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A detailed still life

Image model by ByteDance

Seedream 5.5 AI image generator

ByteDance's Seedream on Mage: detailed photoreal images, text that reads, and precise edits from many references, with a strict content filter.

Try Seedream 5.5Prompting guide

No installation. No credit card. Private by default.

At a glance

Seedream 5.5 is ByteDance's image model, run by ByteDance and reached through Mage. On Mage it makes images from a prompt or up to 10 reference images at up to 2K. It costs from 24 Gems (about $0.024) per image and runs unlimited from the Pro plan, and new accounts get 300 free Gems to start.

  • 24Gems per image, from
  • $0.024About, in US dollars
  • ProUnlimited from
  • 2KTop resolution
  • 10Reference images, up to

Overview

What is Seedream 5.5?

Seedream is ByteDance's image model family, reached through Mage with a strict content filter on, from Seedream 5.0 Flash for fast drafts to Seedream 5.0 Pro, and Seedream 5.5, the newest and the default, with more realistic skin and light, clearer small text, and steadier repeated edits.

Seedream 5.5, Seedream 5.0, and Seedream 4.5 take saved Characters and reference images, and edit a picture you upload from a plain instruction. Seedream 5.0 Lite reaches 3K and Seedream 4.5 reaches 4K.

Samples

Made with Seedream 5.5

Generated on Mage with Seedream 5.5. A prompt under a sample is the exact prompt that made it.

  • A detailed still life
    A detailed still lifePrompt: A watchmaker's workbench by a rain-streaked window at dusk. Brass gears and tiny screws are scattered across a green leather mat, a loupe rests on an open pocket watch, tweezers stand in a small ceramic cup next to a tin of oil, and a gooseneck lamp casts a warm pool of light. City lights blur outside the window. 50mm photograph, shallow depth of field.
  • Lettering in the scene
    Lettering in the scenePrompt: A retro food truck parked on a beach road at sunset. Its side is painted with the name "SALT & SUN TACOS" in hand-lettered red script, and a menu board beside the window lists "Fish Taco 4", "Elote 3", and "Horchata 2" in white chalk. String lights, palm trees, and a pink sky behind it. Cinematic photograph.

Strengths

What Seedream 5.5 does best

Best at

  • Busy, detailed scenes that keep every object you list
  • Readable text on posters, signs, packaging, and menus
  • Edits that change what you name and leave the rest of the picture alone
  • One scene built from several references: a person, an outfit, a place
  • High-resolution output, up to 4K on Seedream 4.5

Trade-offs

  • A strict content filter checks the prompt and the first image before every run
  • Seedream 5.5, 5.0 Pro, and 5.0 Flash stop at 2K: Seedream 5.0 Lite reaches 3K and Seedream 4.5 reaches 4K
  • There is no negative prompt, so say what to leave out in the sentence itself
  • Seedream 4.0 takes no Characters or references

Prompt guide

How to prompt Seedream 5.5

Tips that work on this model, example prompts to start from, and the exact prompts behind the samples above.

Tips

  • Write whole sentences: the subject and what it is doing, where, then the light, the lens, and the style. A list of keywords gives a flatter picture.
  • For a busy scene, walk through it place by place ("on the top shelf…, by the window…") so nothing gets dropped.
  • Put the exact words in double quotes ("OPEN LATE") and say where they go and how they look.
  • For an edit, say what changes and what stays: "keep the pose and the background exactly as they are".
  • With several images, say what each one gives: "the jacket from image 2 on the person in image 1".
  • Mention a saved Character by its @handle instead of describing the face.
  • Draft on Seedream 5.0 Flash, then render the keeper on Seedream 5.5 with the same prompt.
  • Leave aspect-ratio words out of the prompt: the ratio you pick sets the size.

Example prompts

  • An edit of an upload

    Keep the room exactly as it is. Replace the sofa with a deep green velvet one and add a tall fiddle-leaf fig in the empty corner by the window.
Read the full Seedream prompting guide

Specs

Seedream 5.5 specs and inputs

Made byByteDance, reached through Mage
OutputImages
ModelsSeedream 4.0, Seedream 4.5, Seedream 5.0 Lite, Seedream 5.0 Pro, Seedream 5.0 Flash, Seedream 5.5
Default modelSeedream 5.5
ResolutionsSeedream 4.0: 1K, 2K, 3K, 4K; Seedream 4.5: 2K, 3K, 4K; Seedream 5.0 Lite: 2K, 3K; Seedream 5.0 Pro: 1K, 2K; Seedream 5.0 Flash: 1K, 2K; Seedream 5.5: 1K, 2K
Aspect ratios21:9, 16:9, 3:2, 5:4, 1:1, 4:5, 2:3, 9:16, 9:21
Image inputsUp to 10 reference images
Video inputNo
Mentions by @handleCharacters and references, on Seedream 4.5, Seedream 5.0 Lite, Seedream 5.0 Pro, Seedream 5.0 Flash, and Seedream 5.5
Where to use itThe Mage app, the Mage assistant, Claude and ChatGPT through the Mage MCP server, and the Mage API

Pricing

Seedream 5.5 price and plans

Every price comes from the same pricing that bills your generations.

ModelSettingGemsPerUSDBasicProPro PlusMax
Seedream 4.01K45image$0.045GemsUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Seedream 4.02K45image$0.045GemsUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Seedream 4.03K45image$0.045GemsGemsUnlimitedUnlimited
Seedream 4.04K45image$0.045GemsGemsUnlimitedUnlimited
Seedream 4.52K60image$0.06GemsUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Seedream 4.53K60image$0.06GemsGemsUnlimitedUnlimited
Seedream 4.54K60image$0.06GemsGemsUnlimitedUnlimited
Seedream 5.0 Lite2K55image$0.055GemsUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Seedream 5.0 Lite3K55image$0.055GemsGemsUnlimitedUnlimited
Seedream 5.0 Pro1K68image$0.068GemsUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Seedream 5.0 Pro2K135image$0.135GemsUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Seedream 5.0 Flash1K27image$0.027GemsUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Seedream 5.0 Flash2K27image$0.027GemsUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Seedream 5.51K24image$0.024GemsUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Seedream 5.52K42image$0.042GemsUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited

Prices in Gems, and in US dollars at the list price of the 10,000 Gems pack ($10). Each plan column shows what that plan runs unlimited; anything else costs Gems. Other settings, such as quality levels and extra input images, can change the price.

Plans and pricing

FAQ

Seedream 5.5 questions

How much does Seedream 5.5 cost?
Seedream 5.5 costs from 24 Gems (about $0.024) per image at 1K. In the same family: Seedream 4.0 from 45 Gems per image, Seedream 4.5 from 60 Gems per image, Seedream 5.0 Lite from 55 Gems per image, Seedream 5.0 Pro from 68 Gems per image, and Seedream 5.0 Flash from 27 Gems per image. Gems come with every paid plan and in Gem packs, you pay only for what you generate, and a generation that fails is refunded.
Can I use Seedream 5.5 unlimited?
Yes. Seedream 5.5 runs unlimited from the Pro plan ($30 a month) at 1K. Higher resolutions can need a higher plan or Gems; the pricing table shows every setting.
Can I try Seedream 5.5 for free?
Yes. New Mage accounts get 300 free Gems, enough for 12 images with Seedream 5.5 at 1K. No credit card is needed to start.
What can I give Seedream 5.5 as input?
A text prompt, plus image inputs: up to 10 reference images. It takes saved Characters and references, on Seedream 4.5, Seedream 5.0 Lite, Seedream 5.0 Pro, Seedream 5.0 Flash, and Seedream 5.5 by @handle in the prompt.
What resolutions does Seedream 5.5 support?
Resolutions: Seedream 4.0: 1K, 2K, 3K, 4K; Seedream 4.5: 2K, 3K, 4K; Seedream 5.0 Lite: 2K, 3K; Seedream 5.0 Pro: 1K, 2K; Seedream 5.0 Flash: 1K, 2K; Seedream 5.5: 1K, 2K. Aspect ratios: 21:9, 16:9, 3:2, 5:4, 1:1, 4:5, 2:3, 9:16, 9:21.
Can I use Seedream 5.5 through an API, or in Claude and ChatGPT?
Yes. The Mage API runs it as the seedream model, and the Mage MCP server lets Claude, ChatGPT, and other assistants generate with it after quoting the price.
Is what I make with Seedream 5.5 private?
Yes. Everything you generate on Mage is private by default: it appears in Explore or on your profile only if you post it.
Which Seedream should I use?
Seedream 5.5, the default, for final images, Seedream 5.0 Pro to match work made on it, Seedream 5.0 Flash for fast, low-cost drafts, Seedream 5.0 Lite when you need 3K, and Seedream 4.5 when you need 4K. Seedream 4.0 stays available for work made on it.
What is the Strict Filter on Seedream?
Seedream runs with a strict content filter. Before anything renders, Mage checks the prompt and the first image you attach. A request the filter refuses comes back as a notice instead of an image, with other models to try, and any Gems it cost are refunded.
Can Seedream put text in an image?
Yes. Put the exact words in double quotes and say where they go, such as a title across the top or a label on a bottle. Short lines read most reliably.

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Make your first image with Seedream 5.5

New accounts get 300 free Gems, enough to try Seedream 5.5. No install, no credit card.

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