ChatGPT Images 2.6 Adds GIF Creation and Reference Images

OpenAI has released ChatGPT Images 2.6 across subscription levels, including Free. The update is a 0.1 step up from Images 2.5 and adds two features: animated GIF creation and persistent reference images.

TechRadar’s Graham Barlow tested GIF creation with a photo of his cat, Chester. In one example, ChatGPT made a Halloween-themed animation with a hat, cape and flickering pumpkin. After Barlow asked for more movement, it produced a more active scene with a raised paw and a floating pumpkin. He said Chester’s movements looked realistic.

Created GIFs can be shared through a link, downloaded, or shared directly to X, LinkedIn and Reddit, according to the article.

The persistent reference feature lets users save an image under a name and refer to it in later requests without uploading it again. Barlow saved the original photo as “Chester” and then asked ChatGPT to make a GIF of @Chester on the moon. The result showed the cat as an astronaut chasing a butterfly.

Barlow described the update as a modest change, while saying the reference image feature could be useful over time. His account reflects his own tests with one cat photo; it does not establish how the features perform in other cases.