OVERTIME · 9 MIN GPT IMAGE 2.5 BROKE ON THE ROSES

GPT Image 2.5 Speedrun. What’s New and What’s Better?

September 14, 20269 min Rory Flynn & Drew Brucker

The short version

This Overtime speedrun tests GPT Image 2.5 against GPT Image 2, and the hosts call it a real fix rather than a minor bump: detail preservation finally holds through edits. They queue multi-part annotated edits, like pink hair and a mohawk, try the new sketch-to-image feature, push custom aspect ratios, and catch a miss where a volcano-and-roses request leaves the roses untouched. A browser-only template creator points at brand use cases ahead.

Key takeaways

  1. 01

    GPT Image 2.5 finally preserves details you ask to keep unchanged across edits, fixing the degradation that plagued GPT Image 2.

  2. 02

    Multi-edit annotations let you queue several changes, like pink hair and a mohawk, in one submission instead of editing one at a time.

  3. 03

    The new sketch-to-image feature only works in the browser version right now, not the desktop app, so check which surface you're using.

  4. 04

    Custom aspect ratios work, but width and height must both be multiples of 16 pixels, so odd banner sizes like 320x50 get rounded.

  5. 05

    Even a five-or-six-edit chain held up in one pass, though the hosts still flag oversharpened, overly clarified output as a recurring flaw.

  6. 06

    When a multi-edit job turns pixelated and messy, regenerate from scratch instead of continuing to edit it, one host advises.

  7. 07

    A document-to-template creator exists for brands but lives on the browser version, not the ChatGPT app most people default to.

Receipts · said on the record

“When you get things too complicated or ask for more than one thing, … it starts to break down.”
Fast Hours Comparing to Midjourney's editor breaking on complex multi-part edits Play from 1:20
“It fixed the things where it was lacking and mad respect for that because that was the problem.”
Fast Hours His verdict on GPT Image 2.5 fixing its predecessor's flaws Play from 3:40
“I still find the sharpness and the HDR tuning and like the the clarity to be dialed up way too high on a lot of this stuff.”
Fast Hours On GPT Image 2.5's over-sharpened, over-clarified default look Play from 6:56
“If you start to go into like multiple edits, it becomes like just this jumbled like pixelated noise mess. … I don't even try to edit things anymore.”
Fast Hours Why he'd rather regenerate than keep editing in GPT Image 2.5 Play from 7:09

Chapters

  1. 0:00 Introduction to Image 2.5
  2. 0:44 New sketch feature
  3. 1:15 Multi-edit capabilities
  4. 2:50 Practical workflow testing
  5. 4:12 Aspect ratios and limitations
  6. 7:26 Templates and future outlook

Questions this episode answers

What's new in GPT Image 2.5 compared to GPT Image 2?

The hosts say GPT Image 2.5 finally preserves details during edits instead of degrading them, and adds multi-edit annotations for queuing several changes at once, a sketch-to-image feature, and support for custom aspect ratios.

Can GPT Image 2.5 handle multiple edits in one request?

Yes: the hosts tested a five-or-six-edit chain, including background, teeth, and hair changes submitted together, and called the result solid, though a request to turn flowers into roses was missed.

Does GPT Image 2.5 support custom aspect ratios?

Yes, though the documentation requires both width and height to be multiples of 16 pixels, so unusual ad sizes like 320x50 need to round to the nearest valid dimension.

What do the Fast Hours hosts think GPT Image 2.5 still gets wrong?

They say the sharpness, HDR tuning, and clarity are still dialed up too high, and that pushing several edits in a row can turn the image into pixelated noise, so they'd rather regenerate than keep editing.

Show notes

GPT Image 2.5 brings better image editing and preservation; this speedrun tests the upgrades and catches what still gets missed.

Drew and Rory requested new hairstyles, red roses, and a volcano. Naturally, their sophisticated stress test broke at the flowers.

The GPT Image 2.5 demo examines improvements over GPT Image 2 through targeted edits and image variations. ChatGPT sketching and comment annotations support the editing workflow. Background removal and aspect-ratio recomposition expand creative options. Missed instructions, excessive sharpness, and repeated-edit quality remain part of the review.

.5

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