Seedream 5.5 — Generate and edit, with transparent backgrounds

Name: Seedream 5.5
Brand: ByteDance
SKU: seedream-5.5

Makernice serves ByteDance's Seedream 5.5 for text-to-image and image-to-image at 1k (the default) or 2k. Seedream 5.5 offers eight aspect ratios, from 9:16 to 21:9. Image-to-image takes up to 10 reference images. Set background to transparent to get a PNG with no background.

Highlights

1K / 2K · Text to image · Image to image

Best for

Teams that need product cutouts, stickers or layered assets, and anyone editing with several reference images.

Input

Text, up to 10 reference images

Output

Image

Input

Prompt

Resolution

Aspect ratio

ResultPreview

Estimated price$0.02$0.0156/img

Checking your session…

Try one of these prompts

Pricing

Prepaid in US dollars. The hold is converted to a charge when the run completes. If a run fails or times out, the hold is released in full.*

Prices as of November 11, 2026 (price list v14).

Note: if a finished output is blocked by output moderation for a policy violation, the run is still charged. You can contact support for a manual review.

Cost of your first test

$0.02

One 1K text-to-image image.

What your top-up buys

Top up

$15

≈ 961 test runs

$50

≈ 3205 test runs

$100

≈ 6410 test runs

Top-ups are $15–$1,000. No free tier, no subscription.

Model	Mode	Resolution	Our price
Seedream 5.5 ByteDance	Text to image1K	1K	$0.0156/img
Seedream 5.5 ByteDance	Text to image2K	2K	$0.0273/img
Seedream 5.5 ByteDance	Image to image1K	1K	$0.0156/img+ $0.00624 per reference image
Seedream 5.5 ByteDance	Image to image2K	2K	$0.0273/img+ $0.00624 per reference image

What is the Seedream 5.5 API?

The Seedream 5.5 API generates and edits images with ByteDance's Seedream 5.5 model through one Makernice key. Text-to-image is priced per image. Image-to-image is priced per image plus a rate for each reference image you send. The first reference image counts too. A one-image edit therefore costs less than a ten-image one.

Spec sheet

Parameters, limits and billing rules to check before you call it.

[MODEL]

Model id

seedream-5.5 · ByteDance

[MODES]

Modes

t2i Text to image · i2i Image to image

[RES]

Resolution

1K (default) · 2K

[FRAMING]

Aspect ratio (t2i, i2i)

1:1 · 4:3 · 3:4 · 16:9 · 9:16 · 2:3 · 3:2 · 21:9

[REFS]

Reference images

Up to 10, in reference_images

[INPUT]

Image input

JPEG / PNG / WebP, up to 10 MB each, or an https link. Uploaded images can be used for 6 days.

[SIZE]

Image size

at least 15 px per side, up to 36 MP in total, aspect ratio 1:16–16:1

[OUTPUT]

Output

Image. Files are kept about 30 days, so download them promptly.

[PRICE]

Price

From $0.0156/img · Quotes are locked for 12 minutes. Per-resolution prices are in the table above.

[GUARANTEE]

Failed runs

Failed, timed-out or canceled-while-queued runs release the hold in full.

2 ways to generate, one endpoint

Set mode, send the inputs it needs — that's it.

Text to image

mode: "t2i" · prompt

Describe the image you want in the prompt.

Image to image

mode: "i2i" · reference_images (≤ 10)

Add up to 10 reference images, then describe the edit or the new image.

What you can build with this model

Workflows this model is a good fit for.

Product cutouts

Generate a product shot with background set to transparent and drop it straight onto any layout.

Try it in the playground

Multi-reference editing

Combine up to 10 reference images to keep a product, character or style consistent in one edit.

Try it in the playground

Wide banners and posters

Use 21:9 or 16:9 for headers and 9:16 for stories, at 1k for drafts and 2k for finals.

Try it in the playground

Why run Seedream 5.5 on Makernice

Quote before you pay

Every run gets an exact quote first, locked for 12 minutes. You're charged that amount — never more.

Failed runs are free

The hold is converted to a charge when the run completes. If a run fails or times out, the hold is released in full, and so does canceling while it's queued. Note: if a finished output is blocked by output moderation for a policy violation, the run is still charged. You can contact support for a manual review.

Switch models with one field

Same request, key, balance and console for all 19 models. Not happy with the result? Change model and run it again.

Prepaid, no subscription

Top up a US-dollar balance and pay per run. No monthly fee, no subscription.

Your balance never expires

Topped-up balance stays in your account indefinitely. No inactivity fees, no decay.

Automatic failover

If an upstream channel goes down, your request is routed to a backup channel automatically — no code changes on your side.

Which should you pick: Seedream 5.5, Seedream 5.0 Pro, Seedream 5.0?

Compare modes, length, resolution and references, then run the same prompt on each.

	Seedream 5.5	Seedream 5.0 Pro	Seedream 5.0
Modes	Text to image · Image to image	Text to image · Image to image	Text to image · Image to image
Resolution	1K / 2K	1K / 2K	2K (single tier)
Reference images	Up to 10	Up to 10	Up to 14
1K price	$0.0156/img	From $0.0351/img	—
2K price	$0.0273/img	From $0.0702/img	From $0.0336/img

Comparing with MiniMax H3-Image? Full comparison → MiniMax H3-Image vs Seedream 5.5

Integrate Seedream 5.5 in three steps

Quote, hold, charge or release — each step shows how billing works.

[01]

Create an API key

// Console → API keys

[02]

Quote and create

POST the input to /v1/generations/quote with the model field set to seedream-5.5. The price is locked for 12 minutes; creating the generation with the quote id holds that amount from your balance.

// POST /v1/generations/quote// POST /v1/generations

[03]

Poll the result

GET /v1/generations/{id} until the status is succeeded, then download the output. You're charged the quoted amount on success; failed, timed-out or canceled-while-queued runs release the hold in full.

// GET /v1/generations/{id}

Retrying with the same Idempotency-Key returns the same generation instead of charging twice.

Docs/API/SEEDREAM-5-5

API reference

Copy-paste requests for this model. The full parameter reference is in the docs.

curl https://api.makernice.com/v1/generations/quote \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MAKERNICE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "seedream-5.5",
    "mode": "t2i",
    "prompt": "A ceramic coffee mug with a speckled glaze, studio product shot, soft shadow, transparent background.",
    "resolution": "1k"
  }'

Invalid request

400 invalid_request names each failing field. Fields the mode doesn't use are rejected too. Nothing is held.

Key or balance

401 means a missing or invalid key; 402 means the balance or the key's spend limit isn't enough.

Quote problems

A changed price-affecting field returns 422 quote_mismatch; an expired quote 410; a used one 409. Get a new quote.

Failed generation

A failed generation is never charged — the hold is released in full. Note: if a finished output is blocked by output moderation for a policy violation, the run is still charged. You can contact support for a manual review. Keep the generation id and retry when you're ready.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this model.

What is Seedream 5.5?

Seedream 5.5 is an AI image generation model from ByteDance, available through the Makernice API with one key and one prepaid balance. ByteDance's Seedream 5.5: generate or edit images at 1K or 2K, with up to 10 reference images and an optional transparent background.

How many reference images does Seedream 5.5 support?

Up to 10 reference images, sent in reference_images in image to image mode.

How much does Seedream 5.5 cost per image?

Seedream 5.5 costs, per image: text to image $0.0156 at 1K and $0.0273 at 2K; image to image $0.0156 + $0.00624 per reference image at 1K and $0.0273 + $0.00624 per reference image at 2K (price list v14, as of November 11, 2026). Call POST /v1/generations/quote to get the exact amount before you run it. Failed runs are never charged. Note: if a finished output is blocked by output moderation for a policy violation, the run is still charged. You can contact support for a manual review.

Seedream 5.5 vs Seedream 5.0 Pro: which should I use?

Choose Seedream 5.5 for transparent backgrounds, 21:9 output and edit pricing that follows how many reference images you send. Choose Seedream 5.0 Pro when you want a flat image-to-image price; both take up to 10 reference images at 1k or 2k.

How do transparent backgrounds work on Seedream 5.5?

Set background to transparent and the image comes back as a PNG with no background. Transparent backgrounds on Seedream 5.5 work in text-to-image and image-to-image. The default, auto, lets the model decide; opaque always fills the background.

How are reference images priced on Seedream 5.5?

Image-to-image costs a base rate per image plus a rate for each reference image, including the first. The price table on this page lists both, and POST /v1/generations/quote returns the exact amount for the number of images you send.

Which aspect ratios does Seedream 5.5 support?

1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 16:9, 9:16, 2:3, 3:2 and 21:9, in both text-to-image and image-to-image.

MiniMax H3-Image vs Seedream 5.5: Ratios, References and Price