Seedream 5 Image-to-Image Guide

Image-to-image generation is most useful when a text prompt alone cannot describe what must stay consistent. A reference can carry product shape, character identity, composition, color, or visual style while your prompt defines the change.

The key is to separate preservation instructions from transformation instructions.

Choose a reference that reduces ambiguity

A good reference image has:

• A clear primary subject
• Enough resolution to show important details
• Minimal compression artifacts
• Lighting that does not hide the subject shape
• A crop that includes everything you want to preserve

Avoid screenshots with interface overlays, watermarks across the subject, collages with conflicting styles, or a tiny subject surrounded by empty space. Crop the source before uploading when the surrounding scene is irrelevant.

Write prompts in two parts

Start by naming what must remain unchanged. Then describe the new result.

Preserve the bottle silhouette, cap, label proportions, and camera angle. Replace the white studio background with dark green stone, add soft side lighting, and keep open space on the left for product copy.

This structure is easier to debug than a single paragraph of mixed instructions.

Use concrete preservation language:

• Keep the same facial features and hairstyle.
• Preserve the product proportions and label placement.
• Keep the camera angle and subject position.
• Maintain the palette but change the lighting direction.

Then state the transformation:

• Replace the environment.
• Change wardrobe or material.
• Extend the frame to another aspect ratio.
• Produce a seasonal or campaign variation.

Match the reference to the task

Task	Best reference
Product campaign variant	Clean product photograph with readable shape and label
Character consistency	Front or three-quarter portrait with an unobstructed face
Style transfer	Representative image with clear texture, color, and lighting choices
Composition change	Source with the subject fully visible and room to reposition it
E-commerce background	Evenly lit product on a simple background

One strong reference is often easier to control than several contradictory images. Add more references only when each one has a clear role.

A repeatable editing workflow

1. Upload the cleanest reference.
2. Write the preservation sentence.
3. Add one primary transformation.
4. Choose the final aspect ratio before generation.
5. Review identity, geometry, text, edges, and background separately.
6. Revise only the failed dimension.

For example, if the composition is correct but the product label changes, do not rewrite the whole prompt. Strengthen the label preservation instruction and retry.

Review the result systematically

Zoom in before accepting an image. Check:

• Identity: Do the subject’s defining features remain recognizable?
• Geometry: Are hands, product edges, and repeated elements structurally correct?
• Text: Is required text readable and unchanged?
• Lighting: Do highlights and shadows agree with the new environment?
• Edges: Are hair, transparent materials, and product outlines clean?
• Composition: Is there enough safe space for the intended crop or overlay?

An image can look convincing at thumbnail size while failing on the details that matter in production.

Common failure modes

The reference is ignored

Put preservation instructions first and remove style words that compete with the source. Make the requested change narrower.

The output copies too much

State the transformation more explicitly. Name the exact environment, lighting, material, or composition that must change.

Identity drifts across versions

Use the same clean reference and keep the preservation sentence unchanged. Change one creative variable at a time.

Text becomes distorted

Request preservation of label layout and wording, but plan to verify or typeset business-critical text after generation. Do not rely on visual plausibility alone.

Use image-to-image through the API

The API accepts reference URLs in imageUrls. Those URLs must be reachable over HTTPS by the generation service; local browser object URLs will not work.

{
  "prompt": "Preserve the subject and camera angle. Change the background to a quiet winter street with soft overcast light.",
  "aspectRatio": "4:3",
  "quality": "high",
  "imageUrls": ["https://cdn.example.com/reference.jpg"]
}

See the Seedream 5 API guide for authentication, task polling, and error handling. To work interactively, open the Seedream 5 AI Image Generator and start with one controlled edit.