01 Core Formula
Seedream 5.0 responds well to clear, descriptive prompts. Name the subject, the visual style and the lighting, then add one or two scene details. Full sentences beat vague one-word lists.
1.1 The Basic Prompt Formula
Start with three required parts — subject, style and lighting — then add optional scene details. A coherent sentence gives the model more to work with than a scattered list.
[Subject] + [Style] + [Lighting] + optional [Background] [Detail] [Mood]
Subject
The main person, object or scene. Be specific: 'a tabby cat' beats 'a cat'.
Style
The visual treatment: photorealistic, anime, 1970s film still, studio product shot.
Lighting
Golden hour, softbox, neon backlight, overcast window light — light sets the mood fast.
Background
Keep it simple unless the environment is the point.
Detail
One or two telling specifics: texture, color accent, worn edges, shallow depth of field.
Mood
A single emotional word: serene, tense, playful, lonely.
Botanical Still Life
Prompt
A botanical still life of eucalyptus, dried pampas grass and a single pink ranunculus arranged in a matte ceramic vase. Soft natural window light from the left, pale linen backdrop, gentle shadows. Editorial product photography, muted earth tones, high detail.
Subject + style + light in one sentence. Preloaded in Seedream 5.0 Pro at 1:1 / 1K — a cheap way to test the composition.
1.2 Detail, Medium and Surface
Seedream 5.0 is good at material and surface language. Describe what something is made of and how the light hits it and the texture usually follows. Pro gives finer detail the most room to survive.
Oil Painting Landscape
Prompt
An oil painting of a misty mountain lake at dawn, pine-covered slopes reflected in still water, a small wooden rowboat tied to a weathered dock. Visible brushstrokes in the clouds, impasto texture in the foreground reeds. Warm ochre and cool teal palette, cinematic composition.
Preloaded in Seedream 5.0 Pro at 4:3 / 2K / PNG. The Pro tier preserves brushstroke and surface detail best.
02 Canvas and Aspect Ratios
Both Pro and Lite share the same 8 standard aspect ratios. Pick the ratio for the publishing channel: 1:1 for feeds, 9:16 for stories, 16:9 for widescreen, 21:9 for cinematic banners.
2.1 Choosing a Ratio
Seedream 5.0 exposes 8 preset ratios. When the channel is flexible, let the subject decide — tall subjects read better in portrait, landscapes in landscape.
Cinematic Wide Banner
Prompt
A panoramic sci-fi cityscape at twilight, sleek towers reflecting violet and amber neon lights, a single hover-cab crossing a rain-slicked bridge. Cinematic concept art, atmospheric haze, 16:9 framing.
Preloaded in Seedream 5.0 Pro at 16:9 / 2K / PNG.
2.2 Vertical Formats
Portrait ratios work well for phone wallpapers, book covers and feed posts. Seedream 5.0 handles 9:16 and 3:4 natively.
Phone Wallpaper
Prompt
A serene phone wallpaper of a single cherry blossom branch against a soft gradient sky, pastel pink and dawn blue, minimal Japanese illustration style, gentle negative space.
Preloaded in Seedream 5.0 Pro at 9:16 / 1K / PNG — a quick, low-cost vertical test.
03 Image References and Edits
Seedream 5.0 accepts uploaded images as references. Upload a sketch to turn it into a render, upload several shots of a character to keep design consistent, or hand it a product photo and ask for a new finish.
3.1 Upload and Prompt
The simplest edit: upload one image and describe what you want changed or kept. Both Pro and Lite process the input at high fidelity automatically.
Sketch to Render
Prompt
Turn this pencil sketch into a clean 3D product render of a minimal wireless speaker. Soft studio lighting, matte off-white plastic body, warm fabric grille, rounded corners. Floating at a slight angle on a neutral gray background, subtle reflection underneath.
Upload your sketch image in image-to-image mode. Preloaded in Seedream 5.0 Pro at 1:1 / 2K / PNG.
3.2 Multi-Reference Consistency
For character or product consistency, upload multiple reference images and describe the exact pose or angle you want. Both tiers accept up to 10 reference images.
Character Turnaround Pick
Prompt
A brave young explorer in a khaki safari jacket, leather satchel and wide-brimmed hat, standing in a jungle clearing. Use the uploaded character references to keep the face, outfit and color scheme consistent. Soft dappled sunlight through the canopy, adventure-storybook illustration style.
Upload 2–4 reference images of the same character. Preloaded in Seedream 5.0 Pro at 1:1 / 1K; the tier accepts up to 10 reference images.
3.3 High-Fidelity Edits
When the input is already a high-resolution photo and you want to preserve that fidelity, use Pro at 2K. Good for product reskins, background swaps on portraits and material changes.
Product Reskin
Prompt
Take the uploaded product photo and change the sneakers to a deep navy suede with off-white sole stitching, keeping the same studio lighting, shadow and camera angle. Premium e-commerce product photography, crisp detail, no extra props.
Upload the original product shot. Preloaded in Seedream 5.0 Pro at 1:1 / 2K / PNG — the settings that best preserve source detail.
04 Resolution and Output Format
Seedream 5.0 Pro and Lite split the resolution space: Pro tops out at 2K with the best instruction following, Lite goes up to 4K and is faster. Both support PNG and JPEG output.
4.1 Draft with Pro
Use Pro at 1K for fast iteration. It is the cheapest Pro preset and already good enough to judge composition, style and color direction.
App Icon Exploration
Prompt
A modern app icon for a habit tracker: a friendly paper airplane leaving a dotted loop trail, rounded square icon, soft gradient background in mint and cream. Flat vector style, clean shapes, no text.
Preloaded in Seedream 5.0 Pro at 1:1 / 1K / PNG — the cheapest Pro preset.
4.2 High Resolution with Lite
When you need more pixels than Pro offers, switch to Lite. Lite supports 2K, 3K and 4K, making it the better choice for large hero assets and prints.
Hero Cinematic Frame
Prompt
A cinematic wide shot of a lone astronaut standing on a rust-red Martian ridge at sunset, a small habitat module glowing warm in the valley below. Dust particles catch the golden light, vast alien sky with two small moons. Epic sci-fi concept art, highly detailed, film grain.
Preloaded in Seedream 5.0 Lite at 16:9 / 4K / PNG. Use this once the prompt is already tested at a smaller size.
4.3 Output Format
PNG is the default and best for editing. JPEG is smaller and works well for web and social use. Both Pro and Lite expose the same two formats.
Social Media Photo
Prompt
A candid lifestyle photo of two friends laughing over coffee at a sunlit café, warm wooden table, soft bokeh background. Natural window light, authentic moment, slightly desaturated film look.
Preloaded in Seedream 5.0 Pro at 4:3 / 1K / JPEG — a good balance of quality and file size for web and social use.
05 Moderation and Limitations
Seedream 5.0 shares ByteDance's content policies, plus a few practical limits. Knowing them upfront saves you from surprise blocks and disappointment.
5.1 Content Moderation
All prompts and outputs are filtered. If a request is blocked, the error code is content_rejected — retrying the same prompt won't help.
Fantasy Creature
Prompt
A friendly baby dragon with iridescent scales curled around a stack of old spellbooks in a cozy wizard's attic. Warm candlelight, dust motes, storybook illustration style.
Fantasy and stylized content is usually fine. Avoid requests for realistic violence, gore or sexual content — those will hit the safety filter regardless of artistic framing.
5.2 Text, Layout and Consistency
Seedream 5.0 handles short phrases better than long passages, but text rendering can still drift. Layout-sensitive compositions — precise grids, aligned UI mocks, exact packaging dimensions — are also hard to control. Treat the output as a starting image and plan to refine text in a design tool.
Packaging Flatlay
Prompt
A flatlay product photo of a premium chocolate box, a single open sleeve revealing dark chocolate squares, gold foil accents, scattered cocoa nibs. Soft overhead light, cream marble background, luxury packaging photography.
The layout and product form come out well; any text on the box will likely need to be added or corrected afterward in a design tool.