Seedream 4.5 Editing Guide: Preserve Subjects and Image Text

To edit an image with Seedream 4.5, supply a reference and describe the change through BytePlus ModelArk. ByteDance Seed's hosted model supports reference editing and text-to-image generation. Product page, API tutorial

What are the key facts about Seedream 4.5?

What can Seedream 4.5 change in a reference image?

ByteDance demonstrates reference preservation and typography, including changes to clothing materials and selected text while retaining other visual details. Product page

For an editing trial, choose a photograph with a clear subject and a simple background. Write down what must survive the edit before generating anything: face, pose, object silhouette, lighting direction, and visible lettering.

Then choose a change with a clear pass condition. Replacing a plain background with a studio wall is easier to evaluate than asking the model to make the entire picture more professional.

Keep the instruction focused on the requested transformation. A useful original example is: replace the tabletop with pale wood while preserving the mug, its handle, its label, and the camera angle.

Review preservation separately from visual appeal. A pleasing image that changes the product's shape fails a product-editing brief, even if its lighting looks better than the input.

Multi-image editing is also documented. Assign each reference a role before requesting a composite, such as the subject to retain and the setting to adopt. Product page

What are the limits of Seedream 4.5 editing?

The documented access routes provide a service, with no open weights to download or fine-tune locally. Keep this distinction explicit when planning an editing pipeline. Product page, API tutorial

BytePlus lists 2K and 4K output presets for this version and JPEG output without a selectable file format. Those are API capabilities; text in a prompt does not replace the request's size setting. API tutorial

Its published comparisons use the vendor's MagicBench evaluation. Treat those comparisons as evidence of the developer's evaluation scope, rather than a success guarantee for your photographs. Product page

For review, inspect any area you asked to preserve. Check a face against the input, read every product label, and look for changes to reflections or shadows. Retain the original so you can reject an attractive but inaccurate result.

When several edits are needed, save each accepted stage. This is a suggested review method: it makes the point at which an unwanted change appeared easier to identify.

How do you use Seedream 4.5 for an image edit?

Use the official ModelArk image-generation tutorial to configure access and obtain an API key. Its documented identifier for this version is seedream-4-5-251128. API tutorial

Start with a text-only request to check the connection. Supply your API key through ARK_API_KEY in your shell environment, then run this adapted example:

curl --fail-with-body https://ark.ap-southeast.bytepluses.com/api/v3/images/generations \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ARK_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "model": "seedream-4-5-251128",
    "prompt": "A blue ceramic mug on a pale wooden table, side view, soft window light.",
    "size": "2K",
    "response_format": "url",
    "sequential_image_generation": "disabled"
  }'

For an edit, add the documented image field with an accessible reference-image URL and replace the scene description with an editing instruction. Multiple references use an array in that field. API tutorial

Use images you can identify unambiguously in the request. For a mug edit, provide the original product photograph as the main reference and describe which properties should stay unchanged.

Save the returned image and the exact request together. Record the reference filenames separately, so that a later comparison uses the same source photographs rather than similar-looking replacements.

Evaluate the first result before expanding the task. If the mug's shape changed, revise the preservation instruction; if the framing is wrong, revise the composition. Avoid changing both during the same comparison.

For a series, make a small contact sheet of accepted and rejected outputs. Add a short reason beside each rejection, such as label altered or handle missing, so the review remains tied to the original brief.

The examples above are proposed test prompts, not measured performance results. Use your own product images and acceptance criteria to decide whether this access route fits the work.

How does Seedream 4.5 editing compare with Seedream 4.0?

Use the Seedream 4.0 overview to understand the earlier model's task coverage. The comparison should use the same source image, target composition, and rejection rules.

For broader workflow design, see the ComfyUI guide. Decide where an accepted image enters the rest of your process before adding more generation stages.

What else should you know about Seedream 4.5 editing?

Can I download Seedream 4.5 weights?

Seedream 4.5 has no open weights on its official product and access pages. Its documented deployment is hosted, including the ModelArk API. Product page, API tutorial

Does Seedream 4.5 preserve a face exactly?

ByteDance demonstrates facial-detail preservation with Seedream 4.5. Compare each generated face with the source before accepting an edit; the demonstration does not establish exact preservation for every input. Product page

How should I describe a reference-based edit?

For a Seedream 4.5 edit, name the target, the required change, and the properties to preserve. BytePlus recommends clear instructions; identify the object when an image contains similar subjects. Prompt guide

Should I replace all my existing editing steps?

Evaluate Seedream 4.5 on one repeatable editing task and compare accepted outputs with your current process. Keep a record of rejections and manual corrections before deciding whether to broaden the trial.

Sources

• ByteDance Seedream 4.5 product page
• BytePlus image generation tutorial
• ByteDance Seedream 4.0 product page
• BytePlus Seedream 4.0–4.5 prompt guide

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