Images

Create image

Changed on

Creates an image given a prompt using a GPT Image model. Learn more.

post/images/generations

Request

  • Base URL
    https://api.openai.com/v1
  • URL
    https://api.openai.com/v1/images/generations
  • Auth
    HTTP bearer

Request body

promptstring required

A text description of the desired image(s). The maximum length is 32000 characters.

ninteger nullable

The number of images to generate. Must be between 1 and 10.

quality'low' | 'medium' | 'high' | 'xhigh' | 'max' | 'auto' | 'standard' | 'hd' nullable

The quality of the image that will be generated.

  • auto (default value) will automatically select the best quality for the given model.
  • high, medium and low are supported for the GPT image models.
  • gpt-image-2.5-sunburst and gpt-image-2.5-flare, including their 2026-09-08 snapshots, also support xhigh and max.
response_format'url' | 'b64_json' | 'null' nullable

Legacy response format parameter for retired image models. Unsupported for GPT image models, which always return base64-encoded images.

output_format'png' | 'jpeg' | 'webp' nullable

The format in which the generated images are returned. This parameter is only supported for the GPT image models. Must be one of png, jpeg, or webp.

output_compressioninteger nullable

The compression level (0-100%) for the generated images. This parameter is only supported for the GPT image models with the webp or jpeg output formats, and defaults to 100.

streamboolean nullable

Generate the image in streaming mode. Defaults to false. See the Image generation guide for more information. This parameter is only supported for the GPT image models.

partial_imagesinteger nullable

The number of partial images to generate. This parameter is used for streaming responses that return partial images. Value must be between 0 and 3. When set to 0, the response will be a single image sent in one streaming event.

Note that the final image may be sent before the full number of partial images are generated if the full image is generated more quickly.

moderation'low' | 'auto' nullable

Control the content-moderation level for images generated by the GPT image models. Must be either low for less restrictive filtering or auto (default value).

background'transparent' | 'opaque' | 'auto' nullable

Set the background of the generated image(s). This parameter is only supported for the GPT image models. Must be one of transparent, opaque, or auto (default value). When auto is used, the model will automatically determine the best background for the image.

gpt-image-2.5-sunburst and gpt-image-2.5-flare, including their 2026-09-08 snapshots, support opaque and transparent backgrounds. Transparent backgrounds are available for supported GPT Image models. For gpt-image-2 and gpt-image-2-2026-04-21, this support is in preview. When using transparent, set the output format to png or webp.

style'vivid' | 'natural' | 'null' nullable

Legacy style parameter for retired image models. Unsupported for GPT image models; describe the desired style in the prompt instead.

safety_identifierstring nullable

A stable identifier for an end user in your organization, used for safety monitoring and abuse detection. Hash a username or email address to avoid sending identifying information. A non-empty value takes precedence over the deprecated user parameter. If omitted, null, or empty, the API uses user when available. Learn more.

userstring

Deprecated: use safety_identifier instead. This parameter remains accepted for backward compatibility and is used when safety_identifier is omitted, null, or empty. Learn more.

Example request

{
  "prompt": "A cute baby sea otter",
  "n": 1,
  "quality": "medium",
  "output_format": "png",
  "output_compression": 100,
  "partial_images": 1,
  "moderation": "low",
  "background": "transparent",
  "style": "vivid",
  "safety_identifier": "user-1234",
  "user": "user-1234"
}

Response

OK

safety_identifierstring nullable

The effective safety identifier used for safety monitoring and abuse detection. This is the non-empty safety_identifier from the request, or the deprecated user value when safety_identifier is omitted, null, or empty.

createdinteger required

The Unix timestamp (in seconds) of when the image was created.

background'transparent' | 'opaque'

The background parameter used for the image generation. Either transparent or opaque.

output_format'png' | 'webp' | 'jpeg'

The output format of the image generation. Either png, webp, or jpeg.

quality'low' | 'medium' | 'high' | 'xhigh' | 'max'

The quality of the image generated. One of low, medium, high, xhigh, or max.

Changes

  • 761157f39a24Revision changes
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      added the new optional request property

    • info

      request property deprecated

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      added the optional property //// to the response with the status (media type: text/event-stream)

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      added the optional property to the response with the status (media type: application/json)

  • e2f8d8cbc41fRevision changes
    • info

      added the optional property // to the response with the status

    • info

      added the optional property // to the response with the status

    • info

      added the optional property // to the response with the status

    • info

      added the optional property // to the response with the status

    • info

      added the optional property // to the response with the status

    • info

      added the optional property // to the response with the status