Seedream 5.5 is the newest image model in the Seedream family and the most realistic one in Kolbo.AI so far. It renders crisp small text inside the image, creates from a prompt, edits or combines up to 4 images, splits an image into transparent layers, and exports PNG with a transparent background, at 1K or 2K in 8 aspect ratios.
This guide is for designers, marketers and creators who need images that look like photographs and carry real words: posters, packaging, signage, thumbnails and product shots. It walks through the three ways to use Seedream 5.5 in Kolbo.AI, the settings that matter, and how to write prompts that keep text readable.
Seedream 5.5 at a Glance
Seedream 5.5 arrives in Kolbo.AI as three models that share one engine:
| Seedream 5.5 (text to image) | Seedream 5.5 (image editing) | Seedream 5.5 Layers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Creates an image from a prompt | Edits or combines your images with a prompt | Splits one image into a base plus transparent layers |
| Input images | None required | Up to 4 | 1 |
| Output | New image | Edited or combined image | Base plus up to 7 transparent PNG layers |
| Resolution | 1K or 2K | 1K or 2K | 1K or 2K |
| Aspect ratios | 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 16:9, 9:16, 3:2, 2:3, 21:9 | Same 8 ratios | Follows the source image |
| Transparent background PNG | Yes | Yes | Every layer is transparent |
| Visual DNA | Yes, up to 4 | Yes, up to 4 | No |
| Prompt length | Up to 5,000 characters | Up to 5,000 characters | Optional, up to 500 characters |
| Credits (1K / 2K) | 6 / 9 | 14 / 17 | 43 / 70 per split |
Credit amounts come from the model catalog at launch. The app always shows the exact cost on the Generate button before you spend anything, and current plan pricing lives on the pricing facts page.
What Is New in Seedream 5.5
Realism. Skin, fabric, glass and light read as photographic. If you used Seedream 5.0 Pro, 5.5 is the next step in the same family, tuned for natural looking results.
Readable text inside the image. Small text is the classic failure point of image models: labels turn into squiggles, and a headline gains an extra letter. Seedream 5.5 is built to keep short headlines, labels and signage crisp, which makes it useful for mockups that need real copy.
Transparent PNG out of the box. Turn on the No background option and Seedream 5.5 returns a PNG with a real alpha channel. That means a logo, product cutout or sticker drops straight onto a website, slide or video edit with no background removal step.
Layers. Seedream 5.5 Layers takes one finished image and returns a base plus separate transparent layers on the full canvas, so every layer lines up exactly when you stack them again in Photoshop, Figma or a video editor.
How to Create an Image With Seedream 5.5
- Open Kolbo.AI and go to Image Tools, then Text to Image.
- Pick Seedream 5.5 in the model selector. It sits in the SeeDream group.
- Choose an aspect ratio. Use 9:16 for Stories and Reels covers, 16:9 for thumbnails and banners, 21:9 for wide cinematic frames, 1:1 or 4:3 for product grids.
- Choose 1K while you explore, then 2K for the version you will publish or print.
- Optional: switch on No background if you want a transparent PNG.
- Write your prompt, check the credit cost on the button, and generate.
Seedream 5.5 also works with Kolbo.AI's cinematic presets, so you can add a camera, lens or lighting look from the preset picker instead of describing it by hand. The camera angles and lens presets guide explains each option.
How to Edit or Combine up to 4 Images
The editing model takes up to 4 reference images plus a prompt. Typical uses:
- Change one thing. Swap the color of a jacket, replace a sky, or change the text on a sign while keeping the rest of the photo.
- Combine. Put the product from image 1 into the scene from image 2, in the lighting of image 3.
- Keep a character. Attach up to 4 Visual DNA characters or products and place them in a new scene.
Steps:
- In Text to Image, keep Seedream 5.5 selected and attach your images. With references attached, Kolbo.AI routes the request to the Seedream 5.5 editing model automatically.
- Refer to each image by its role in the prompt, for example: "Place the perfume bottle from the first image on the marble counter from the second image, soft window light from the left."
- Pick resolution and aspect ratio, and turn on No background if you need a cutout.
- Generate. The edit cost is a flat price per image whether you attach 1 or 4 references.
You can also open any image in the Kolbo.AI image editor and use point and edit tools with Seedream 5.5 as the editing model, which is handy for small fixes on a finished picture.
How to Split an Image Into Layers
Seedream 5.5 Layers is the tool for turning a flat image into editable parts.
- Open the image in the Image Tools editor and choose Layers (decompose into layers).
- Select Seedream 5.5 Layers as the model.
- Optional: add a short prompt, up to 500 characters, to guide the split, for example "separate the title text, the person and the background."
- Pick 1K or 2K and generate.
- Download the base and each transparent layer. Because every layer covers the full canvas, they line up pixel for pixel when you stack them.
Use it to animate parts of a poster separately, move a headline without repainting the background, or hand a designer a layered file instead of a single flat JPEG. For the background on the Layers feature itself, read Split an Image into Layers with AI.
Prompt Tips for Readable Text in Images
Seedream 5.5 handles text well, but the way you write the prompt still decides most of the result.
- Put the exact words in quotes. Write
a poster with the headline "SUMMER SALE"rather than "a poster about a summer sale." Quotes tell the model which characters must appear. - Keep it short. A headline of 1 to 5 words and a short subline are far more reliable than a paragraph. Add long copy later in a design tool.
- Say where the text goes. "Centered at the top," "on the label of the bottle," "on the shop sign above the door." Placement reduces stray text elsewhere in the frame.
- Describe the type. "Bold condensed sans serif," "white serif letters," "hand painted script." A clear style keeps letters consistent.
- Give it contrast. "Dark text on a light background" or "white text over a dark sky" keeps words legible at small sizes.
- Use 2K for small text. More pixels means more room for fine letterforms. Explore at 1K, finish at 2K.
- Check spelling, then iterate. If one letter slips, regenerate or use the editing model to fix only the text: attach the image and write "change the headline to exactly "SUMMER SALE", keep everything else."
Language note. Latin script text is the safe default. For Hebrew, Arabic and other non-Latin scripts, test first and read our guide on non-Latin text in AI images for model choices and the overlay approach.
Transparent PNG: When and How to Use It
Turn on No background when the image will sit on top of something else:
- Logos and brand marks for a website or slide deck
- Product cutouts for ecommerce listings and ads
- Stickers, emojis and character art for social posts
- Overlays and lower thirds for video edits
Tips: describe only the subject ("a matte black headphone, three quarter view, studio lighting") and avoid scene words like "on a table" or "in a room," which ask the model for a background you are about to remove. Transparent output works in both text to image and editing, at 1K and 2K.
Which Settings to Pick
| Goal | Model | Resolution | Ratio | No background |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social post with a headline | Seedream 5.5 | 2K | 4:3 or 1:1 | Off |
| Story or Reel cover | Seedream 5.5 | 2K | 9:16 | Off |
| YouTube thumbnail | Seedream 5.5 | 2K | 16:9 | Off |
| Logo or sticker | Seedream 5.5 | 1K or 2K | 1:1 | On |
| Product in a new scene | Seedream 5.5 editing | 2K | Match your channel | Off |
| Product cutout | Seedream 5.5 editing | 2K | 1:1 | On |
| Layered poster for animation | Seedream 5.5 Layers | 2K | Source | Not needed |
Seedream 5.5 Next to Other Image Models in Kolbo.AI
Kolbo.AI puts more than 100 models in one workspace, so Seedream 5.5 is one option among several. It is a strong pick when you want a realistic photo look, short readable text and transparent PNG in the same model. If you need animated GIF or SVG output, see GPT Image 2.6. Because every model sits in the same picker, you can run the same prompt on two models and keep the better result.
FAQ
What is Seedream 5.5?
Seedream 5.5 is the newest model in the Seedream image family. In Kolbo.AI it is available as text to image, image editing (up to 4 input images) and Layers, with 1K and 2K output, 8 aspect ratios and transparent PNG export.
Can Seedream 5.5 put readable text in images?
Yes. Readable small text is one of its main strengths. Put the exact words in quotes, keep them short, say where they go, and generate at 2K for the sharpest letters.
How many images can I combine with Seedream 5.5?
Up to 4 reference images in one edit. You can also use up to 4 Visual DNA characters or products to keep identities consistent.
Does Seedream 5.5 support transparent backgrounds?
Yes. Turn on No background and the result is a PNG with a real transparent background, in both text to image and editing.
How many credits does Seedream 5.5 cost?
At launch: 6 credits per image at 1K and 9 at 2K for text to image, 14 and 17 for editing, and 43 and 70 for a Layers split. The app shows the exact cost before you generate.
What aspect ratios and resolutions does Seedream 5.5 support?
Eight aspect ratios: 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 16:9, 9:16, 3:2, 2:3 and 21:9. Two resolutions: 1K and 2K.
How do I split an image into layers with Seedream 5.5?
Open the image in the Image Tools editor, choose Layers, select Seedream 5.5 Layers and generate. You get a base plus up to 7 transparent layers that line up on the full canvas.
Start Creating
Seedream 5.5 is live now. Open Seedream 5.5 in Kolbo.AI and try a poster with a real headline, a product cutout on a transparent background, or a layered image ready for animation.