte gray table, exactly three red wooden cubes form a row on the left, exactly two blue glass spheres sit on the right, and one yellow ceramic mug stands centered behind them. The mug handle points right. No other objects or text.
Advertising composition
Better here: GPT Image 2.5 FlareRight follows the requested layout more closely because its headline sits nearer the intended position directly below the empty top area. Both otherwise perform similarly and both violate the text restriction by placing "AERO" on the shoe.
- Exactly one silver shoe and orange trail: Tie. Each image shows one silver shoe in the lower-right, with an orange trail entering from the bottom-left and curving through the scene.
- Visible text: Tie. Both correctly render "RUN LIGHT" and "42 KM", but both also visibly render "AERO" on the shoe, so neither meets the requirement that those be the only visible texts.
- Top spacing and headline placement: Right does better. Both keep the top area uncluttered, but Right places "RUN LIGHT" closer to directly below that reserved area; Left leaves substantially more empty space before the headline.
- Visibility and hierarchy: Tie. Both keep the headline, badge, trail, and single shoe fully visible and establish a clear hierarchy led by the headline and shoe.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Create a vertical social ad for a fictional running shoe named AERO. Keep the top 15 percent empty. Directly below it, place the headline "RUN LIGHT" in the upper-left. Show exactly one silver shoe in the lower-right, an orange trail curving from the bottom-left, and a round badge reading "42 KM". No other shoes or text.
Structured UI graphic
Better here: GPT Image 2Left follows the prompt exactly, while the right violates the explicit requirement for no additional text.
- Title and columns: Tie. Both render the exact title "CHOOSE YOUR PLAN" and exactly three columns labeled "STARTER", "PRO", and "TEAM".
- Rows: Tie. Each column on both sides contains three aligned rows labeled "PROJECTS", "STORAGE", and "SUPPORT".
- Buttons: Tie. Each column on both sides contains exactly one blue button labeled "SELECT".
- Alignment and additional text: Left does better. Both have evenly aligned columns, but the right adds plan-detail text: "5", "10 GB", "Email", "25", "100 GB", "Priority", "Unlimited", "1 TB", and "24/7". The left has no additional text.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Create a clean horizontal pricing comparison graphic titled "CHOOSE YOUR PLAN". Use exactly three equal columns labeled "STARTER", "PRO", and "TEAM". Under each column, show exactly three aligned rows labeled "PROJECTS", "STORAGE", and "SUPPORT", followed by one blue button labeled "SELECT". White background, dark navy text, no additional columns or text.
Six-reference object binding and edit
Better here: GPT Image 2Left has the stronger overall edit because it preserves the base scene's composition and replacement positions more faithfully. Right reproduces the two-lemon reference more accurately, but its broader spatial drift gives Left the edge.
- Criterion 1: Left is slightly better. Both replace the mug and towel correctly, but Left preserves the original mug's position, scale, and right-facing handle orientation more closely while also placing the folded striped napkin accurately in the towel area.
- Criterion 2: Left is slightly better. Both show exactly one orange and a mustard-yellow hardcover notebook with none of the four original objects remaining, but Left keeps the orange and notebook closer to the pear and blue notebook positions in Reference 1.
- Criterion 3: Right is better. Both place exactly two lemons to the right of the mug, but Right more faithfully reproduces the Reference 6 pair by retaining the leaf on the left lemon; Left omits that leaf.
- Criterion 4: Left is better. Its object scale and placement align more closely with Reference 1, especially the mug, orange, and notebook, while retaining the same tabletop framing, visible wood-grain landmarks, lighting, and shadows. Right shifts several replacements farther from their original positions.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Use Reference 1 as the base tabletop scene. Replace the red mug with the exact dark navy-blue mug from Reference 2 in the same position and orientation. Replace the folded white towel with the exact green-and-white striped napkin from Reference 3 in the same folded area. Replace the green pear with exactly one orange from Reference 4 in the same position. Replace the blue notebook with the exact mustard-yellow hardcover notebook from Reference 5 in the same position. Add exactly the two lemons from Reference 6 to the right of the mug. Preserve the wooden table, camera, framing, wood grain, lighting, shadows, and all other spatial relationships from Reference 1. Do not copy the white product backgrounds from References 2–6, duplicate any asset, or add other objects.
In-image text replacement
Better here: GPT Image 2Both outputs perform the requested replacement cleanly. Left has a slight edge for matching the original lettering scale more closely, while all other visible criteria are effectively even.
- Exact text replacement: Both sides read exactly "NIGHT OWL", with no visible remnants of "MORNING BEAN".
- No malformed characters: Both sides show only the intended letters in "NIGHT OWL"; neither has extra, duplicated, or malformed characters.
- Font, spacing, and perspective: Left is slightly closer to the reference because its letter height and weight more closely match the original sign typography; Right renders the replacement somewhat larger, though both follow the sign's perspective cleanly.
- Material, lighting, and scene preservation: The two sides are even; both retain the dark green wood grain, cream lettering, cast shadows, lamps, storefront, plants, and surrounding sunlight with no conspicuous scene changes.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Replace only the sign text with exactly "NIGHT OWL". Preserve the original font style, spacing, perspective, sign material, lighting, and everything else.
Coherent scene relighting
Better here: GPT Image 2.5 FlareRight produces the more convincing coherent relighting, with stronger spatially specific illumination and shadows while preserving the room arrangement.
- Warm golden-hour light clearly enters from the left window: Right does better; bright sunlight visibly pours through the left window and forms strong illuminated bands across the floor, rug, sofa, and wall. Left is warmly lit, but the incoming beam is less clearly traced across the room.
- Highlights and shadow directions respond coherently to the new light source: Right does better; the window-frame shadows, plant shadow, sofa shading, table-leg shadows, and long floor shadows consistently extend away from the left window. Left has directional wall shadows, but its floor and furniture shadows are softer and less comprehensively updated.
- The result is more than a uniform yellow color filter: Right does better; it adds localized highlights, window-shaped projections, deep cast shadows, and changing contrast across surfaces. Left also adds real directional lighting, but more of the scene has a broadly uniform amber cast.
- No furniture or decor is moved, added, removed, or redesigned: The two are even; both retain the reference composition with the same window, plant and pot, sofa, coffee table, rug, and floor lamp in their original positions and designs.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Change the lighting to warm golden-hour sunlight entering from the left window. Do not move, add, remove, or redesign any object. Update highlights and shadows coherently.
Cross-ratio outpainting
Better here: GPT Image 2.5 FlareRight has the narrow overall edge because its framing and side extensions more closely preserve the reference composition and produce a cleaner continuous landscape, though Left retains some cabin details more faithfully.
- 16:9 format and natural side content: Right does slightly better. Both are landscape and extend the beach, ocean, and sky across both sides, but Right keeps a cleaner uninterrupted horizon; Left introduces a small distant landform at the far-right edge.
- Complete original centered without cropping or stretching: Right is slightly closer. Both center the full cabin, but Right retains the reference’s vertical placement of the roof, horizon, and shoreline more closely, while Left shifts the composition downward.
- Original cabin, shoreline, and internal composition unchanged: Left does slightly better on cabin detail, retaining the visible door hinges, knob, weathering, and proportions more faithfully. Both alter the precise shoreline and cloud patterns from the reference.
- No visible seams, mirrored filler, or repeated objects: Right does slightly better. Neither shows obvious mirroring or repetition, but Right’s ocean and sky extensions appear more uniform at both outer edges, while Left’s far-right landform makes that extension less consistent.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Expand the canvas to a 16:9 landscape by naturally continuing the beach, ocean, and sky on both sides. Keep the complete original image centered without cropping, stretching, letterboxing, or modifying it.
Product preservation across scene change
Better here: GPT Image 2Left preserves the reference sneaker more faithfully while still integrating it convincingly into the requested wet dusk court scene. Right communicates the environment more strongly, but its material treatment and weaker sneaker reflection reduce preservation and physical coherence.
- Wet outdoor basketball court at dusk: Right does better. The hoop, fence, court lines, wet pavement, sunset sky, and reflected court lights establish the requested setting more clearly, while Left is also convincing but darker and less visibly court-specific across the foreground.
- Silhouette, sole geometry, stitching, materials, and camera angle consistency: Left does better. Its silhouette, panel proportions, stitching paths, sole profile, toe texture, and viewing angle remain very close to the reference. Right retains the main construction but slightly changes the proportions and covers the original clean material appearance with prominent water droplets.
- Black geometric side mark preservation: Left does better. Its mark more closely retains the reference's exact junction, rear horizontal segment, short upper branch, and long descending branch. Right's mark is recognizable but appears slightly thicker and more compressed around the central junction.
- Contact shadow, wet-surface reflection, and dusk lighting coherence: Left does better. The sole has grounded contact, the wet pavement carries a readable reflection of the sneaker, and the cooler foreground illumination fits the dusk environment. Right has strong contact and attractive sunset reflections, but the sneaker itself has little readable reflection and its bright warm edge lighting is somewhat more pronounced than the surrounding illumination suggests.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Place the sneaker on a wet outdoor basketball court at dusk. Preserve the exact sneaker shape, black geometric side mark, materials, stitching, sole geometry, and camera angle. Add physically coherent contact, reflections, and dusk lighting.
Multi-reference identity and garment transfer
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Use the portrait in Reference 1 for the person and the isolated jacket in Reference 2 for the garment. Dress the person from Reference 1 in the exact jacket shown in Reference 2. Preserve the person's identity, face, expression, skin, hair, hands, pose, body proportions, background, framing, and lighting from Reference 1. Preserve the jacket's material, color, collar, buttons, pockets, and sleeve patch from Reference 2. Do not copy the ghost mannequin or white product background.
Cost & latency
GPT Image 2 starts at 20 credits, while GPT Image 2.5 Flare starts at 25, making GPT Image 2 the lower-credit option per generation. In this run's small latency sample, GPT Image 2 ranged from about 81 s to 190 s per scenario, while GPT Image 2.5 Flare ranged from about 71 s to 101 s; these observations describe this run, not a general benchmark.
How we compared & disclosure
For each scenario, we used one fixed prompt and made one run per model, then published the outputs as generated. Banana Pie sells paid access to both models.
Banana Pie sells paid access to this model alongside other models in one studio. Our verdicts come from tests run through the same pipeline our users get.