Correction, 2026-10-01: this page called 6-credit Seedream 5 the default. The Seedream tool opens on Seedream 5 Pro (7 credits at 1K, 13 at 2K); the 6-credit model is Seedream 5 Lite. It also gave a median time of about 112 seconds with a job count. The measured medians on 8frame are 60 seconds for 5 Lite and 119 for 5 Pro, and we don't publish job counts. We removed quality labels for other models that we have not measured, priced Flux Edit by image size rather than a flat 7, and noted that the upscale tool opens on Topaz.
Seedream 5 comes in two versions on this canvas. The Seedream tool opens on Seedream 5 Pro, 7 credits an image at 1K and 13 at 2K. Seedream 5 Lite is 6 credits an image, about six cents, at 2K or 3K, which makes exploring twenty directions roughly a dollar twenty. That price is the whole argument for Lite, because in image generation the reliable path to a good result is volume rather than prompt craft.
TL;DR
- Seedream 5 Pro (the default): 7 credits at 1K, 13 at 2K. Seedream 5 Lite: 6 at 2K or 3K. Seedream 4: 5
- Twenty attempts on Lite cost $1.20. This is the correct way to use it
- Text inside the image: read it back, or set type in your editor
- Median time to an image on 8frame: 60 seconds on 5 Lite, 119 on 5 Pro
- Up to 14 reference images, the most of any image model on 8frame
- Feeds video well: a Seedream still into image-to-video keeps the composition you approved
The ladder
Canon 8frame prices, a credit is $0.01 at pack rate:
| Model | Credits | Note |
|---|---|---|
| GPT Image 2 | 2 to 29 | Low quality 2; high, its default, 29 square |
| Imagen 4 Fast | 4 | Text-to-image only |
| Seedream 4 | 5 | Five shapes |
| FLUX.2 [pro] | 5 | About 1 MP presets |
| Seedream 5 Lite | 6 | 2K or 3K |
| Seedream 5 Pro | 7 / 13 | The Seedream default, 1K / 2K |
| Imagen 4 | 8 | Text-to-image only |
| Nano Banana 2 | 8 to 22 | The Nano Banana default, 11 at 1K, 0.5K to 4K |
| Imagen 4 Ultra | 12 | Text-to-image only |
| Nano Banana Pro | 21 / 42 | 1K and 2K / 4K |
| Reve | 34 | Text-to-image, edit, remix |
Lite or Pro? Which looks better on your brief is something to test; we haven't measured it. On price, the difference between 6 and 7 credits across twenty attempts is twenty cents, and Pro at 2K is 13. Note that the tool opens on Pro, so switch to 5 Lite deliberately if you want the 6-credit tier.
The twenty-attempt habit
The single most useful thing to internalise: at 6 credits, being thorough is cheap and shipping your first idea is the expensive mistake.
The workflow:
- Write three genuinely different directions, not three phrasings of one.
- Generate six or seven of each. Twenty images on 5 Lite, 120 credits, about $1.20.
- Look at them together, at the size they will be used. A thumbnail judged at full screen is judged wrong.
- Keep two, discard the rest without sentiment.
- Refine the keeper with Flux Edit rather than regenerating from the prompt, so you keep what was already right. Flux Edit is priced by image size: about 7 credits for a 1-megapixel image, more for a 2K or 3K one, up to 87.
People who get good results from image models are not writing better prompts. They are generating more and selecting harder.
How to use it
- Open a canvas and add a Seedream node. It opens on 5 Pro; switch to 5 Lite for the 6-credit tier.
- Set the aspect ratio for the destination. Seedream 5 offers 1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, 3:4, 3:2, 2:3 and 21:9: 2:3 for a portrait pin, 9:16 for social, 16:9 for a slide.
- Write the prompt with concrete specifics: subject, medium or lens, light source and direction, palette, and what to leave out.
- Generate several. Not one.
- Refine the keeper by editing, not by re-prompting.
- Upscale at the end, once. The upscale tool opens on Topaz, 11 credits per started 24-megapixel block of output (it enlarges 4x); Clarity is 13 for a fixed 2x.
What steers it
Concrete beats vague, consistently:
| Vague | Concrete |
|---|---|
| Beautiful lighting | Single hard light from the left, long shadows |
| High quality | Delete it |
| Cinematic | 85mm, shallow depth of field |
| Colourful | Muted ochre, sage, off-white, one red accent |
| Detailed | Delete it, or name the detail |
And name what to omit: "no text, no lens flare, no gradient background."
Where it does not fit
Text inside the image. Generate the plate with a visually quiet area and set the type in your editor, which is cheaper and gives you exact control. If text has to live inside the image, compare a couple of models on your words (Nano Banana Pro is 21 credits), and read the result back from the image rather than trusting the prompt.
Anything a customer will encounter in reality. Products, food, your premises, real people. Photograph those.
Print without an upscale. Generate, then upscale to the printer's spec.
Feeding video
The strongest use of a cheap image model on a video canvas: get the composition right as a still, then animate it.
A Seedream 5 Lite still at 6 credits gives you control over framing, palette and subject that prompting straight to video does not. Then image-to-video on Wan 3.0 at 24 credits (5 seconds at 480p) keeps that composition. Thirty credits per shot, and the composition is one you actually approved.
Upscale the still before animating if it is soft, since that sharpening propagates into every frame and there is no video upscaler to fix it afterwards.
FAQ
How much does Seedream 5 cost? Seedream 5 Pro, the one the tool opens on, is 7 credits at 1K and 13 at 2K. Seedream 5 Lite is 6 at 2K or 3K. Seedream 4 is 5.
Should I use Seedream 5 or Nano Banana Pro? Test both on your brief. Seedream takes up to 14 references and costs 6 to 13; Nano Banana Pro is 21 (42 at 4K) and goes to 4K.
How many images should I generate? Twenty. On 5 Lite it costs $1.20, and it is the difference between a result and your first idea.
How long does a Seedream image take? On 8frame the median is 60 seconds on 5 Lite and 119 on 5 Pro.
Can I use it for print? Generate at 3K on 5 Lite, then upscale to your printer's spec. Topaz Image Upscale is 11 per started 24-megapixel block of output.
Sources
- Seedream 5 Pro, 5 Lite and 4 prices, resolutions, default, shapes and reference limit; other image, edit, upscale and Wan prices: 8frame tool registry cost functions, front tool registry and aspect-ratio configuration, origin/main, read 2026-10-01
- Median generation times (Seedream 5 Lite 60 s, 5 Pro 119 s; completed tasks, 120 days, template examples excluded): 8frame content fact sheet, measured 2026-09-30
Generate twenty, select hard, edit the keeper.
Try it without signing up: the 8frame canvas opens on a real board. The canvas is free and unlimited; generation is paid from $19/month.