Image model
Seedream 5.0 Pro and Lite image generator
Create an image from a prompt or edit a reference photo with Seedream 5.0 Lite, 5.0 Pro or 4.5. Compare the versions and credit cost, then generate in the image studio.
Seedream 5.0 Lite and Pro pricing
| Seedream 5.0 Pro | 18 credits per image at 1K; 36 credits at 2K |
|---|---|
| Seedream 5.0 Pro Image-to-Image | The same 18-credit 1K or 36-credit 2K price when editing a reference image |
| Seedream 5.0 Lite and 5.0 Lite Image-to-Image | 14 credits per image at its base output size; no size upgrade selector |
| Seedream 4.5 and 4.5 Image-to-Image | 17 credits per image; available for existing 4.5 workflows |
| Reference images | Up to 10 reference images per image-to-image request |
| Images per submission | 1, 2 or 4. Each is a separate generation at full price, so four Lite renders is 56 credits |
Model maker's reference This describes the model maker's technology, not necessarily every version offered here. SynthPulse options and credit prices are shown above.
Where Seedream earns its credits, and where it doesn't
Good for
- Six ids in one picker: text-to-image and image-to-image for 4.5, 5.0 Lite and 5.0 Pro, on one balance.
- Editing costs what generating costs. 14, 17 or 18 credits, whichever direction you run that version in.
- Up to 10 reference images in a single request, on every Seedream image-to-image id.
- Drafting cheaply. Four Lite renders come to 56 credits, still less than two Pro renders at 2K.
- A size axis on 5.0 Pro with two settings and one multiplier, nothing to mis-click.
Not for
- Anything above 2K. The size control stops at 2K, so the 3K and 4K tiers Seedream's own ladder defines are out of reach here.
- Buying a larger render on 4.5 or 5.0 Lite. Their higher tiers carry no price in our table, so no selector appears and every render leaves at the base tier.
- Assuming 18 beats 14 on size. Pro's base tier is 1K and Lite's is 2K, so four extra credits buy a different model at a smaller size. Pro only draws level at 2K, which is 36 — it never out-sizes Lite, it matches it.
- Cheap 2K work. Doubling the resolution doubles the price, the steepest size multiplier of any image model on the site.
- Batching on a thin balance. Asking for 4 images in one submit is four full-price generations, and four is the cap.
Seedream 5.0: generate from text or edit a photo
Start with a prompt when you need a new composition. Start with a reference image when the product, person or layout already exists. Seedream 5.0 Lite, 5.0 Pro and 4.5 each support both paths; editing uses the same per-image price as generating with that version.
You can switch between Seedream and every other image model here in the same studio. Compare one image at a time and keep the prompt with its model and settings, so you know what changed between attempts.
For a reference edit, name both the change and the details to preserve. Check faces, lettering and object edges afterwards: a preservation request is not a guarantee that every detail stays identical.
Seedream 5.0 Pro pricing and the Lite comparison
Four credits separate Lite from Pro, and that is the least interesting part of the choice. The two do not start from the same output size.
Pro is the only version here with a size control. 1K is the base and costs the flat 18; 2K carries a multiplier of exactly 2, so it bills 36. Lite has no size control, and nothing in the form moves its 14.
Now the part that catches people out. Both render at their own base tier, and base is not the same size on both: on Lite it is a 2K render, on Pro a 1K one. Spending 18 instead of 14 buys a different model at a smaller size. Pro never out-sizes Lite at all: its top setting, 2K, is the size Lite already starts at, and getting there costs 36.
So draft on Lite. Four Lite images cost 56 credits, under two Pro renders at 2K. When a prompt finally lands, re-run it on Pro at 2K and pay the 36 once. Credit packs and plans are priced on their own page; the model does not care which one your balance came from.
How to use Seedream 5.0: choose the output settings
Five aspect ratios are open to every version: 1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:3 and 3:4. No per-version gaps, no exceptions.
Resolution is where it goes uneven. Only 5.0 Pro shows 1K and 2K. On 4.5 and 5.0 Lite the control is pinned to one value that never reaches the model, because those two APIs have no resolution field.
Those tiers are real: 4.5 defines two, 5.0 Lite three. None are for sale here, by decision rather than oversight. A tier can only be offered once the pricing table knows what to charge for it, and neither Seedream row carries that entry. GPT Image 1.5 is the contrast: its high tier is priced at five and a half times base, so that model does get a tier selector.
One more line nobody reads until the balance drops: output count. A submission can ask for 1, 2 or 4 images, each a full generation at full price. Four Lite images is 56 credits, not 14.
Editing: ten reference slots, same price
Each image-to-image version takes up to ten references per request. Generous, and a quiet trap: ten weak references rarely beat two deliberate ones.
The slots earn their keep on three jobs: the subject to preserve, the setting to move it into, and a frame that fixes the palette. Load the subject first, then name the files in the prompt. Nothing else tells the model that image four is a colour reference.
Editing costs the same as generating on every version, so there is no pricing reason to skip a reference. The public gallery is the fastest way to see which prompts survive contact with a reference image.
4.5's editing id stays enabled at 17 credits on purpose. A prompt tuned against 4.5 does not simply sharpen on 5.0; it renders a different picture. Run your old prompts where they were written.
Seedream against the rest of the image catalogue
Asking whether Seedream beats Nano Banana has no general answer. The two fail in different directions, and which failure you can tolerate is a property of your prompt. What the table does answer is price, and how steep the climb to 2K is.
5.0 Pro carries the steepest size multiplier of any image model here: double the resolution, double the bill. Nano Banana 2 charges 1.5x for the same step, GPT Image 2 roughly 1.67x, and Nano Banana Pro nothing at all, its 45-credit floor being its own kind of expensive.
At 1K, Pro's 18 sits mid-table, under Nano Banana 2's 20 and far under Nano Banana Pro's 45. At 2K the order flips: 36 puts Pro above Nano Banana 2 at 30 and GPT Image 2 at 26. If most of your work is 2K, that flip is the decision.
Seedream 5.0 prompt examples
Adapt these product, landscape and reference-editing prompts. They are starting points; compare the generated image with your brief before using it.
- Product shot
Matte black ceramic mug on a seamless warm-grey backdrop, single softbox from camera left, hard shadow falling to the right, 85mm, shallow depth of field, no props, no text
Lighting before lens, lens before depth of field. The two negatives at the end do the most work; drop them and styled props start appearing.
- Let the aspect ratio compose
Lone red beach umbrella on wet sand, low tide, overcast noon light, horizon line in the upper third, wide empty foreground
No camera words at all. Pick 9:16 in the form instead of writing "vertical" into the prompt: the aspect control is a real parameter, the word is only a suggestion.
- Editing with one reference
Keep the subject and their clothing exactly as in image 1. Replace the background with a rain-soaked neon alley at night, wet reflections on the ground. Keep the original key light direction on the face.
Written for a Seedream image-to-image id. Naming image 1 starts mattering the moment you attach a second file, and the key light line is what stops the result looking pasted.
- Style board, several slots
Illustrate the scene in image 1 using the palette and brush texture of images 2 and 3. Do not copy their subjects. Flat colour, visible paper grain, no gradients.
Ten slots are allowed per request. Past about three, styles average into mush rather than combine, so the cap is headroom and not a target.
How Seedream prices against the other image models here
Credit cost per render, from the live pricing rows. The 2K column is empty wherever the model has no size control.
| At 1K | At 2K | Reference images | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seedream 5.0 Pro | 18 credits | 36 credits | up to 10 |
| Seedream 5.0 Lite | 14 credits | no size control | up to 10 |
| Seedream 4.5 | 17 credits | no size control | up to 10 |
| Nano Banana 2 | 20 credits | 30 credits | up to 10 |
| Nano Banana Pro | 45 credits | 45 credits, no surcharge | up to 10 |
| GPT Image 2 | 15 credits | 26 credits | up to 10 |
| GPT Image 1.5 | 10 credits | no size control; its high tier is 55 | up to 16 |
Seedream 5.0 and 5.0 Pro questions
Seedream 5.0 Lite vs Pro: which should I choose?
Lite costs 14 credits per image at its base output size. Pro costs 18 credits at 1K or 36 at 2K. Both accept prompts or reference images. Choose by the result you need and the quote, rather than assuming Pro always gives a larger image. Seedream 4.5 remains available at 17 credits.
How do I use Seedream 5.0 Pro or Lite?
Open the image studio, choose Seedream 5.0 Pro or Lite, and describe the image you want. To edit a photo, attach a reference and choose the matching image-to-image version. Set the aspect ratio, choose 1K or 2K if Pro offers it, and check the credit quote before generating. Review the result in the same workspace.
Is Seedream 5 free?
Eligible new accounts can receive welcome credits when the signup offer is enabled. Eligibility and the available balance are shown in your account; every render spends credits, and further use needs a plan or a one-time pack.
Do I need a Seedream API key?
No. No key to request, no provider account, no per-project quota. Sign in, pick a Seedream id, spend credits per render. If you wanted the raw API to wire into your own backend, this is not that; it is the generator with billing attached.
Seedream vs Nano Banana — which should I use?
Use the same reference and edit brief to compare them. Seedream 5.0 Lite starts at 14 credits, Pro at 18, and Nano Banana has its own versions and output options. A higher price does not guarantee a better edit or closer subject identity; inspect the result for your task.
Can Seedream edit an image I already have?
Yes. Every version has an image-to-image id costing exactly what its text-to-image twin costs: 17 for 4.5, 14 for 5.0 Lite, 18 for 5.0 Pro at 1K. Attach up to 10 references and describe the change.
What resolution does Seedream output, and when does the price change?
Only 5.0 Pro has a resolution control here: 1K or 2K, and 2K doubles the price to 36 credits. 4.5 and 5.0 Lite have none, so they render at their own base tier for a flat 17 and 14.