OpenAI released an updated image feature for ChatGPT on September 8, 2026, which is available worldwide for all accounts. New templates for flyers, posters, and product photos, as well as a sketching function, make it easier to get started. There are no additional costs, but free accounts are only allowed to create a limited number of images per day.
ChatGPT now generates images more precisely and sharply
As OpenAI announces, the new version appears more natural: lighting, textures, and faces look significantly more realistic than before, according to the company. The image function implements change requests more reliably over multiple editing steps while retaining people and objects from the original image. Text within an image can now be inserted more cleanly, and a transparent background can be requested directly, for example for a logo without a white border.
A new comment tool makes corrections easier: instead of describing a change in words, a comment can be placed directly on the affected area in the image, such as on an incorrect inscription or a person in the background. According to OpenAI, image generation also runs up to 50 percent faster than in the previous version.
Templates and sketches save time in the office
For office life, two new tools matter most: templates and the sketching function Sketch. Templates provide a ready-made starting point for posters, flyers, product photos, or merchandise designs, so no one has to start from a blank space anymore. With Sketch, a rough sketch can be drawn directly in ChatGPT, such as the layout of a trade show booth, and the assistant turns it into a finished image.
An example from practice: an assistant in the back office is planning a holiday party and urgently needs a flyer with date, time, and registration link. Instead of opening a graphics program, she selects the flyer template, describes the occasion and company colors, and receives a finished draft ready for printing or emailing.
Here is how to use the new image feature:
- Open ChatGPT on the computer, in the browser, or in the mobile app.
- Select a template or draw a sketch and describe the occasion in your own words.
- Review the result and mark corrections directly in the image with a comment.
- Download the finished image or share the description with colleagues.
Anyone who already has ChatGPT build PowerPoint slides from bullet points can use the new image templates directly as a cover for the next presentation.
Free to use – with a daily limit on the free account
According to OpenAI’s help page, the updated image feature is open to all ChatGPT accounts, from free access to the paid tiers Plus, Pro, and Business. There is no waiting list; access is granted automatically via web, desktop, and the mobile app. There are no additional costs for using it in chat.
Reports suggest that those using a free account are only allowed to generate two to three images per day – there is no official number confirmed by OpenAI, and it is independently unverified. Paid accounts get significantly more room, without OpenAI naming a fixed quota. Similar image functions are now also offered by other programs: Google Docs creates images and diagrams, but only in the paid Workspace or AI subscription.
What will matter is whether offices use the new sharpness critically: because faces and logos are now retained more reliably, equally convincing forgeries of colleagues, customers, or brand logos can be created just as easily. For internal templates with real photos of employees or customer faces, it is worth checking the company’s own privacy policy first. It remains to be seen how generously OpenAI will set the daily limit for free accounts in the coming weeks.
