# Seedream 5.0: Lite, Pro and Flash — what ByteDance's design and text model can do

> Seedream 5.0 is a generation of ByteDance Seed image models. 5.0 Lite (February 13, 2026) reasons before generating, searches the web and outputs 2K–4K with 14 references. 5.0 Pro (July 8, 2026) lays out infographics, renders dense text in 10+ languages, edits by point, box and hex color, and splits images into layers. Flash is a faster version of Pro. Seedream 5.0 is available in the AI2Face generator.

Developer: ByteDance Seed · Released: 2026-07-08 · Updated 2026-10-27
URL: https://ai2face.com/models/seedream-5-0

## Key facts

| | |
|---|---|
| Developer | ByteDance Seed |
| Versions | 5.0 Lite (February 13, 2026), 5.0 Pro (July 8, 2026), 5.0 Flash (late September 2026) |
| What it does | Generates and edits images from text and references |
| Resolution | Lite — 2K, 3K and 4K; Pro and Flash — 1K, 1.5K and 2K |
| References | Lite — up to 14; Pro and Flash — up to 10; no more than 15 including outputs |
| Text | Pro — dense text in 10+ languages, including right-to-left Arabic |
| Editing (Pro) | By point, lasso, box or sketch; color by hex or swatch; layers — a base plus up to 16 |
| Lite | Reasons before generating; web search can be switched on |
| In AI2Face | Yes, in the generator |

## What is Seedream 5.0

Seedream 5.0 is a generation of image models from the ByteDance Seed team, which also makes the [Seedance](/models/seedance) video models. For the whole family, including Seedream 4.5 with 4K, see the [Seedream](/models/seedream) overview.

The generation includes three models:

- **Seedream 5.0 Lite** — February 13, 2026. ByteDance says outright that its focus isn't resolution or speed but "depth of thinking": the model reasons before generating and can search the web.
- **Seedream 5.0 Pro** — July 8, 2026. The design flagship: complex layouts, dense text, pinpoint edits and layers.
- **Seedream 5.0 Flash** — late September 2026. A faster, cheaper version of Pro; details in our [Seedream 5.0 Flash](/news/seedream-5-0-flash) news story.

## What Seedream 5.0 Pro can do

**Infographics from data.** Pro turns data and concepts into layouts: timelines, bar, pie and line charts, flowcharts and grids in a single image. ByteDance's examples include an Antarctic research station poster, a guide to six teas and a field guide to eight birds.

![A Tea brewing guide infographic: six cards with colored cups, temperatures and steeping times](https://ai2face.com/_astro/tea-guide.TrkZxOkN_Z24oHnN.jpg "Cards with text and numbers — a typical Seedream 5.0 Pro task. Made with Nano Banana Pro from a Seedream-style prompt")

**Dense text in 10+ languages.** Headlines, promo terms, dates. The model accepts prompts and renders text in Chinese, English and a dozen other languages, including Russian, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and right-to-left Arabic. In ByteDance's example, the Spanish "PASIÓN" came out with the correct accent.

**Pinpoint edits.** You can mark the area to edit with a point, a lasso, a box — different colors for different zones — or a sketch drawn over the image. Colors change by hex code or swatch, materials by description; objects can be added or removed, and several images merged into one.

**Layers.** Pro breaks a poster into more than 10 independent layers — text, subject, background, decoration — with transparency. Layers can be moved and scaled, and the background behind the subject is filled in. ByteDance's cloud documentation lists a base plus up to 16 layers.

**Realism.** Lighting, reflections, refraction, skin texture, motion-blurred panning shots and group photos assembled from separate portraits.

## What Seedream 5.0 Lite can do

**Reasoning.** Before generating, Lite works through the logic: in ByteDance's examples it predicts a Go move and assembles an object from scattered parts without being told what they are.

**Web search.** It's switched on separately and pulls in current information. Without search, ByteDance says, results are more stable.

**Up to 4K and 14 references.** Tiers of 2K, 3K and 4K, with 2048 × 2048 by default. Up to 14 references, but no more than 15 images including the outputs.

**Vague instructions.** Lite infers intent from short or fuzzy edit requests and leaves untouched what it wasn't asked to change. It can transfer a style from one image, or the color palette of a second image onto the first.

## Seedream 5.0 Lite vs. Pro vs. Flash

| | 5.0 Lite | 5.0 Pro | 5.0 Flash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released | Feb 13, 2026 | Jul 8, 2026 | late September 2026 |
| Best for | reasoning, current topics | design, text, precise edits | Pro, faster and cheaper |
| Resolution | 2K, 3K, 4K | 1K, 1.5K, 2K | 1K, 1.5K, 2K |
| References | up to 14 | up to 10 | up to 10 |
| Web search | yes | — | — |
| Layers | — | base + up to 16 | yes |
| Point, box, hex editing | — | yes | yes |
| Price in ByteDance's cloud (China) | ¥0.22 | ¥0.30 up to 1.5K, ¥0.60 above | ¥0.12 |

With Pro, the first input image is free and each additional one costs 0.02 yuan. The 1.5K tier costs the same as 1K, and ByteDance recommends it because the results are better.

## What Seedream 5.0 is good for

- **Infographics and educational posters** with charts and labels — Pro.
- **Posters and ads in multiple languages,** including right-to-left Arabic — Pro.
- **Layouts that get finished in an editor** — Pro's layers with transparency.
- **Touch-ups** — recolor by hex, swap a material, remove an object.
- **Images about recent events** — Lite with search.
- **Large images with lots of references** — Lite at 4K with 14 images.

## Seedream 5.0 vs. alternatives

| | Seedream 5.0 Pro | [GPT Image 2.5](/models/gpt-image-2-5) | [Nano Banana Pro](/models/nano-banana-pro) | [FLUX 3 Image](/models/flux-3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developer | ByteDance Seed | OpenAI | Google DeepMind | Black Forest Labs |
| Max size | 2K (Lite — 4K) | 3840 px | 4K | 4K |
| References | up to 10 (Lite — 14) | several | up to 14 | up to 10 |
| Text | 10+ languages, dense layouts | strong | strong | several languages |
| Layers | yes | no | no | no |
| Local editing | point, lasso, box, sketch | mask | by prompt | bounding boxes |
| In AI2Face | yes | yes | yes | yes |

Seedream 5.0 Pro is the only model in this comparison that returns an image as layers. GPT Image 2.5 is more convenient for UIs and transparent backgrounds, Nano Banana Pro for people, and FLUX 3 for coordinate-based placement at 4K.

## How to write prompts for Seedream 5.0

1. **For infographics, list the blocks:** headline, chart, labels, footnote — each with its text in quotes.
2. **Write the text in the target language** right inside the quotes, with accents and capitalization exactly as they should appear.
3. **Use hex codes for colors,** or a swatch image.
4. **For edits, mark the area** with a point, box or lasso and describe only the change.
5. **In Lite, turn search on** when you need current facts, and off for stability.
6. **Start Pro at 1.5K** — same price as 1K, better quality.

The full prompts for each image are in the gallery.

## How to use Seedream 5.0 in AI2Face

Seedream 5.0 is in the AI2Face generator next to [GPT Image 2.5](/models/gpt-image-2-5), [Nano Banana Pro](/models/nano-banana-pro) and [FLUX 3](/models/flux-3).

1. Sign up — new accounts get starter credits.
2. Open the generator and pick Seedream 5.0.
3. Write a prompt, and upload references if needed.
4. The credit cost is shown before you start. Credits don't expire.

The images on this page were made in AI2Face with Nano Banana Pro from Seedream 5.0-style prompts — they illustrate the techniques, not Seedream's own output quality.

## Limitations

- **Pro and Flash top out at 2K.** For 4K, use Lite or Seedream 4.5.
- **Small text.** ByteDance lists fine text rendering as an area to improve — proofread small lines.
- **Edit precision.** Pixel-level consistency in Pro edits is also still being refined.
- **Lite is the smaller model.** Its structural stability, realism and aesthetics trail Pro.
- **Layers from a single image only.** Layer splitting accepts exactly one input image.

## Bottom line

Seedream 5.0 Pro is the best choice for design with text: infographics, multilingual posters, precise edits and layers that no other model returns. Flash does the same for less, and Lite is the one for 4K, 14 references and images about recent events. For UIs and PNGs without a background, compare the result with [GPT Image 2.5](/models/gpt-image-2-5); for portraits, with [Nano Banana Pro](/models/nano-banana-pro) — all in the same AI2Face generator.

## Generation examples

- A Garden birds infographic: six watercolor birds with labels and a Spring checklist line
  Prompt: `Educational infographic poster titled 'Garden birds' with six birds in a 2x3 grid, each drawn in a realistic watercolor style with a label: 'Robin', 'Blue tit', 'Blackbird', 'House sparrow', 'Goldfinch', 'Wren'. Small size icons and a footer line 'Spring checklist'. Cream background, dark green text. All text exactly as written, spelled correctly, no other text, no logos.`
- A vintage LISBOA travel poster with a yellow tram on a steep street
  Prompt: `Vintage travel poster for Lisbon. Headline: 'LISBOA'. Subtitle: 'Cidade da luz'. Bottom line: 'Elétrico 28 · Alfama · Tejo'. Illustration of a yellow tram on a steep street with tiled facades and the river behind, flat mid-century style, warm palette. All text exactly as written including Portuguese accents, no other text.`
- A cyclist in a red jersey on a city street in late afternoon sun
  Prompt: `Panning shot photo of a cyclist in a red jersey racing along a city street, the rider sharp and the background streaked with horizontal motion blur, late afternoon light, photorealistic sports photography, no readable text, no logos`
- A frosted green serum bottle with a dropper on a travertine stone
  Prompt: `Product photo of a frosted glass skincare serum bottle with a dropper in exactly the color #5B6C5D, on a travertine stone, accents and shadows tinted #E9C46A, soft natural light, minimal, no text, no logos`

## FAQ

### How is Seedream 5.0 Pro different from Lite?

Pro is the design flagship: infographics, dense text, point and box editing, layers. Lite is a smaller model that reasons and searches the web, goes up to 4K and takes 14 references, but ByteDance says it's weaker on structure, realism and aesthetics.

### What is Seedream 5.0 Flash?

A faster, cheaper version of 5.0 Pro, released in late September 2026. It does the same things — layouts, text, coordinate-based edits and layers — at 1K–2K.

### What resolution does Seedream 5.0 support?

Lite offers 2K, 3K and 4K, with 2048 × 2048 by default. Pro and Flash offer 1K, 1.5K and 2K; ByteDance recommends 1.5K because it costs the same as 1K and looks better.

### Which languages can Seedream 5.0 render?

5.0 Pro accepts prompts and renders text in Chinese, English and more than ten other languages, including French, German, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and right-to-left Arabic. Check small print: ByteDance itself lists fine text rendering as an area to improve.

### How much does Seedream 5.0 cost?

In ByteDance's cloud in China, Lite is 0.22 yuan per image, Pro is 0.30 yuan up to 1.5K and 0.60 above, and Flash is 0.12 yuan. In AI2Face, the credit cost is shown before you start.

### Is Seedream 5.0 available in AI2Face?

Yes. Seedream 5.0 is in the AI2Face generator.

## Sources

- https://seed.bytedance.com/en/blog/beyond-generation-it-understands-design-introducing-seedream-5-0-pro
- https://seed.bytedance.com/en/blog/deeper-thinking-more-accurate-generation-introducing-seedream-5-0-lite
- https://seed.bytedance.com/en/seedream5_0_pro
- https://docs.volcengine.com/docs/ark/seedream-4-0-5-0?lang=zh
- https://ark.volcengine.com/region:cn-beijing/docs/seedream-5-0-pro
- https://docs.volcengine.com/docs/ark/seedream-4-0-5-0-prompt-guide?lang=zh