---
name: fal-ai/bytedance/seedream/v5/lite/text-to-image
display_name: Seedream 5.0 Lite: Text-to-Image AI with Web Search & Reasoning
category: text-to-image
creator: ByteDance (Seed Team)
fal_docs: https://fal.ai/models/fal-ai/bytedance/seedream/v5/lite/text-to-image
original_source: https://seed.bytedance.com/en/seedream5_0_lite
summary: ByteDance's unified multimodal image generation model featuring deep thinking, online search, and superior spatial reasoning.
---

# Seedream 5.0 Lite: Text-to-Image AI with Web Search & Reasoning

## Overview
- **Slug:** `fal-ai/bytedance/seedream/v5/lite/text-to-image`
- **Category:** text-to-image
- **Creator:** [ByteDance (Seed Team)](https://seed.bytedance.com/en/seedream5_0_lite)
- **Best for:** Complex scenes requiring logical reasoning, accurate text rendering, and real-time knowledge grounding.
- **FAL docs:** [fal-ai/bytedance/seedream/v5/lite/text-to-image](https://fal.ai/models/fal-ai/bytedance/seedream/v5/lite/text-to-image)
- **Original source:** [Seedream 5.0 Lite Official Page](https://seed.bytedance.com/en/seedream5_0_lite)

## What it does
Seedream 5.0 Lite is a next-generation unified multimodal image generation model developed by ByteDance. Unlike traditional diffusion models that rely purely on statistical pattern matching, Seedream 5.0 Lite incorporates a **reasoning layer** ("deep thinking") that allows it to plan compositions, understand physical relationships, and follow complex natural language creative briefs with high precision. It also features **real-time web search integration**, enabling it to generate accurate visuals of current events, trending styles, and specific real-world entities that fall outside its training cutoff.

## When to use this model
- **Use when:** You need precise object placement, correct physics (e.g., weight distribution on a seesaw), or accurate text rendering inside an image. It is also the go-to model for generating images that require up-to-date information via web search.
- **Don't use when:** You need extreme "artistic" stylization where logic matters less than aesthetic abstraction, or when you require standard diffusion parameters like negative prompts and guidance scales, which are abstracted away by the model's internal reasoning.
- **Alternatives:**
  - **Flux.1 [dev]**: Better for raw prompt adherence in artistic styles.
  - **Seedream 4.5**: A more traditional aesthetic-focused model if the "deep thinking" logic isn't required.
  - **Nano Banana Pro**: High-end photorealism with a different aesthetic signature.

## API — via FAL.ai
**Endpoint:** `https://fal.run/fal-ai/bytedance/seedream/v5/lite/text-to-image` (sync) / `https://queue.fal.run/fal-ai/bytedance/seedream/v5/lite/text-to-image` (queue)

### Input parameters
| Parameter | Type | Default | Range/Values | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `prompt` | string | (required) | | The text prompt used to generate the image. Supports long, descriptive natural language. |
| `image_size` | enum/object | `auto_2K` | `square_hd`, `square`, `portrait_4_3`, `portrait_16_9`, `landscape_4_3`, `landscape_16_9`, `auto_2K`, `auto_3K`, or `{ "width": int, "height": int }` | The size of the generated image. Total pixels must be between 2560x1440 and 3072x3072. |
| `num_images` | integer | `1` | 1 - 8 | Number of separate model generations to be run. |
| `max_images` | integer | `1` | | If > 1, enables multi-image generation where the model returns a batch of related images. |
| `sync_mode` | boolean | `false` | | If true, returns media as a data URI and doesn't store in request history. |
| `enable_safety_checker` | boolean | `true` | | Enables or disables the content safety filter. |

### Output
The output returns a list of image objects containing the URL, dimensions, and the seed used for the generation.

```json
{
  "images": [
    {
      "url": "https://fal.run/files/...",
      "width": 2048,
      "height": 2048,
      "content_type": "image/png"
    }
  ],
  "seed": 42
}
```

### Example request
```json
{
  "prompt": "A futuristic city skyline at sunset, with a billboard in the center that says 'Future is Now' in clear neon letters, high resolution, cinematic lighting.",
  "image_size": "auto_3K"
}
```

### Pricing
- **$0.035 per image** (flat rate).
- Note: Price is independent of resolution (Auto 2K vs Auto 3K).

## API — via Original Source (BYO-key direct)
ByteDance provides direct API access through the **BytePlus** platform and **Together AI**.
- **Endpoint (Together AI):** `ByteDance-Seed/Seedream-5.0-lite`
- **Native Parameters:** The native API often supports a `watermark` boolean (defaults to `false`) and a more explicit `reference_images` array for multi-modal prompting (up to 14 images).
- **Auth method:** Bearer token (API Key).
- **Official Docs:** [BytePlus AI Services](https://www.byteplus.com/en/product/seedream) / [Together AI Seedream Docs](https://www.together.ai/models/seedream-50-lite)

## Prompting best practices
- **Use Natural Language:** Write prompts like a creative brief. Instead of "cat, space, 4k", use "A fluffy orange cat wearing a detailed silver spacesuit, floating inside a high-tech space station with Earth visible through a large circular window."
- **Leverage Reasoning:** Explicitly describe spatial relationships. The model understands "on the left," "behind the main subject," and "reflecting in the water."
- **Quoted Text for Typography:** To ensure accurate text rendering, wrap the desired text in double quotes: 'A cafe storefront with a sign that says "The Daily Grind"'.
- **Web Search Triggering:** If you need a specific current event or real-world location not typically in training data, mention the "current" context or specific entity name to trigger the web-search grounding.
- **Example Good Prompt:** "A realistic photograph of a professional kitchen. In the foreground, a chef is carefully plating a dish. In the background, three other cooks are preparing different meals. The lighting is warm and industrial, captured on 35mm film."
- **Example Bad Prompt:** "chef kitchen cooking background blurry highly detailed 8k masterwork" (too fragmented for the reasoning layer to maximize its potential).

## Parameter tuning guide
- **Image Size:** Use `auto_3K` for production assets where high-frequency detail is needed. Since the price is the same as `auto_2K` on FAL, there is rarely a reason to use lower resolutions unless speed is the absolute priority.
- **Max Images:** For character sheets or storyboard generation, set `max_images` to 4. The model's reasoning layer will attempt to maintain character and environmental consistency across the batch.
- **Prompt Detail:** Unlike older models where long prompts might "confuse" the generator, Seedream 5.0 Lite benefits from **more** context. If a result is messy, add more descriptive constraints rather than removing words.

## Node inputs/outputs (for a node-based workflow app)
- **Inputs:**
  - `Prompt` (String)
  - `Image Size` (Dropdown: 2K, 3K, Custom)
  - `Reference Images` (List of Image URLs - for the edit/multi-modal endpoint)
- **Outputs:**
  - `Image URL` (URL)
  - `Seed` (Integer)
- **Chain-friendly with:**
  - **Seedance 2.0 (Video)**: Use Seedream 5.0 Lite to generate the "perfect" first frame, then pass to Seedance for video generation.
  - **LLM Nodes (GPT-4o/Claude 3.5)**: Use an LLM to expand a simple user idea into the detailed natural language creative brief that Seedream 5.0 Lite prefers.

## Notes & gotchas
- **No Negative Prompts:** The model does not support a negative prompt field. You must specify what you *do* want rather than what you don't.
- **Abstracted Parameters:** Standard diffusion settings like CFG scale and Steps are handled internally by the "deep thinking" layer and are not exposed.
- **Safety Filter:** The safety checker is strict; prompts involving public figures or sensitive content may be blocked without a detailed error message beyond "safety filter triggered."

## Sources
- [FAL.ai Model Page](https://fal.ai/models/fal-ai/bytedance/seedream/v5/lite/text-to-image)
- [BytePlus / Seed Official Site](https://seed.bytedance.com/en/seedream5_0_lite)
- [Replicate Seedream 5.0 Documentation](https://replicate.com/bytedance/seedream-5-lite)
- [Together AI Model Card](https://www.together.ai/models/seedream-50-lite)
