GPT Image 1 vs 1.5 vs 2: Migration, Specs, and Pricing (2026)

OpenAI shipped three GPT Image generations in twelve months — gpt-image-1, gpt-image-1.5, and gpt-image-2. Each one rewrote the request shape, changed the pricing model, and left the previous generation hanging on a deprecation timer. If your codebase still references gpt-image-1, the deadline that actually matters is October 23, 2026 — the date OpenAI shuts the route down. This guide covers what changed at each step, how the three generations compare on quality and price, and how to migrate cleanly.

TL;DR: gpt-image-1 is deprecated and shuts down October 23, 2026. gpt-image-1.5 (December 16, 2025) is a stable, conservative production target — same prompt behaviour as 1.0 with better instruction following. gpt-image-2 (April 21, 2026) is the current state of the art — best text rendering, no warm yellow color cast, supports 3:1 / 1:3 ultrawide aspect ratios, native 2K output. On Unifically: GPT Image 2 prices flat at $0.03 / $0.05 / $0.06 per image for 1K / 2K / 4K. The legacy gpt-image-1 and gpt-image-1.5 routes are hidden in the pricing UI but still callable for in-flight workloads.

Three generations at a glance

Spec	gpt-image-1	gpt-image-1.5	gpt-image-2
Status	Deprecated — shutdown October 23, 2026	Stable, hidden in Unifically pricing UI	Current — recommended for new work
Released	Original GPT Image generation	December 16, 2025	April 21, 2026
Output resolution	1024×1024 baseline	1024×1024 baseline	Up to 2K, ultrawide aspect ratios
Aspect ratios	1:1, 2:3, 3:2	1:1, 2:3, 3:2	1:1, 2:3, 3:2, plus 3:1 / 1:3 ultrawide
Request shape	`quality` (low / medium / high)	`quality` (low / medium / high)	`resolution` (1k / 2k / 4k)
Text rendering	Workable, occasional artifacts	Better instruction following	Near-perfect; clean small text and UI elements
Color cast	Warm yellow tint visible	Warm yellow tint partially fixed	No yellow cast; neutral output
Reasoning	None	None	Adds reasoning step before generation
OpenAI direct pricing (1024×1024 ref)	low/med/high (legacy)	$0.009 / $0.034 / $0.133	$0.006 / $0.053 / $0.211
Unifically pricing	hidden, in-flight only	hidden, in-flight only	$0.03 / $0.05 / $0.06 (1K / 2K / 4K)

What changed between gpt-image-1 and gpt-image-1.5

gpt-image-1.5 shipped December 16, 2025 as an incremental upgrade. The headline changes:

Better instruction following. Prompts that asked for specific layouts, text, or compositional rules landed more reliably than on 1.0.
Same prompt behaviour overall. gpt-image-1.5 was positioned as a stability upgrade — drop-in for most workloads, with a gentler learning curve than jumping straight to 2.0.
Same quality knob. Low / medium / high remained the request shape. No reformatting of the call payload was needed.
Slightly cheaper at low and medium quality ($0.009 / $0.034 vs the legacy 1.0 rates).

For teams that wanted gpt-image-1's look but needed slightly tighter prompt adherence, 1.5 was the safe upgrade. It is still callable on Unifically (hidden in the pricing UI, but the API works) for in-flight workloads that haven't fully migrated.

What changed between gpt-image-1.5 and gpt-image-2

gpt-image-2 shipped April 21, 2026 and is the much bigger jump. Five things changed:

Request shape pivoted from quality to resolution. The old low / medium / high quality knob is replaced with explicit 1K / 2K / 4K output sizes. Pricing follows resolution, so drafts at 1K and finals at 4K are budgetable.
Text rendering is near-perfect. Small text, UI elements, manga panels, pixel art, packaging copy — all render cleanly where 1.0 / 1.5 produced artifacts on dense type.
Warm yellow color cast eliminated. The 1.0 / 1.5 line shipped a recognisable warm tint on neutral scenes. 2.0 outputs are neutral.
Wider aspect ratio support. 3:1 and 1:3 ultrawide ratios join 1:1, 2:3, 3:2.
Reasoning step before generation. OpenAI added a planning pass — useful on prompts with complex spatial relationships, multi-element compositions, and dense scene descriptions.

The cost is that the old quality parameter doesn't exist on 2.0. Calls that hardcoded quality: 'high' need to be rewritten to use resolution: '4k' (or whichever tier matches the output target).

Pricing comparison

OpenAI direct rates are token-based on 2.0 and per-quality-tier on 1.5 / 1.0. Unifically prices flat per resolution tier for 2.0 — no token math.

Model	Tier	OpenAI direct (1024×1024)	Unifically (per image)
gpt-image-1	Low quality	legacy rate	hidden / in-flight only
gpt-image-1	Medium quality	legacy rate	hidden / in-flight only
gpt-image-1	High quality	legacy rate	hidden / in-flight only
gpt-image-1.5	Low	$0.009	hidden / in-flight only
gpt-image-1.5	Medium	$0.034	hidden / in-flight only
gpt-image-1.5	High	$0.133	hidden / in-flight only
gpt-image-2	1K	$0.006 (low quality ref)	$0.03
gpt-image-2	2K	$0.053 (medium quality ref)	$0.05
gpt-image-2	4K	$0.211 (high quality ref)	$0.06

Direct rates from OpenAI's published pricing for gpt-image-1.5 and gpt-image-2 (1024×1024 reference points). Unifically's flat per-tier shape lines up with OpenAI's high-quality output rates while staying predictable for budgeting.

Migrating from gpt-image-1 or gpt-image-1.5

OpenAI's deprecations page lists gpt-image-1 shutdown for October 23, 2026. Calls to that route will start returning errors after that date. Two practical migration paths:

Option A — migrate to `gpt-image-2` (recommended for new work)

Best for: workloads that benefit from the latest text rendering, neutral colour, ultrawide aspect ratios, and the resolution-tiered pricing shape.

What changes in your code:

Switch model: 'openai/gpt-image-1' → model: 'openai/gpt-image-2'.
Replace quality: 'low' | 'medium' | 'high' with resolution: '1k' | '2k' | '4k'.
Optionally add ultrawide aspect ratios (3:1 / 1:3) where useful.
Keep image_urls[] as-is (still up to 16 references at 100 MB each on 2.0).

Approximate quality mapping:

quality: 'low' → resolution: '1k'
quality: 'medium' → resolution: '2k'
quality: 'high' → resolution: '4k'

Option B — migrate to `gpt-image-1.5` (low-risk stopgap)

Best for: workloads where output stability matters more than the latest model behaviour. gpt-image-1.5 shares prompt behaviour with gpt-image-1 while shipping better instruction following at lower cost on the medium / high bands.

What changes in your code:

Switch model: 'openai/gpt-image-1' → model: 'openai/gpt-image-1.5'.
Keep quality parameter as-is (low / medium / high still works).
Keep image_urls[] and prompt structure as-is.

Note: gpt-image-1.5 is also slated for deprecation eventually. Treat Option B as a short-term stability bridge, not a long-term destination.

Code: migrating a `gpt-image-1` call to `gpt-image-2`

Before (`gpt-image-1`)

const start = await fetch(`${API}/v1/tasks`, {
  method: 'POST',
  headers,
  body: JSON.stringify({
    model: 'openai/gpt-image-1',
    input: {
      prompt: 'A photorealistic packaging mockup of a matte black bottle on marble',
      quality: 'high',
      aspect_ratio: '2:3',
      image_urls: ['https://example.com/brand-reference.jpg'],
    },
  }),
}).then((r) => r.json());

After (`gpt-image-2`)

const start = await fetch(`${API}/v1/tasks`, {
  method: 'POST',
  headers,
  body: JSON.stringify({
    model: 'openai/gpt-image-2',
    input: {
      prompt: 'A photorealistic packaging mockup of a matte black bottle on marble',
      resolution: '4k',
      aspect_ratio: '2:3',
      image_urls: ['https://example.com/brand-reference.jpg'],
    },
  }),
}).then((r) => r.json());

The only meaningful change is quality: 'high' → resolution: '4k'. Polling on /v1/tasks/{task_id} is identical across all three model generations.

When to use each model

Use `gpt-image-2` when

Starting a new workload — there is no good reason to start on a deprecated model.
Text rendering matters (UI mockups, packaging copy, posters, manga).
You need neutral output without the warm yellow cast.
You need ultrawide aspect ratios (3:1 or 1:3).
You want explicit resolution tiers for budgeting (drafts at 1K, finals at 4K).

Use `gpt-image-1.5` when

You're mid-migration and need a low-risk stopgap.
Output stability matters more than the latest model behaviour.
Your codebase still passes quality and you can't refactor immediately.
The cheaper medium-quality tier ($0.034 direct) hits the budget you need.

Avoid `gpt-image-1` because

It shuts down on October 23, 2026.
gpt-image-1.5 is a drop-in stability bridge with better instruction following.
gpt-image-2 is materially better on every quality dimension.

Common mistakes during migration

Skipping the migration deadline. October 23, 2026 is the hard cutoff for gpt-image-1. Calls after that return errors. Don't leave it to the last week.
Hardcoding quality: 'high' and forgetting to update on 2.0. The quality parameter does not exist on gpt-image-2. Set resolution instead.
Migrating to 1.5 thinking it's safe forever. 1.5 is a stable bridge; OpenAI will eventually deprecate it too. Plan a 2.0 path even if you take the 1.5 stopgap.
Assuming Unifically's quality mapping carries over. Unifically prices gpt-image-2 flat per resolution tier ($0.03 / $0.05 / $0.06). The OpenAI-direct token-based pricing isn't what you pay through Unifically.
Forgetting the warm cast. If your downstream pipeline applies a warm-tint LUT to compensate for gpt-image-1's yellow cast, that LUT will over-warm gpt-image-2 output. Strip it on migration.

Frequently asked questions

When does `gpt-image-1` shut down?

October 23, 2026, per OpenAI's deprecations page. Calls after that date will return errors. Migrate to gpt-image-2 (recommended) or gpt-image-1.5 (stable stopgap) before then.

What is the biggest difference between `gpt-image-1.5` and `gpt-image-2`?

Three things. The request shape switched from quality (low / medium / high) to resolution (1K / 2K / 4K). Text rendering went from "workable" to "near-perfect". The warm yellow color cast that defined the 1.0 / 1.5 line is gone on 2.0. Plus ultrawide aspect ratios (3:1 / 1:3) and a reasoning step before generation.

How much does GPT Image 2 cost on Unifically?

$0.03 per image at 1K, $0.05 at 2K, and $0.06 at 4K. There is no subscription — billing is per generated image against the openai/gpt-image-2 price key. Approximate quality mapping from 1.5: low ≈ 1K, medium ≈ 2K, high ≈ 4K.

Can I still call `gpt-image-1` on Unifically?

For now, yes — the route is hidden in the live pricing UI but the API is still callable for in-flight workloads. After OpenAI's October 23, 2026 shutdown, calls will return errors. Migrate before then.

Should I jump to GPT Image 2 directly or migrate to 1.5 first?

Jump to 2.0 if your team can absorb the prompt-shape change (quality → resolution) and re-test outputs. The quality and pricing benefits are material. Use 1.5 as a stability stopgap only if you cannot refactor before the October 2026 deadline.

GPT Image 2 deep dive — full GPT Image 2 specs and code samples
GPT Image 2 model page — live playground with 1K / 2K / 4K toggle
Nano Banana 2 — Google alternative with the same per-tier pricing shape
Qwen Image vs Nano Banana — when Google's safety filter is too restrictive
Flux.2 — Black Forest Labs alternative with Flex / Pro / Max tiers