Overview

Seedream 5.0 provides high-quality image generation from text prompts, with optional image references for editing. Tasks are delivered synchronously (no polling required).

Currently available models

Model	Tier	Content moderation	Sizes
`seedream-5-lite`	Lite	Strict	2K (default), 3K
`seedream-5-lite-less-restriction`	Lite	Less restrictive	2K (default), 3K
`seedream-5-pro`	Pro	Strict	1K (default), 2K
`seedream-5-pro-less-restriction`	Pro	Less restrictive	1K (default), 2K

The -less-restriction variants apply a more permissive content review. They accept exactly the same input schema as the strict models but bill at a +25% markup. See Content Moderation below.

Pricing

Model	1K	2K	3K
seedream-5-lite	—	$0.052	$0.052
seedream-5-lite-less-restriction	—	$0.065	$0.065
seedream-5-pro	$0.068	$0.136	—
seedream-5-pro-less-restriction	$0.085	$0.17	—

Lite is flat-priced: 2K and 3K cost the same within the same moderation tier.

The -less-restriction variants are priced at a +25% markup over the strict variant at the same size.

Pro reference image surcharge: the first reference image is free; each additional reference image adds **

0.003 * * (e . g .3 re f ere n ce ima g es = +

0.006). Lite has no reference image surcharge.

Parameters

size

Controls output resolution.

Lite models: 2K (default) or 3K.

Pro models: 1K (default) or 2K. Pro 2K renders at roughly twice the pixel dimensions of 1K (e.g. 16:9 → 2560x1440 vs 1312x736).

aspect_ratio

Supported ratios: 1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, 3:4, 3:2, 2:3, 4:5, 5:4, 21:9. Default: 1:1.

The upstream API does not accept an aspect_ratio field directly; this engine encodes the requested ratio into the pixel dimensions sent upstream.

output_format

Output image format. Accepted values: jpeg (default), png, webp.

image_urls

Optional. Provide up to 10 image URLs to use as references for editing / style transfer. Use publicly accessible URLs (CDN or cloud storage); signed/expiring URLs may fail.

For Pro models, the first reference image is free and each additional image adds $0.003 (see Pricing).

sequential_image_generation (advanced, Lite only)

disabled (default) or auto. When auto, supply max_images (1–15) to control batch size; the model will return multiple related images in a single request. Not supported on Pro models — these fields are ignored for seedream-5-pro and seedream-5-pro-less-restriction.

Content moderation

All models apply content moderation. Submissions found to contain disallowed content are rejected and your credits are refunded.

Strict models apply our standard content review.

-less-restriction models apply a more permissive content review. A rejection is final and is not retried — your credits are refunded and the task ends with a content-violation error.

Response

Seedream is delivered synchronously. The response contains the generated image URLs directly — no polling is required.

Tips

Use publicly accessible URLs for any reference images.

For higher resolutions (Lite 3K, Pro 2K), expect slightly longer generation times.

The output is one or more images (not video).

Request

Header Params

Body Params application/json

Examples

text to imageimage editpro text to image

{
    "model": "seedream",
    "task_type": "seedream-5-lite",
    "input": {
        "prompt": "A golden retriever playing in a field of sunflowers at sunset",
        "aspect_ratio": "16:9",
        "output_format": "png",
        "size": "2K"
    }
}

Request Code Samples

Shell

JavaScript

Java

Swift

PHP

Python

HTTP

Objective-C

Ruby

OCaml

Dart

Responses

🟢200

application/json

Bodyapplication/json

Example

{
    "code": 200,
    "data": {
        "task_id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
        "model": "seedream",
        "task_type": "seedream-5-lite",
        "status": "pending",
        "config": {
            "service_mode": "",
            "webhook_config": {
                "endpoint": "",
                "secret": ""
            }
        },
        "input": {
            "prompt": "A golden retriever playing in a field of sunflowers at sunset",
            "aspect_ratio": "16:9",
            "output_format": "png",
            "size": "2K"
        },
        "output": null,
        "meta": {
            "created_at": "2026-03-16T10:00:00.000000000Z",
            "started_at": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "ended_at": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "usage": {
                "type": "point",
                "frozen": 0,
                "consume": 520000
            },
            "is_using_private_pool": false
        },
        "detail": null,
        "logs": [],
        "error": {
            "code": 0,
            "raw_message": "",
            "message": "",
            "detail": null
        }
    },
    "message": "success"
}

Seedream 5

Overview#

Currently available models#

Pricing#

Parameters#

size#

aspect_ratio#

output_format#

image_urls#

sequential_image_generation (advanced, Lite only)#

Content moderation#

Response#

Tips#