Seedream 4.5, online

ByteDance's image model, and the one people reach for when a portrait has to look photographed. Skin, hair and fabric hold their texture at close range instead of turning to plastic, and it is the cheapest of the paid image models here per picture.

Which plan: Included from Starter.

What it is good at

Skin that reads as skin

Close-up portraits keep pore and hair detail rather than smoothing into an illustration.

The cheapest paid lane

Lowest per-image cost of the hosted image models, so it is the one to run in volume.

Wide stylistic range

Handles dark fantasy and clean beauty lighting from the same prompt bar without a style model.

How to prompt this model

Describe the composition and explain reference roles.

Lead with the subject and layout, then specify lighting, color and style.
For reference edits, describe the requested transformation and details that must stay.
Quote exact text rather than asking for unspecified lettering.

Example prompt

Create an editorial still life of three citrus fruits on folded linen, overhead composition, soft side light and a small card reading "Citrus study".

Read the prompting tutorial. Select this model before using Enhance prompt to apply its guidance to your draft.

Sources: Seedream 4 family examples.

The specifics

Setting	Details
Made by	ByteDance
Runs	Text to image, and editing from references
Reference images	Up to 6
Also here	Seedream 5.0 Pro, the newer sibling
Opens at	Starter

A prompt to start from

Close-up beauty portrait in soft pink studio light, natural skin texture, fine flyaway hairs catching the rim light, shallow depth of field, shot on medium format

Open Seedream 4.5 in the studio — Choose the model and review your prompt and quote before generating.

Questions people ask

Is Seedream 4.5 free?

It opens at the Starter plan. If you want to try the platform first, GPT Image 2 runs on a free account at ⚡1 an image from the daily green wallet, four times a day.

What is the difference between Seedream 4.5 and 5.0 Pro?

5.0 Pro is the newer generation and costs more per image; 4.5 is kept alongside it because it is the cheaper of the pair and still the better value for volume work. Both are on one card in the model menu.

Can it edit a photo I already have?

Yes. Attach reference images and it edits them instead of starting from nothing. Up to six of them.