ChatGPT Image 1.5 is here. How does it compare to Gemini’s Nano Banana and other tools?

Image generation moves in cycles. One model takes the lead, others catch up, then the balance shifts again.

Back in April 2025, ChatGPT briefly held the crown for image generation after investing heavily in training models that could follow instructions properly and produce usable, realistic images. That lead did not last. Late August 2025 Google’s Nano Banana overtook it, particularly on speed and visual punch, and many people immediately jumped ship. Followed up by Nano Banana Pro just last month, ChatGPTs offering looked poor.

But yesterday’s new release of ChatGPT Images 1.5 marks OpenAI’s return to the front of the pack, or at least level with others. Not through spectacle, but through practical, usable improvements that make image generation and editing far more dependable.

Auto-generated description: December 16, 2025 is prominently displayed at the top, with a bold announcement reading The new ChatGPT Images is here against a black background.

As with ChatGPT 5.2, this is not about flashy tricks. It is about making the tool work properly in real workflows.

1. Stronger instruction following

The most important improvement is how well Images 1.5 follows instructions.

In practice, this means:

  • Better understanding of detailed visual changes
  • Fewer unwanted alterations outside the requested area
  • More reliable results when combining multiple constraints

You can now ask for very specific edits and trust that the rest of the image will remain intact. This alone separates Images 1.5 from many faster but less disciplined models.

2. More precise, localised editing

Images 1.5 is significantly better at editing parts of an image rather than regenerating the whole thing.

It handles:

  • Clothing and accessories
  • Background changes
  • Seasonal and environmental shifts
  • Style adjustments applied selectively

This makes it genuinely useful for refining existing images, not just generating new ones from scratch.

3. Improved realism and visual fidelity

Outputs show a clear improvement in:

  • Lighting consistency
  • Texture detail
  • Depth and realism

This moves Images 1.5 away from novelty outputs and closer to something that can be used in marketing, education, internal comms, and concept work without apology.

4. Faster generation without sacrificing control

Images 1.5 is noticeably quicker than the last ChatGPT image model, it is still slower than Gemini’s though.

More importantly, the speed increase does not come at the expense of instruction accuracy. That balance matters far more than raw generation time when you are iterating or working with clients.

5. A dedicated Images experience inside ChatGPT

Images now has its own dedicated space within ChatGPT.

This includes:

  • Easier access to image creation and editing
  • Presets and starting points
  • A clearer workflow for iterating on visuals

It feels less like a bolt-on feature and more like a first-class capability.

6. Working alongside ChatGPT’s Abode Photoshop App

This release was a surprise.

Many assumed that ChatGPT’s integrated Photoshop-style editing tools were OpenAI’s answer to image manipulation. Instead, Images 1.5 complements them.

You can now:

  • Use Images 1.5 for intelligent, semantic edits
  • Use the editing tools for more manual refinements
  • Move between the two depending on the task

This gives ChatGPT a broader image workflow than most standalone generators.

What Images 1.5 is not

This is not a permanent win.

Image models leapfrog each other constantly. Nano Banana, or something else entirely, may well take the lead again. That is exactly why chasing platforms purely for features is rarely a good strategy.

The strategic takeaway

Images 1.5 reinforces a lesson we repeatedly share with organisations and educators.

Do not jump ship every time a competitor launches something new. Capability gaps close quickly. What matters more is:

  • How well a tool integrates into your workflows
  • How predictable and controllable the outputs are
  • How effectively it augments human decision-making

ChatGPT Images 1.5 does not change what image generation can do. It makes it more reliable, more controllable, and more usable.

As with ChatGPT 5.2, that kind of upgrade rarely makes headlines, but it is the kind that actually improves day-to-day work.

Read here to find out more, see examples , and get more detail https://openai.com/index/new-chatgpt-images-is-here/

Generative AI