A practical playbook with generated examples, copy-ready prompt templates, and example-based editing patterns tailored to Seedream 5 Lite.
Based on techniques in the Replicate Seedream 5.0 prompting guide.
Seedream 5 Lite responds best to natural language with clear intent, visual constraints, and concrete references. The fastest quality gains usually come from three habits: writing prompts as complete sentences, explicitly preserving what should stay unchanged during edits, and quoting exact text when typography must render correctly.
Prompt formula: subject + setting + camera/light + style + constraints
Prefer full descriptive sentences over comma-separated keywords. Seedream 5 Lite preserves nuance better when your prompt reads like a concise creative brief.
Wrap text content in double quotes when you need exact rendering in posters, labels, UI mockups, or product packaging.
For edits, state what should not change (pose, framing, expression, identity, lighting). This reduces unexpected drift.
When asking for transformations or reasoning-heavy compositions, describe the order of operations and spatial relationships explicitly.
Natural language + photographic intent
A color film-inspired portrait of a young man looking to the side with shallow depth of field. Fine grain from high ISO film stock, natural skin texture, subtle halation, warm key light from camera left, documentary candid composition.
Use complete, camera-aware language instead of keyword lists.
Many details in one composition
A photorealistic cluttered office desk of a senior software engineer. An open laptop shows green-on-black terminal output. A ceramic mug reads "console.log('coffee')" in monospace text. Three sticky notes labeled "To Do", "In Progress", and "Done" in yellow, orange, and green. Mechanical keyboard, phone with chat notification, tiny skull-shaped concrete planter. Golden hour light from right.
When prompts are dense, keep each constraint concrete and specific.
Sequential mechanical relationships
A Rube Goldberg machine drawn as a patent-style cross-hatching illustration: a marble rolls down a ramp, hits dominoes, the final domino pulls a string, the string tips a watering can, water fills a cup on a balance scale, the scale pulls a lever, and a brass bell rings. Physically correct shadows, drafting table with grid paper visible.
Describe cause-and-effect order explicitly for chained actions.
Use double quotes around exact text
A typographic poster for a fictional jazz festival. Large title text: "BLUE NOTE SESSIONS" in bold navy condensed sans-serif. Subtitle in script: "Summer 2026 - Central Park, New York". Performer lines: "Miles Ahead Quintet / Saturday 8PM", "Sarah Chen Trio / Saturday 10PM", "The Monk Revival / Sunday 7PM", "Coltrane Legacy Orchestra / Sunday 9PM". Gradient midnight-blue to amber background and a gold saxophone silhouette on the right edge.
Wrap critical labels in quotes and keep typography instructions explicit.
Show the transformation, then transfer it
Provide Image 1 (before), Image 2 (after), and Image 3 (new subject). Then ask Seedream to apply the same transformation from 1→2 onto 3.
Plain mug input
Mug with kintsugi cracks
Plain vase input
Same transformation applied to vase
Use for portraits, editorial, or product scenes.
Use when many exact elements must appear.
Use with image input editing workflows.