ByteDance Launches Seedream 4.0

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has rolled out its most advanced artificial intelligence image generator yet—Seedream 4.0.

The release is widely seen as ByteDance’s direct challenge to Google DeepMind’s trending Gemini 2.5 Flash Image model, also known by its nickname “Nano Banana.”

What Is Seedream 4.0?

• Seedream 4.0 is designed as an all-in-one creative tool.
• It can both generate new images from scratch and edit existing ones, all within a single system.
• That makes it different from many older AI models, which focused on only one of those tasks.
• Users can create stunning, high-resolution images with a quick prompt, upload reference photos to keep details consistent, and even edit photos just by typing what changes they want.

What Makes Seedream 4.0 Different?

Unlike earlier AI models that focused either on text-to-image generation or image editing, Seedream 4.0 combines multiple features into a single, seamless system.

Key differentiators include:

• Integrated capabilities: A unified tool for generating, editing, and maintaining style consistency across images.
• Professional focus: Built for agencies, studios, and marketing teams managing complex creative projects.
• High reliability: Uses a mixture-of-experts (MoE) architecture, ensuring stable performance even under heavy workloads.

By combining cutting-edge speed with creative control, Seedream 4.0 offers practical utility for professionals while staying simple enough for casual users.

Key Features and Capabilities

Here’s what makes Seedream 4.0 stand out:

Ultra-Fast Speed: Generates 2K-resolution images in less than two seconds, making it one of the fastest image AIs available.

High-Quality Output: Produces sharp, detailed images that maintain style and identity across a series of pictures.

Users can upload up to six reference images to keep characters or objects consistent.

Text-Based Editing: Users can make edits just by describing them.

For example: “change the shirt to red,” “replace the background with a beach,” or “apply watercolor style.” Multiple images can also be batch-edited.

Multimodal Options: Supports both text prompts and reference images.

It can generate group images with a consistent look, useful for e-commerce product photos, ad campaigns, or creative brainstorming.

Google’s Nano Banana Vs. Seedream 4.0

The timing and design of Seedream 4.0 make it clear that ByteDance is targeting Google’s Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, known as Nano Banana, which has been gaining traction in the image AI space.

ByteDance claims Seedream 4.0 beats Google’s model in several ways:

• Prompt Accuracy: Better at following user instructions exactly.
• Aesthetic Quality: Produces images that are sharper and more visually appealing.
• Speed: Creates images in about 1.8 seconds, faster than most rivals.

ByteDance says these advantages are backed by its internal testing, called MagicBench, though independent reviews are still awaited.

Who Should Use Seedream 4.0?

Seedream 4.0 is designed for a wide audience, but especially valuable for:

• Designers and illustrators needing ultra-sharp, consistent outputs.
• Marketing agencies managing brand identity across campaigns.
• Animators and storytellers who need continuity across characters and scenes.
• Businesses producing visuals at scale for ads, catalogs, or online shops.
• At the same time, its user-friendly design means anyone—from casual creators to small businesses—can use it without a steep learning curve.

Availability and Price

Seedream 4.0 is available across multiple ByteDance platforms:

• Consumer Apps: Integrated into Jimeng and Doubao, popular apps in China.
• Enterprise Services: Offered through Volcano Engine, ByteDance’s cloud platform, allowing companies to use it for marketing, product photography, or content workflows.This means both everyday users and large organizations can access Seedream 4.0, depending on their needs.
• Cost: At $30 per 1,000 generations (or about $0.03 per image), Seedream 4.0 undercuts Google’s Nano Banana, which costs around $0.039 per image.

News Gist

ByteDance has launched Seedream 4.0, a next-gen AI image generator rivaling Google’s Nano Banana.

With 2K image creation in under two seconds, text-based editing, multi-reference inputs, and professional-grade reliability, it’s built for agencies, studios, and businesses at scale.

FAQs

Q1. What is Seedream 4.0?

Seedream 4.0 is ByteDance’s latest AI image generator, designed for professionals with integrated creation, editing, and consistency tools.

Q2. How fast is Seedream 4.0?

It can generate 2K-resolution images in under two seconds, making it one of the fastest AI image tools available.

Q3. What makes Seedream 4.0 different from others?

It combines text-to-image, editing, and multi-reference inputs with a reliable MoE architecture in a single platform.

Q4. Who should use Seedream 4.0?

Designers, marketing agencies, animators, and businesses that need consistent, high-quality visuals at scale.

Q5. How does Seedream 4.0 compare with Google’s Nano Banana?

It’s faster, cheaper ($30 per 1,000 generations), and offers stronger prompt adherence and aesthetic results, according to ByteDance.

Q6. Where is Seedream 4.0 available?

Through Jimeng and Doubao apps for consumers, and via Volcano Engine cloud services for enterprises.