--- title: "How to Generate Price Optimized Images with OpenAI using Nexter Blocks?" url: https://nexterwp.com/docs/generate-price-optimized-ai-images/ date: 2026-01-22 modified: 2026-09-23 lang: en author: "Aditya Sharma" description: "AI image generation is billed per image, and the settings that drive the price are the ones people change last. Setting them first is the difference between a few cents..." image: https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/How-to-Generate-Price-Optimized-Images-with-OpenAI-using-Nexter-Blocks-1024x538.jpg word_count: 470 --- # How to Generate Price Optimized Images with OpenAI using Nexter Blocks? ## Key Takeaways - Nexter Blocks lets users create AI images directly inside the Gutenberg editor with simple prompts and settings. - OpenAI image generation in Nexter Blocks requires an OpenAI premium account and an API key, and each image uses tokens with cost depending on the output. - Nexter Blocks reduces image generation cost by choosing Image Quality in the pop-up after clicking Generate with AI, with the documentation listing pricing for GPT Image 1, GPT Image 1 Mini, DALL·E 3, and DALL·E 2. AI image generation is billed per image, and the settings that drive the price are the ones people change last. Setting them first is the difference between a few cents and a few dollars across a page build. This page covers the settings that affect what each generation costs you. ## Before You Start - **The AI image generator already set up.** See [the AI image generator doc](https://nexterwp.com/docs/ai-image-generator/) first. - **You have to be an administrator.** Measured across four roles: the AI endpoints require the `manage_options` capability, which administrators have and editors, authors and subscribers do not. An editor cannot generate AI content. ## Configure Image Settings ![Nexter Blocks AI: the AI Image Generator dialog with a prompt, Image Type, Style, Dall E 3 model, Aspect Ratio and Image Quality fields (integration not yet enabled, so a warning is shown)](https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/ai-image-generator-settings.webp) - **The model is the biggest lever.** Measured, the default is `dall-e-2` with `dall-e-3` selectable; the newer model costs more per image. - **Size and quality are priced by the provider**, not by Nexter. A larger image is a more expensive request. - **The number of images per request multiplies the cost.** Asking for four variations is four images. - **Every follow-up is another billed request.** Editing, expanding, resizing, generating variations and enhancing a prompt are each their own call. ## How to Keep The Cost Down - **Draft on the cheaper model, finish on the better one.** Get the composition right before switching. - **Generate one image at a time while you are still iterating.** - **Write the prompt properly before generating**, rather than generating and editing repeatedly — each edit is a fresh charge. - **Generate at the size you will actually use.** A hero image and a thumbnail do not need the same request. ## Limitations - **What this page verified, and what it did not.** Setup, permissions, storage, provider selection and the exact failure messages were measured on a site with no API key. Generation itself was not exercised, so nothing here describes output quality, token cost or rate limits. - **There is no cost display in the editor.** Nothing shows a running total or warns you before an expensive request; your provider's dashboard is the only place the spend appears. - **Nexter does not set the prices** and cannot cap them. Use your provider's own spending limits if you need a hard ceiling. - **Cheaper settings produce weaker images.** This is a trade, not a free saving. - **Model pricing changes** on the provider's schedule, not this plugin's. ## Troubleshooting ### My bill is higher than expected Count the operations rather than the images kept. Edits, expansions, variations and prompt enhancements are each billed, including the ones you discarded. ### Can I set a spending limit here? No. Set it in your OpenAI or Google account; this plugin has no cap of its own. ### Which model should I use? Draft on the cheaper one and switch to the better one for the final image. The gap in quality is smallest when the prompt is already good. ## Related Docs - [AI image generator](https://nexterwp.com/docs/ai-image-generator/) - [AI text generator](https://nexterwp.com/docs/ai-text-generator/) - [Cross-domain copy paste](https://nexterwp.com/docs/add-cross-domain-copy-paste-for-free-in-wordpress/) - [Advanced tab settings](https://nexterwp.com/docs/use-advanced-tab-in-nexter-blocks/)