October 2, 2026
Image generation comes to OpenRouter with Seedream 5.0 Flash
ByteDance's model is designed for high-volume image generation and low-latency interactive editing.
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Seedream 5.0 Flash from @ByteDanceSeed_ is now available on OpenRouter A fast, cost-efficient model in the Seedream 5.0 lineup for large-scale image generation and low-latency interactive editing https://openrouter.ai/bytedance-seed/seedream-5-0-flash
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Seedream 5.0 Flash can split a picture into a base image and up to 16 transparent PNG layers. This feature is described in the ModelArk documentation dated Sep 28.
For image-generation apps, Flash offers a different set of capabilities from Seedream 5.0 Lite. Flash creates one image per request, while Lite supports batch generation. Through ModelArk, you can retrieve image layers separately or specify an area for the model to edit.
How much generation costs
ModelArk pricing. According to the BytePlus price list dated Sep 28, a Flash output image costs $0.018. Input images are free. These prices apply to ModelArk.
| Model | Price per output image | Reference images | Generation | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Seedream 5.0 Flash | $0.018 | Up to 10 | One image per request | | Seedream 5.0 Lite | $0.035 | Up to 14 | Supports batch generation |
Pricing and capabilities: BytePlus ModelArk price list and documentation, Sep 28, 2026.
In ModelArk, Flash supports 1K, 1.5K and 2K resolutions and saves results as PNG or JPEG. BytePlus documentation dated Oct 1 specifies a limit of 500 images per minute.
How to connect the model to an app
Getting started through OpenRouter. Ready-to-use examples for Python 3 and Node 18+ send a POST request to `https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/images`. The header requires a Bearer API key, and the request body needs the `model` and `prompt` fields. The image is returned in `data[0].b64_json`.
According to OpenRouter's instructions dated Aug 17, your balance is checked before each request. You need a balance above $1 to proceed: at $1 or less, the API returns error 402.
To get started through BytePlus ModelArk, you need an API key and the `byteplus-python-sdk-v2` package. Set the model parameter to `model="dola-seedream-5-0-flash-260915"`. The official instructions dated Sep 28 include ready-to-use request examples.
To edit a selected area, provide the original image and coordinates in the prompt using `<point>` or `<bbox>`. According to the BytePlus guide dated Oct 1, coordinates must be normalized to the 0–999 range.
Original source: [Seedream 5.0 Flash on OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai/bytedance-seed/seedream-5-0-flash), OpenRouter announcement dated Oct 1, 2026.
In ModelArk, the `layer_decomposition=true` parameter returns layers along with their stacking order and bounding box coordinates.