Seedream Models: The Essentials
Covers Seedream 5.0 Pro and Seedream 5.0 Lite, with Seedream 4.5 and 4.0 still available
Seedream is BytePlus's family of image models on Scenario. The 5.0 generation is reasoning-first: it thinks through a prompt before it renders, which shows up as reliable in-image text, coherent layouts, and strong subject consistency when you pass reference images. Two 5.0 models are live. Pro is the quality tier, with the cleanest text, the most careful editing, and marker-based edits that give precise control over positions and elements. Lite is fast and flexible, with more reference slots, higher resolution, and sequence generation, a capability it shares with Seedream 4.5 and 4.0.
Seedream 5.0 Pro, from a single prompt. asset_wtxoFTzb6b9tRpZj1RjUYzXb
Which Model Should I Use?
Model | Strength | Best for |
|---|---|---|
Quality | Cleanest in-image text, reasoning, marker-based editing, up to 10 references, to 3136px | Posters, packaging, key art, UI, product editing where text and polish matter most |
Speed + Sequences | Fast, up to 14 references, to 4K, and sequence generation | Storyboards and image sets, high reference counts, rapid iteration, large batches |
Prior generation, strong editing and subject preservation, sequence sets, 4K | Existing 4.5 workflows and edits | |
Prior generation, up to 14 references and sequence output, 4K | Existing 4.0 workflows |
For new work, start with a 5.0 model. Choose Pro when the design leans on legible text or careful editing. Choose Lite when you need a consistent set of images, many references, 4K, or faster turnaround. Seedream 4.5 and 4.0 remain available for pipelines already built on them, and they can be the more economical choice for high-volume workloads that do not lean on 5.0's text rendering.
How to Use the Model
How Seedream 5.0 Works
Write a prompt that describes the scene and the style, and quote any text you want rendered exactly as it should appear. Keep style directions (medium, palette, mood) outside the quotes. Set the output size, and for Lite optionally turn on sequence generation to get a related set of images in one run.
A key art poster for an indie deep-sea survival game. A lone diver in a battered brass helmet stands on the spine of a sunken whale, looking up at a distant surface glow. Bioluminescent jellyfish drift around her. Cold teal and amber palette, painterly digital illustration. At the top in a tall weathered serif, the title 'ABYSSAL'. Along the bottom in small clean sans caps, the tagline 'THE PRESSURE REMEMBERS'.
Only the quoted words render as text; the style words steer the look. Seedream 5.0 Pro.
Text Rendering in Images
This is the reason to reach for Seedream 5.0 Pro. It holds spelling and layout across full campaigns, product labels, handwritten annotations, and non-Latin scripts. Name each text block and its role (title, subhead, price, label) and quote the exact words.
One image, eight moments, one character: the layout and every handwritten annotation held together
A full campaign in one generation, the copy consistent across billboard, social, web, and stage
Legible non-Latin (Japanese) signage
Lite renders text well too, and faster. This tournament poster came from Lite in one pass:
Seedream 5.0 Lite: title, banner, and footer all legible.
Editing and Reference Images
Attach reference images (up to 10 on Pro, up to 14 on Lite) and the model can keep a subject consistent, drop a product into a new scene, or restyle a photo. Say plainly what to preserve. These started from a character sheet, a product still, and a photo.
Character kept consistent in a new scene
Product placed into a lifestyle scene
Gouache style matched from a single reference painting, laid out as a full art-direction board with palette, value study, and composition notes.
Marker-Based Editing (Pro)
Seedream 5.0 Pro understands markings drawn on a reference image. Circle an object, add an arrow, sketch a shape, or drop a coordinate mark, then tell the model what to do in the marked area. It edits exactly there and blends the result into the scene. Ask for the markings to be removed in the same prompt. This is a Pro-only capability, and the most precise way to direct a local edit without masks.
In the area marked with the red circle, replace the vending machine with a retro arcade cabinet. Its glowing marquee reads 'STARFALL' and its screen shows a colorful space shooter in attract mode. Keep everything else in the scene exactly the same. Remove the red circle and arrow markings from the final image. Match the station's cool fluorescent lighting.
The marked reference: a red circle and arrow drawn directly on the image
The result: only the circled area changed, markings gone, lighting matched. asset_TUEmguSzNZVcXguqfyS2asX5
Sequence Generation (Lite, 4.5, and 4.0)
Seedream 5.0 Lite, 4.5, and 4.0 can all return a set of related images in one run. Turn on sequentialImageGeneration and set maxImages, and the model produces story steps, variations, or turnarounds that share a character, palette, and style. Pro is the only Seedream model without sequence generation; it returns one image per run.
Generate a sequence of 4 cinematic storyboard frames of a boss encounter. Frame 1: wide establishing shot, a lone knight in weathered teal-and-brass armor wades into a flooded gothic cathedral, shafts of light through broken stained glass. Frame 2: low tracking shot behind the knight as a colossal serpent made of living stained glass rises from the black water, glowing from within. Frame 3: close on the knight's face beside her raised glowing blade, the serpent's kaleidoscope light washing over her. Frame 4: the serpent strikes and light floods the nave as the knight lunges forward, glass shards suspended mid-air. Keep the same knight, the same serpent design, the same teal, amber and stained-glass palette, and the same painterly cinematic concept-art style across all four frames.
Four frames from one Seedream 5.0 Lite run: same knight, same serpent, same palette, four camera angles.
Parameters
The 5.0 models share a small, focused set of controls. A few dials are not available on Pro.
prompt
Required. Up to 3500 characters on Pro, 2048 on Lite. ByteDance recommends staying under roughly 600 words: very long prompts scatter the model's attention and details start to drop. Describe the scene and the style, and quote any text you want rendered exactly. For dense layouts, name each text block and its role.
referenceImages
Optional. Up to 10 on Pro, up to 14 on Lite. Use them to keep a character or product consistent, place a product in a new context, or restyle an image. State plainly what to preserve.
width and height
Output dimensions in pixels. Pro runs 672 to 3136 per side; Lite runs higher, up to 4K. Both offer a ladder of ready-made presets across common ratios (21:9, 16:9, 3:2, 4:3, 1:1, 3:4, 2:3, 9:16). Picking a preset is the reliable path.
On Pro, the maximum is a total pixel budget, not just a per-side limit. A 2K square (about 2048 by 2048) is the practical ceiling. A custom size whose area exceeds that fails with a pixel-count error even when each side is under 3136, so 1728 by 2432 is rejected. When in doubt, pick a preset. Lite reaches full 4K.
sequentialImageGeneration and maxImages (not available on Pro)
Set sequentialImageGeneration to auto and the model may return a set of related images (story steps, variations, turnarounds) up to maxImages. Total images (input plus generated) cannot exceed 15. Leave it off for a single image. Available on Lite, 4.5, and 4.0; Pro always returns a single image.
Use Cases
Games: key art and cover posters (Pro), plus character turnarounds and storyboard sets (sequence mode).
Marketing and advertising: hero ads, packaging, and event posters with real copy baked in.
Publishing and editorial: book covers, album art, and magazine covers with mastheads and cover lines.
Education: infographics and labeled diagrams where every callout must be spelled correctly.
E-commerce: catalog stills and lifestyle shots that place a real product into a styled scene from a reference.
Storyboards and comics: consistent multi-panel sequences from a single sequence run on Lite, 4.5, or 4.0.
Tips for Better Results
Quote the exact text you want. Words in quotes render as written, as in the coffee bag and the "ABYSSAL" poster.
Keep style words outside the quotes. Terms like "painterly" steer the look and do not appear as text.
Name each text block and its role. Calling out "title", "banner", or "footer" gives the model a layout to follow, as in the tournament poster.
Write non-Latin text directly. Quoting the actual characters produces legible Japanese or Chinese signage.
Lock identity with a reference image. To reuse a character or product, pass it in
referenceImagesand state what to keep constant.Mark the edit instead of describing the location. On Pro, circling the object directly on the reference image is more reliable than describing where it sits, as in the arcade cabinet example.
Use sequence mode for sets. When you need matching frames or variations on Lite, 4.5, or 4.0, turn on sequence generation rather than prompting one image at a time.
Pick a preset size. Presets keep you inside the pixel budget and give predictable framing; use custom width and height only for an exact ratio.
Known Limitations
Pro uses a total pixel budget. Custom sizes beyond a 2K preset (about 4.2 million pixels) fail even when each side is under 3136. Keep to a 2K preset or a smaller custom size. Lite reaches 4K.
Reference and resolution differ by tier. Pro accepts up to 10 references at up to 3136 per side; Lite accepts up to 14 references at up to 4K.
Pro does not offer sequence generation. It returns a single image per run; Lite, 4.5, and 4.0 all support sequence sets.
Tiny background text can garble. Only the text you name and quote is reliable. Small incidental signage far in the background may come out as pseudo-text.
Reference image constraints. Inputs accept common formats up to 30 MB each, with aspect ratios between 1:16 and 16:1.
No seed or batch-count control. There is no seed parameter, so exact reproduction is not guaranteed; save an output you like and reuse it as a reference.
Occasional queue delays. A job can sit before it starts under load. If one stalls, resubmit it.
Showcase
A few more single-prompt generations from Seedream 5.0 Pro.
A full mobile app screen: labels, numbers, and layout all correct
A dense festival poster: band names, days, and ticket line all clean
Packaging with full label copy: name, style, ABV, volume, IBU, allergens, all clean
Vintage travel poster with clean display type
Character sheet: three poses, one consistent character, from a single prompt