SeeDream Image Generation API: High-Resolution Images in One Call, with Real Examples and Costs

SeeDream is the text-to-image / image-to-image model from Byte's Doubao series, strong in high resolution and image quality—the output can reach 2K/4K, making it suitable for product images, posters, and commercial-grade still life that need to "look exquisite."

This article explains how to use the SeeDream API on Ace Data Cloud. The interface is POST https://api.acedata.cloud/seedream/images, and the documentation is at platform.acedata.cloud/documents/seedream-images. You can get a Token from the console to use it, with a free quota for first-time applicants.

First, Look at Real Outputs and Real Costs

The image below is a commercial still life generated using doubao-seedream-5-0-260128—a frosted glass perfume bottle placed on a wet black slate, lit with a single softbox, with water droplets on the glass, 85mm macro. The actual cost recorded by the platform for this call is 0.3404 credits (list_amount 0.37), not an estimate, but the actual deducted amount.

SeeDream generated frosted glass perfume bottle product image

Basic Usage: Text-to-Image

The simplest usage is action: generate + a segment of English prompt:

curl -X POST 'https://api.acedata.cloud/seedream/images' \
  -H 'accept: application/json' \
  -H 'authorization: Bearer {token}' \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "action": "generate",
    "model": "doubao-seedream-5-0-260128",
    "prompt": "A photorealistic studio product shot of a frosted-glass perfume bottle on wet black slate, single softbox key light, water droplets on the glass, dark moody background, 85mm macro, ultra sharp."
  }'

In the response, data[].image_url is the generated image, and size is the actual pixel dimensions:

{
  "success": true,
  "task_id": "81246f86-05ff-4d7d-9553-1013e0c1cd32",
  "trace_id": "ab50a78d-ab1f-457f-a46b-c2259cd5d35b",
  "data": [
    {
      "prompt": "A photorealistic studio product shot ...",
      "size": "2048x2048",
      "image_url": "https://platform2.cdn.acedata.cloud/seedream/....jpg"
    }
  ]
}

Generating the image takes some time; if you don't want the request to hang, adding "async": true will immediately return task_id, and you can poll /seedream/tasks:

curl -X POST 'https://api.acedata.cloud/seedream/tasks' \
  -H 'authorization: Bearer {token}' \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"id": "81246f86-05ff-4d7d-9553-1013e0c1cd32", "action": "retrieve"}'

Image-to-Image: Change Material, Change Style, Unify Multiple Images

To modify an existing image, just pass image (URL or Base64, multiple images allowed). For example, keeping the model's pose unchanged but changing the clothing material from metal to transparent water:

{
  "model": "doubao-seedream-4-0-250828",
  "prompt": "Keep the model pose and the garment shape unchanged. Change the clothing material from silver metal to completely transparent water, showing skin details through the flow, refraction instead of reflection.",
  "image": ["https://.../source.png"]
}

How to Choose Models and Sizes

model must be passed as a complete model string (passing abbreviations like doubao-seedream-5.0-lite will result in 400). Some commonly used ones:

  • doubao-seedream-5-0-260128 (5.0 Lite, default, latest) — supports 2K/3K/4K, series images, streaming, online search;
  • doubao-seedream-5-0-pro-260628 (5.0 Pro, flagship single image) — only outputs single images, highest quality, supports multi-image input fusion (2–10 images, charged per image starting from the second);
  • doubao-seedream-4-5-251128 / doubao-seedream-4-0-250828 — supports single/multiple image input and series images;
  • doubao-seededit-3-0-i2i-250628 — specifically for single image editing.

Sizes can be written in two ways and cannot be mixed:

  1. Preset resolutions (size: "2K" / "4K" etc., different models support different tiers), aspect ratio described in natural language in the prompt;
  2. Pixel values (e.g., size: "2048x2048"), total pixels and aspect ratio range vary by model.

Additionally, commonly used options: response_format (url default / b64_json), watermark (default true, can be turned off for commercial use), output_format (jpeg / png, only supported by the 5.0 series).

What to Do with It

  • E-commerce product images: A single prompt generates commercial-grade still life/scenario images, replacing some studio shoots;
  • Posters and covers: High resolution directly usable for printing or large screens;
  • Series images: Use sequential_image_generation to generate a set of stylistically unified related images at once, making it easy to create image collections for content accounts.

Among these uses, "batch producing high-quality product images" is a directly monetizable aspect—many small businesses lack this. Link the tools you use on your homepage and earn commissions through the Ace Data Cloud Revenue Alliance from users you register; or package the above process into a "input description, one-click product image generation" tool to sell to businesses, with your cost being the platform's usage-based charges (like the 0.34 credits for the image above).

First, use the free quota to generate an image to see the quality, then decide which model and size to integrate into your process.