Generate Images in Python With OpenAI's GPT Image API – Real Python

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Generate Images in Python With OpenAI's GPT Image API

Complete the Setup Requirements
Install the OpenAI Python Library
Get Your OpenAI API Key
Save Your API Key as an Environment Variable

Generate Images From a Text Prompt With the GPT Image API
Set the Size and Quality of Your Image
Save the Whole Response as JSON
Convert Saved Responses to PNG Files

Edit Your Image With a Follow-Up Prompt
Conclusion
Next Steps
Frequently Asked Questions

You’ve probably asked ChatGPT for a picture and watched one appear a few seconds later. The same models also sit behind OpenAI’s GPT Image API, so you can generate images from your own Python code instead of a chat window. You send a prompt, and image data comes back for your script to work with.
By the end of this tutorial, you’ll understand that:

You generate images from a text prompt by calling client.images.generate() with a GPT Image model like gpt-image-2.5-flare.
Image data always arrives Base64-encoded in .b64_json, so you save it as a file with b64decode().
You choose your image’s dimensions and detail with size and quality, which also drive its token cost.
Saving the whole JSON response keeps the metadata and lets you decode several images at once.
You edit an image you already have by passing it back to .edit() with a new prompt.

You’ll need some experience with Python, JSON, and file operations to breeze through this tutorial. You can also study up on these topics while you go along, as you’ll find relevant links throughout the text.

Note: If you came here looking for DALL·E, then you’re in the right place, but the model is gone. OpenAI retired DALL·E 2 and DALL·E 3 on May 12, 2026, and removed the image variations endpoint along with them. The GPT Image models that you’ll use in this tutorial are their replacement.

Get Your Code: Click here to download the free sample code that you’ll use to generate stunning images with the OpenAI API.

Take the Quiz: Test your knowledge with our interactive “Generate Images in Python With OpenAI's GPT Image API” quiz. You’ll receive a score upon completion to help you track your learning progress:

Generate Images in Python With OpenAI's GPT Image API

Test your understanding of generating images in Python with OpenAI's GPT Image models, from text prompts and Base64 decoding to size, quality, and edits.