Seedream 5 API
ByteDance Seedream 5 — two tiers on one API. Pro is ByteDance's design-understanding flagship: it turns data, concepts, and dense text into professional layouts, supports interactive precision editing (point and lasso selection, sketch rendering, color and material replacement, layer separation, multi-image fusion), renders realistic lighting, materials, and skin textures, and handles high-quality text in 10+ languages. Lite is the cost-optimized tier with enhanced typography, up to 4K resolution, and the Seedream 4.5 variant pattern (base, edit, sequential, edit-sequential).
Pro tier: text-to-image and Edit (single-image or up to 10 reference images) with design-level understanding — information-dense layouts, pixel-level interactive editing, layer separation, multi-image fusion, and text rendering in 10+ languages, at 1K/2K output with aspect-ratio selection. Lite tier: text-to-image up to 4K, Edit (preserves face/lighting/tone from references), Sequential (consistent multi-image sets), and Edit-Sequential (identity-locked multi-image editing).

About the Seedream 5 API
What Seedream 5 does, how it fits in the ByteDance model lineup, and why teams reach for it.
Seedream 5 is a image generation and editing model from ByteDance, available through the WaveSpeedAI REST API. ByteDance Seedream 5 — two tiers on one API. Pro is ByteDance's design-understanding flagship: it turns data, concepts, and dense text into professional layouts, supports interactive precision editing (point and lasso selection, sketch rendering, color and material replacement, layer separation, multi-image fusion), renders realistic lighting, materials, and skin textures, and handles high-quality text in 10+ languages. Lite is the cost-optimized tier with enhanced typography, up to 4K resolution, and the Seedream 4.5 variant pattern (base, edit, sequential, edit-sequential).
Pro tier: text-to-image and Edit (single-image or up to 10 reference images) with design-level understanding — information-dense layouts, pixel-level interactive editing, layer separation, multi-image fusion, and text rendering in 10+ languages, at 1K/2K output with aspect-ratio selection. Lite tier: text-to-image up to 4K, Edit (preserves face/lighting/tone from references), Sequential (consistent multi-image sets), and Edit-Sequential (identity-locked multi-image editing).
The Seedream 5 family on WaveSpeedAI ships 6 REST endpoints covering Text-To-Image, Image-To-Image workflows. Each variant carries its own pricing, parameter knobs, and example outputs — pick the one that matches your input modality and production constraints, or call several from the same API key to compose multi-step pipelines.
Run Seedream 5 through the same API key, billing account, and rate-limit envelope you use for the other 1,000+ AI models on WaveSpeedAI. No separate vendor setup, no per-provider SDKs, no per-vendor rate-limit envelopes — one integration covers everything from text-to-image and text-to-video through audio synthesis, 3D generation, upscaling, and editing.
All Seedream 5 API endpoints
6 Seedream 5 endpoints available now on WaveSpeedAI — pick the variant that matches your workflow.

Seedream v5.0 Lite Sequential
Seedream 5.0 Lite Sequential generates multi-image sets with consistent characters and objects, unifying palette, lighting, and style across all outputs. Supports up to 4K results for campaigns, storyboards, and product lines. Ready-to-use REST inference API, best performance, no coldstarts, affordable pricing.

Seedream v5.0 Lite
Seedream 5.0 Lite by is a state-of-the-art text-to-image model with enhanced typography, clear text rendering for posters and brand visuals, superior prompt adherence, and up to 4K resolution. Ready-to-use REST inference API, best performance, no coldstarts, affordable pricing.

Seedream v5.0 Lite Edit Sequential
Seedream 5.0 Lite Edit Sequential performs multi-image editing while locking character and object identity across shots. It detects main subjects, preserves continuity, and applies controlled edits with up to 4K output. Ready-to-use REST inference API, best performance, no coldstarts, affordable pricing.

Seedream v5.0 Lite Edit
Seedream 5.0 Lite Edit by is a state-of-the-art image editing model preserving facial features, lighting, and color tones from reference images. Features high-fidelity editing with professional quality, superior prompt adherence, and up to 4K resolution. Ready-to-use REST inference API, best performance, no coldstarts, affordable pricing.

Seedream v5.0 Pro
Seedream V5.0 Pro Text to Image by ByteDance generates high-quality images from text prompts, with aspect ratio selection, strong prompt following, and 1K / 2K output tiers for flexible image creation. Ready-to-use REST inference API, best performance, no coldstarts, affordable pricing.

Seedream v5.0 Pro Edit
Seedream 5.0 Pro Edit by ByteDance edits and generates images from single-image or multi-reference inputs, supporting up to 10 reference images, aspect ratio selection, and 1K / 2K output tiers. Ready-to-use REST inference API, best performance, no coldstarts, affordable pricing.
See Seedream 5 in action
Real outputs generated by the Seedream 5 API. Hover any video to preview, click to open the full-size viewer.
How to use the Seedream 5 API
Four steps from signup to a finished generation. Full Python, Node.js, and cURL examples are in the API section below.
- 1
Get an API key
Sign up for a WaveSpeedAI account and copy your API key from the dashboard. New accounts come with free starter credits — enough to run the playground a few dozen times before billing kicks in.
- 2
Submit a prediction
POST your input as JSON to https://api.wavespeed.ai/api/v3/bytedance/seedream-v5.0-pro. The endpoint returns a prediction id immediately — generations are async so you don't hold an open connection during inference.
- 3
Poll for completion
GET https://api.wavespeed.ai/api/v3/predictions/{request_id}/result every 1-2 seconds. The response includes a status field; keep polling until it flips from"queued" or"processing" to"completed".
- 4
Read the output URL
Once status is"completed", read the URL from data.outputs[0]. The URL points to your generated media on the WaveSpeedAI CDN — image, video, audio, or 3D file depending on the Seedream 5 variant you called.
What you can build with Seedream 5
Common workflows developers and creators use the Seedream 5 API for.
Information-dense design generation
Seedream 5 Pro accurately transforms data, concepts, and dense text into professional layouts — infographics, posters with multi-tiered copy, and high-density content production where most image models collapse into gibberish text.
Pixel-level interactive editing
bytedance/seedream-v5.0-pro/edit supports point and lasso selection, sketch rendering, color and material replacement, and multi-image fusion across up to 10 reference images — combine products, characters, and style references in one precise edit.
Layer separation for post-production
Pro can separate an image into independent layers — text, main subject, background, and environmental decorations — so generated creatives drop into design tools as editable pieces instead of flattened bitmaps.
Multilingual text rendering
Pro renders high-quality text in 10+ languages — including Arabic right-to-left cursive and accented European scripts — for localized campaign creatives from one prompt pipeline.
Cost-optimized 4K image generation
Seedream 5 Lite is among the cheapest 4K-capable image models on WaveSpeedAI. Useful for high-volume marketing, social, and editorial pipelines where per-image cost compounds quickly.
Sequential variants for storyboards
bytedance/seedream-v5.0-lite/sequential generates multi-image sets with consistent characters and objects, and edit-sequential locks character/object identity while editing across the set — useful for campaigns, storyboards, and serialized content.
Tips for prompting Seedream 5
Practical advice for getting better outputs from Seedream 5 — drawn from the patterns that work across image models in production pipelines.
Pick the tier for the job
Pro (bytedance/seedream-v5.0-pro) is the design pick — information-dense layouts, precision editing, layer separation, multilingual text. Lite (bytedance/seedream-v5.0-lite) is the volume pick — cheaper, up to 4K, and the only tier with Sequential variants.
Pro Edit takes up to 10 reference images
bytedance/seedream-v5.0-pro/edit accepts single-image or multi-reference inputs (up to 10 references) with aspect-ratio selection and 1K/2K output. Stack product, character, and style references in one call instead of chaining edits — Pro supports multi-image fusion natively.
Lean on Pro for dense, structured text
Pro is built to turn data, concepts, and dense text into professional layouts — multi-tiered headlines, discount terms, infographic copy. ByteDance notes finer-grained text rendering still has room to improve, so keep critical small-print short and verify legibility at output size.
Write prompts in the target language
Pro renders text in 10+ languages including Arabic right-to-left cursive, Japanese, Korean, and accented European scripts. For localized creatives, put the target-language copy directly in the prompt rather than translating after generation.
Use Sequential for storyboards and campaigns
bytedance/seedream-v5.0-lite/sequential generates multi-image sets with consistent characters and objects, unifying palette/lighting/style across outputs. Useful for campaigns, storyboards, and content series.
Edit-Sequential for identity-locked editing
bytedance/seedream-v5.0-lite/edit-sequential performs multi-image editing while detecting main subjects and preserving continuity. Useful for serialized character-driven work and product catalogs.
Lite Edit preserves face/lighting/tone from references
bytedance/seedream-v5.0-lite/edit enables high-fidelity editing while preserving facial features, lighting, and color tones from reference images. Useful for portrait refinement and product re-contextualization.
Seedream 5 API pricing
Pricing is per-output. The final charge scales with the parameters you set in each variant's playground (resolution, duration, output count, references).
| Endpoint | Type | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| bytedance/seedream-v5.0-lite/sequential | text-to-image | $0.035 |
| bytedance/seedream-v5.0-lite | text-to-image | $0.035 |
| bytedance/seedream-v5.0-lite/edit-sequential | image-to-image | $0.035 |
| bytedance/seedream-v5.0-lite/edit | image-to-image | $0.035 |
| bytedance/seedream-v5.0-pro | text-to-image | $0.045 |
| bytedance/seedream-v5.0-pro/edit | image-to-image | $0.045 |
Call the Seedream 5 API
Sign up for an API key at wavespeed.ai/accesskey, then submit a prediction via REST. The playground generates ready-to-paste samples for any combination of inputs.
HTTP example
# 1. Submit a prediction
curl -X POST "https://api.wavespeed.ai/api/v3/bytedance/seedream-v5.0-pro" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $WAVESPEED_API_KEY" \
-d '{}'
# 2. Poll the result until status = "completed"
curl -X GET "https://api.wavespeed.ai/api/v3/predictions/{request_id}/result" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $WAVESPEED_API_KEY"
# Read the output URL from data.outputs[0].Node.js example
// npm install wavespeed
const WaveSpeed = require('wavespeed');
const client = new WaveSpeed(); // reads WAVESPEED_API_KEY
const result = await client.run("bytedance/seedream-v5.0-pro", {});
console.log(result.outputs[0]); // → URL of the generated outputPython example
# pip install wavespeed
import wavespeed
output = wavespeed.run(
"bytedance/seedream-v5.0-pro",
{}
)
print(output["outputs"][0]) # → URL of the generated outputSeedream 5 vs alternatives
When to pick Seedream 5 over similar models on WaveSpeedAI.
Seedream 5 vs Seedream 4.5
4.5 is the established tier; Seedream 5 splits into Lite (cost-optimized, same variant pattern as 4.5) and Pro, which adds design-level understanding — information-dense layouts, interactive precision editing with layer separation, and multilingual text rendering. Pick 4.5 for continuity, 5 Lite for volume, 5 Pro for design work and multi-reference editing.
Seedream 5 vs Nano Banana 2
Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image, base, Fast) ships character consistency for up to 5 characters and optional web-search grounding. Seedream 5 counters with Pro's 10-reference precision Edit, layer separation, 10+ language text rendering, and Lite's lower cost with Sequential variants.
Seedream 5 vs GPT Image 2
GPT Image 2 has explicit quality tiers and a reference-image edit endpoint. Seedream 5 Pro answers with pixel-level interactive editing — point/lasso selection, material replacement, layer separation — across up to 10 reference images, while Lite stays meaningfully cheaper and ships Sequential variants for multi-image identity locking.
Seedream 5 API — Frequently asked questions
Pricing, license, integration — common questions about running Seedream 5 on WaveSpeedAI.
What is the Seedream 5 API?
Seedream 5 is a ByteDance image generation model exposed as a REST API on WaveSpeedAI. ByteDance Seedream 5 — two tiers on one API. Pro is ByteDance's design-understanding flagship: it turns data, concepts, and dense text into professional layouts, supports interactive precision editing (point and lasso selection, sketch rendering, color and material replacement, layer separation, multi-image fusion), renders realistic lighting, materials, and skin textures, and handles high-quality text in 10+ languages. Lite is the cost-optimized tier with enhanced typography, up to 4K resolution, and the Seedream 4.5 variant pattern (base, edit, sequential, edit-sequential). You can call it programmatically or try it from the playground linked above.
How do I call the Seedream 5 API?
Sign up for a WaveSpeedAI account, copy your API key from /accesskey, then POST to https://api.wavespeed.ai/api/v3/bytedance/seedream-v5.0-pro with your input as JSON. The endpoint returns a prediction id; poll the prediction endpoint until status flips to "completed", then read the output URL from data.outputs[0]. Full Python / Node.js / cURL examples are above.
How much does the Seedream 5 API cost?
Seedream 5 starts at $0.035 per run. The exact cost scales with the parameters you set (resolution, duration, output count, references). The live cost preview next to the Generate button in the playground shows the exact price for your current input.
Which Seedream 5 variants are available?
WaveSpeedAI hosts 6 live Seedream 5 endpoints: bytedance/seedream-v5.0-lite/sequential, bytedance/seedream-v5.0-lite, bytedance/seedream-v5.0-lite/edit-sequential, bytedance/seedream-v5.0-lite/edit, bytedance/seedream-v5.0-pro, bytedance/seedream-v5.0-pro/edit. Each variant has its own playground page and pricing.
Can I use Seedream 5 outputs commercially?
Commercial usage rights follow the ByteDance model license. Most ByteDance models permit commercial output use; see each model's playground page for the specific license summary, and WaveSpeedAI's Terms of Service for platform-level conditions.
Why use Seedream 5 on WaveSpeedAI instead of going direct?
One API key + one billing account across Seedream 5 AND 1,000+ other AI models from other providers. No per-vendor SDK setup, no separate rate-limit envelopes, no rewrite-per-vendor integration code. Pricing is typically at parity with or below ByteDance's direct API.
About ByteDance
The team behind Seedream 5 and the broader ByteDance model lineup on WaveSpeedAI.
ByteDance — the company behind TikTok, CapCut, and Doubao — runs one of the largest AI research operations in the world. Its Seed and Doubao teams ship state-of-the-art models for video generation (Seedance), image generation and editing (Seedream, Nano Banana), and avatar / lip-sync work. Models are trained on internal-scale data and shipped to production through ByteDance's consumer apps before being released as APIs.
Start building with Seedream 5 on WaveSpeedAI
Free starter credits on signup. One API key across 1,000+ AI models from ByteDance and every other provider.



