Templates are the fastest way into GPT Image 2.5: instead of describing an entire layout from nothing, you pick a format OpenAI already prepared and fill in the details.
They shipped with the model on 8 September 2026 as one of four new creative controls, alongside Sketch, comments placed on an image, and prompt sharing. This page covers the built-in product feature rather than the prompt libraries that use the same word.
What GPT Image 2.5 templates actually are
A template is a starting layout, not a style filter. You choose a format, then describe what the image should say, which design elements matter, and what style you want.
OpenAI’s launch announcement frames templates as the answer to the blank canvas: instead of composing everything yourself, “you can choose a template like ‘Poster’ or ‘Merch’ and add details like information to convey, design elements, or styles to personalize your results.”
That framing tells you what the feature is optimised for. Templates reduce the number of decisions standing between you and a first draft, which is why they help most when you already know the format you need.
- A starting format, chosen from a category list
- Your own details layered on top of that format
- Optional follow-up questions the model asks to fill gaps
- Optional reference image upload when the flow offers it
- A finished image you keep editing in the same conversation
How to open templates in ChatGPT
The help centre documents the path step by step, and it is a sidebar flow rather than something you type.
- Open the sidebar and select Images
- Select Templates to browse the available categories
- Choose a category, then select a template
- Customize the template with details about what you want to create, then send your request
- If ChatGPT asks follow-up questions, choose from the options shown or type your own answer
- If an upload option is available, you can add a reference image
OpenAI’s own advice for the customisation step is to be specific about the details that matter: for a poster, say what it is for and include the text you want on it. After the image is generated you can keep editing it in the conversation or through the editing options on the image itself.
Which templates OpenAI has actually named
OpenAI has published examples rather than a complete inventory, and that distinction is worth holding on to.
- The launch announcement names Poster and Merch
- The help centre describes templates as “a starting point for creating an image, such as a poster or logo”
- No official page lists every category or the total number of templates
- The categories you see in your own account can change without an announcement
Treat any definitive count as a third-party observation rather than an official figure. For the control that sits beside templates in the same release, see the GPT Image 2.5 Sketch guide.
Templates are not prompt template libraries
This is the biggest source of confusion in the results for the term, so it is worth separating the two.
- Built-in templates are a product feature inside ChatGPT, reached through the Images sidebar
- Prompt libraries are collections of reusable text published by third parties
- A prompt library is pasted into the message box and works with any model
- A built-in template is chosen from a menu and shapes the layout before you write anything
Both are useful and they solve different problems. If a page promises thousands of templates, it is describing the second category. What the model does with either input is covered in the GPT Image 2.5 overview.
Which formats get the most from a template
Templates pay off when the format is fixed and the content changes, which describes most production work.
- Posters and flyers, where the hierarchy is predictable and only the copy changes
- Merch mockups, where the artwork changes but the product view does not
- Social images that need one clear text zone rather than a full composition
- Repeat formats such as event notices, where consistency between versions matters
The trade-off is the one OpenAI implies: fewer open decisions also means less room for an unusual layout. If the format itself is the creative idea, start from a written brief or a sketch instead.
Where templates stop helping
A template controls structure, and structure is only one part of an image.
- Templates are not yet available in Work mode, according to the help centre
- Detailed text still has to be quoted exactly, and long copy remains the weakest case
- Generation may take a few minutes, depending on how complex the request is
- A template does not lock the layout, so a later edit can still move elements
Plan for one round of correction, and change a single variable at a time so you know what caused the shift.
A worked example: one poster, two markets
The repeat-format case is where a template earns its keep: an event poster that ships in two cities with everything except the date and the venue name held identical.
- Open the sidebar, select Images, then Templates, and choose the Poster category
- In the customisation step, give the format, the copy and the constraint together: “A3 event poster for a live jazz night. Headline: MIDNIGHT SESSIONS. Date: 14 March. Venue: The Old Warehouse. Dark background, one warm light source, a single text column.”
- Send the request and keep the first result as the approved version
- For the second city, change only the two variables: “Same poster, same layout. Change the date to 21 March and the venue to Riverside Hall. Nothing else changes.”
- Compare the second output against the first for layout drift, not against the brief
Two variables is the practical limit for one round. If you also change the headline image, the layout re-decides itself and you can no longer tell which change caused it. The stamps above are the same idea in miniature: one frame, one typeface, eight variations.
If the layout itself is the creative idea rather than the container, see what the model does with an open brief in the GPT Image 2.5 overview.
Frequently asked questions
Does OpenAI publish the full template list?
No. The launch announcement gives Poster and Merch as examples, and the help centre adds poster and logo, but no official page enumerates every category or the total count.
Do templates work in Work mode?
Not yet. The help centre states that templates are not yet available in Work mode, so use a standard ChatGPT surface for now.
Can I add my own reference image to a template?
Sometimes. The help centre describes an upload option appearing within the flow, so availability depends on the template and on the client you are using.
Are templates the same thing as Sketch?
No. A template supplies a finished layout to fill in, while Sketch lets you draw the layout yourself. They are separate controls and can be combined in one request.
Templates are worth using when you already know the shape of the output and want a faster first draft. Name the format, quote the copy exactly, and hold every other variable still.