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A free guide by Mariah Brunner ↗ INSTAGRAM ↗ TIKTOK

ChatGPT Images 2
Changes Everything

Readable text, full marketing layouts, infographics and consistent characters across comics. Here are 6 things it can do, with the prompts to try each one.

OpenAI launched ChatGPT Images 2.0 on April 21, 2026, and it fixed the things AI images were always bad at. Text you can actually read. Layouts that look designed. Characters that stay the same from image to image.

On September 8, 2026 it got an upgrade to Images 2.5, which is what you’re using today. It’s faster (OpenAI says up to 50% lower wait time), better at changing one thing without wrecking the rest, and it added a few new tricks I’ll show you below.

  1. Where: any regular ChatGPT chat. Just ask for an image. It works the same on your phone.
  2. Plans: every plan can make images. Free has a daily limit, and OpenAI doesn’t publish the exact Free number.
  3. Thinking: on paid plans, pick a Thinking model before you ask. It plans the image first, can search the web, and can make up to 8 matching images from one prompt.
6 Things It Can Do

01

Color palette from any photo

Upload a photo and get a full palette card with hex codes. Great for starting a brand, matching a mood or picking colors that already work together.

Prompt: Color Palette
[Attach your photo] Turn this photo into a brand color palette card. Steps: 1. Pull 6 colors from the photo: 2 dominant, 2 secondary, 2 accent. Pick colors that actually appear in the image, not close guesses. 2. Give each color a short, evocative name (like "Warm Sand" or "Deep Ocean"). Make the image: - A clean, minimal swatch card on a white background - Each color as a large circle in one row of six - The color name and its hex code printed under each circle, in a simple sans-serif font, spelled exactly - Title at the top, EXACT text: "[YOUR PALETTE NAME, e.g. Coastal Morning]" - Square, 1:1 Rules: no other text, no logos, no drop shadows. After the image, list the 6 hex codes as plain text in the chat so I can copy them.

02

Full marketing ads

Product shot, typography and layout in one image. This used to take a photographer, a designer and a copywriter. Attach a photo of your real product so it stays accurate.

Prompt: Product Ad
You are an art director making a premium magazine-style ad for my product. Product: [WHAT IT IS, e.g. a minimalist ceramic coffee mug] [Optional: attach a photo of the real product and keep its shape, color and details exactly as shown] Audience: [WHO IT'S FOR] Mood: [e.g. calm, warm, slow mornings] Make the image: - Hero product shot, dramatic soft lighting, gentle shadows - Background color: [e.g. warm cream] - Headline, EXACT text: "[YOUR HEADLINE]" - Subheadline, EXACT text: "[YOUR SUBHEADLINE, e.g. Handcrafted in Portland. $38.]" - Brand name small in the bottom corner, EXACT text: "[YOUR BRAND]" - Modern sans-serif type, high contrast, lots of white space - Portrait 4:5 for Instagram Rules: spell every word exactly as written. Do not add any text I didn't give you. Keep the product the hero, never cropped. If my headline is too long to fit cleanly, tell me before you shrink it.

03

Magazine layouts with readable text

This is the big one. AI text used to come out misspelled and warped. Now you can make magazine pages, posters and menus. Write the words yourself and the model sets them.

Prompt: Magazine Page
Create a modern magazine feature page about [YOUR TOPIC, e.g. the rise of solo travel]. Include these EXACT text elements, spelled perfectly: - Magazine name at the top: "[e.g. WANDERLUST]" - Headline: "[YOUR HEADLINE]" - Byline: "[e.g. Words by Your Name]" - Pull quote in large type: "[ONE STRONG LINE]" - Body copy: use this text, word for word, in two columns: [PASTE 2 OR 3 SHORT PARAGRAPHS YOU WROTE] Style: calm editorial design, like an indie print magazine. One large photo that fits the topic. Clear hierarchy: headline biggest, pull quote second, body text small but readable. Full-bleed page, portrait 2:3. Rules: do not invent or rewrite any of my text. No extra captions, ads or page numbers. If the body copy won't fit, cut whole sentences from the end and tell me which ones.

04

Realistic handwriting

Handwritten notes, journal pages and letters that look like a person wrote them. Fun for social posts and product mockups.

Prompt: Handwritten Note
Create a realistic photo of a handwritten note. Scene: lined notebook paper, slightly angled on a wooden desk, a pen beside it, soft natural window light, a little depth of field. The note says, EXACT text, line breaks as shown: "[YOUR TEXT, e.g. Things I'm grateful for today: 1. Morning coffee on the balcony 2. That call with Mom 3. Finally finishing the book]" Handwriting: neat but human. Blue ballpoint ink, slightly uneven letter sizes and spacing, natural slant. It should look written by a person, not typed in a script font. Rules: spell every word exactly as written. No extra words, doodles or signatures unless I add them. Square 1:1.

05

Full infographics

Stat cards, charts and comparisons designed together in one image. Bring your own real numbers. The model will happily make up stats if you let it, so the prompt locks them down.

Prompt: Infographic
You are a data designer. Turn my real numbers into one clean, shareable infographic. Topic: [YOUR TOPIC] Title, EXACT text: "[YOUR TITLE]" Stats (use only these, word for word): 1. [STAT + LABEL] 2. [STAT + LABEL] 3. [STAT + LABEL] 4. [STAT + LABEL] 5. [STAT + LABEL] Source line at the bottom, EXACT text: "Source: [WHERE YOUR NUMBERS CAME FROM]" Design: - Vertical 9:16 for Stories and Pinterest - Colors: [e.g. navy, white and coral] - One big stat callout at the top, then icons and simple bar charts for the rest - Every number and word perfectly spelled and easy to read on a phone Rules: never invent, round or change a number. If a stat can't be shown as a chart, show it as a large number with its label. Do not add any text I didn't give you.

06

Comics with consistent characters

Keeping the same person from panel to panel used to be the hardest part of AI art. On a paid plan, turn on Thinking so it can hold the character steady across a set of images.

Prompt: Comic Strip
Create a 4-panel comic strip, arranged as a 2x2 grid. Character (must look exactly the same in every panel, same face, hair, outfit and glasses): [DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER, e.g. a woman in her 30s with short dark hair, round glasses and a blue oversized hoodie] [Optional: attach a reference photo or a character sheet you already made] Panel 1: [SCENE]. Speech bubble, EXACT text: "[LINE]" Panel 2: [SCENE]. Speech bubble, EXACT text: "[LINE]" Panel 3: [SCENE]. Speech bubble, EXACT text: "[LINE]" Panel 4: [SCENE]. Speech bubble, EXACT text: "[LINE]" Style: modern webcomic, clean lines, bright colors, slightly exaggerated expressions. White gutters between panels. Speech bubbles big enough to read on a phone. Rules: keep the character identical across all 4 panels. Spell the dialogue exactly. No extra captions or sound effects unless I list them. If a scene can't fit, simplify the background, never the character.
New In Images 2.5

01

Sketch it first

Type @Sketch in a chat to open a drawing pad. Doodle a room layout, an outfit or where things should go, add a short style description, and ChatGPT uses both to make the final image.

02

Comment on the image

Instead of describing where the problem is, put a comment right on that spot of the image and say what to change. The rest of the image stays put.

03

Start from a template

Templates like Poster and Merch give you a starting layout. Pick one, then fill in your details and style.

Get Better Results

Use “Exact Text”

Put the words you want in quotes and say EXACT text and spell every word exactly. For tricky names, spell them out letter by letter.

Lead With The Big Stuff

Open your prompt with the kind of image and the subject, then the style. Save small details for the end.

Say “No Extra Text”

It sometimes adds words you never asked for. Add “Do not add any text besides what I gave you.”

Edit In The Same Chat

Say “make the background darker” or “change the headline to...” and it edits instead of starting over. If the first image is way off, start a fresh one instead of fixing it 10 times.

Honest Limits

Big moves like re-posing a person or shifting several objects can still break the rest of the image. Tiny, dense text can still smudge. Check every word and number before you post.