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Seedream 4.0 ByteDance Seedream 4.5 ByteDance

Settled by community votes across 13 shared challenges, with an AI judge weighing in on each.

Seedream 4.0

24.6 arena score

#16 of 44 in Text-to-Image

Skill signature

Not enough comparable category data

The chart appears once both models have ratings across at least three shared arena categories.

Seedream 4.5

26.1 arena score

#10 of 44 in Text-to-Image

Vote tally

Where the votes landed

Seedream 4.0

15.6%

win rate

Ties

6.3%

Seedream 4.5

78.1%

win rate

15.6% 6.3% ties 78.1%
Shared challenges 13

Challenge by challenge

The strongest take from each model on every shared challenge, with the AI judge's read.

Geometric Composition

Text-to-Image

“A glass cube on a wooden table. Inside the cube is a small blue sphere. On top of the cube sits a red book. A green plant is behind the cube, partially visible through the glass. Soft window light from the left.”

Seedream 4.0
Seedream 4.5
0% wins 0% ties 100% wins

AI Judge Analysis

Seedream 4.0

  • + Perfect adherence to the glass cube geometry.
  • + Realistic rendering of reflections and refractions through the glass surfaces.
  • + Excellent lighting that clearly comes from the left as requested.

Seedream 4.5

  • + High resolution and realistic book texture.
  • + Good lighting and shadows on the wooden table surface.
  • The 'cube' has broken geometry with a missing front corner/edge.
  • The blue sphere is merged with the glass wall rather than sitting inside it.
  • The glass object lacks a clear top surface for the book to rest on.

Verdict: Seedream 4.0 followed all spatial instructions perfectly, creating a coherent glass cube with the sphere centered inside and the plant visible behind. Seedream 4.5 failed significantly on the geometry of the cube, resulting in a distorted glass shape where the blue sphere appears to be fused with the outer glass edge.

Man and Car in California

Editing
Edit instruction

“Make a photo of the man driving the car down the California coastline”

Source
Seedream 4.0
Seedream 4.5
0% wins 17% ties 83% wins

AI Judge Analysis

Seedream 4.0

  • + Excellent preservation of the source car's model and color
  • + Successfully places the man inside the vehicle while maintaining his identity and clothing
  • + Dynamic and picturesque composition of the California coastline
  • The man appears slightly small in scale relative to the car interior

Seedream 4.5

  • + High level of detail in the subject's clothing and accessories
  • + Good preservation of the subject's face and hairstyle
  • The car door is inexplicably open while the car is in motion
  • The car model is significantly altered and no longer resembles the Rolls-Royce in the source image

Verdict: Seedream 4.0 followed the instructions perfectly, placing the correct man in the correct car on a beautiful coastline while maintaining a realistic driving pose. While Seedream 4.5 captures the man's details well, it fails the edit by changing the car model and rendering the car door open while driving, which creates a nonsensical image.

Candid Street Photography

Text-to-Image

“A candid street photo of an elderly Japanese man repairing a red bicycle in light rain, reflections on wet pavement, shallow depth of field, 50mm lens, natural skin texture, imperfect framing, motion blur from passing cars, cinematic but realistic, no stylization.”

Seedream 4.0
Seedream 4.5
0% wins 100% ties 0% wins

AI Judge Analysis

Seedream 4.0

  • + Excellent adherence to the 'imperfect framing' and 'candid' request with a natural-looking side-on perspective.
  • + Highly realistic tools and bicycle mechanical details.
  • + Subtle and believable motion blur on the passing vehicle.
  • The reflections on the pavement are slightly less pronounced than requested.
  • The man's face is looking down, losing some of the 'natural skin texture' detail.

Seedream 4.5

  • + Superior rendering of rain streaks and wet pavement reflections.
  • + Beautiful cinematic lighting and bokeh from the vehicle headlights.
  • + Highly detailed facial texture and skin realism.
  • The bicycle chain and wrench interaction is physically impossible (wrench is floating/clipping through the chain).
  • The 'candid' feel is slightly lost as the subject appears to be posing for the camera.

Verdict: Seedream 4.0 captures a much more authentic 'candid street photo' feel with higher mechanical accuracy in the bicycle's design and tools. While Seedream 4.5 offers more striking cinematic lighting and impressive textures on the man's face, it fails on basic physics with the tool usage and feels more like a staged portrait than a candid shot.

Modern Clean Menu

Text-to-Image

“Modern minimalist restaurant menu design, white background with colorful food photos in grid, sections for appetizers/pizza/mains, bold sans-serif fonts, vibrant accents, clean professional layout for casual dining.”

Seedream 4.0
Seedream 4.5
0% wins 0% ties 100% wins

AI Judge Analysis

Seedream 4.0

  • + Successfully renders large, bold headers with correct spelling.
  • + High-quality, realistic food photography.
  • + Follows the request for a grid-style layout for the photos.
  • Missing the actual menu items and prices, appearing more like a mood board than a menu design.
  • Layout is a bit disjointed with large white gaps and overlapping text elements.

Seedream 4.5

  • + Excellent structure that actually resembles a functional restaurant menu.
  • + Includes price points and menu items alongside the category headers.
  • + Uses vibrant colored borders to distinguish sections as requested.
  • Smaller secondary text contains several typos (e.g., 'Appetizters', 'Festaurant').
  • Layout is linear/stacked rather than a true 'grid' as requested.

Verdict: While Seedream 4.0 produces high-quality photography and perfectly spelled headers, it fails to deliver a functional menu design, instead creating a collage of images and words. Seedream 4.5 creates a much more professional and realistic menu layout with distinct sections, prices, and vibrant accents, making it the superior choice for a design task despite some minor typos in the small text.

The Halloween Invitation

Text-to-Image

“Vintage gothic Halloween party invitation. Dark parchment poster, spooky border with webs and thorns, central glowing jack-o-lantern, bats, twisted trees, moody night sky. Add elegant gothic title text saying "Halloween Party Invitation", a small scroll banner saying "You are invited to a night of frights", and event details at the bottom: Date: 30.10.2026 Time: 7pm Location: The Arches, NYC Spooky but polished, cinematic lighting, square format.”

Seedream 4.0
Seedream 4.5

AI Judge Analysis

Seedream 4.0

  • + Atmospheric cinematic lighting with a strong glow from the pumpkin.
  • + Includes a complex and visually interesting thorn and cobweb border.
  • + The textured, weathered appearance of the parchment background feels very authentic to the vintage theme.
  • Text on the small scroll banner is poorly rendered and difficult to read.
  • Composition is a bit cluttered, especially in the bottom text area.

Seedream 4.5

  • + Excellent typography with clean, legible text on both the title and the scroll banner.
  • + Clear and organized layout for the event details at the bottom.
  • + Good contrast between the dark blue sky and the warm pumpkin glow.
  • The 'thorns' in the border look more like modern barbed wire than natural gothic thorns.
  • Slightly less 'cinematic' and gritty than Model A, appearing more like a clean digital graphic.

Verdict: Both models followed the prompt well, but Seedream 4.5 is the superior choice for an invitation because it successfully rendered all the text, including the secondary scroll banner, with high legibility. Seedream 4.0 has a more immersive gothic atmosphere and texture, but is let down by the garbled text on the banner and a more cramped composition.

Bald man challenge

Image Editing
Edit instruction

“Give the person a full, thick head of natural hair with realistic texture, density, and a natural hairline. Preserve facial features and lighting.”

Before After
Seedream 4.0
Before After
Seedream 4.5
0% wins 0% ties 100% wins

AI Judge Analysis

Seedream 4.0

  • + Successfully added a very full and thick head of hair
  • + Maintains the exact background and clothing from the source image
  • + Matches the dark hair color to the beard
  • The hairline and volume look somewhat unnatural and 'wig-like'
  • The hair texture is slightly fuzzy/blurry compared to the sharp beard texture

Seedream 4.5

  • + Creates a much more realistic and believable hairline
  • + Texture of the hair perfectly matches the coarse, realistic texture of the beard
  • + Preserves facial features and lighting with high fidelity
  • The hair is slightly less 'full' than Model A, though more realistic

Verdict: Both models successfully added hair while preserving the identity and environment of the source image. Seedream 4.5 is the clear winner as it provides a much more natural hairline and realistic hair texture that blends seamlessly with the existing beard, whereas Seedream 4.0's edit looks more like a superimposed wig with a suspicious rectangular hairline.

Isometric Miniature Diorama Scenes

Text-to-Image

“Create a clear, 45° top-down isometric miniature 3D cartoon scene of Japan's signature dish: sushi, with soft refined textures, realistic PBR materials, gentle lighting, on a small raised diorama base with minimal garnish and plate. Solid light blue background. At top-center: 'JAPAN' in large bold text, 'SUSHI' below it, small flag icon. Perfectly centered, ultra-clean, high-clarity, square format.”

Seedream 4.0
Seedream 4.5
0% wins 0% ties 100% wins

AI Judge Analysis

Seedream 4.0

  • + Clean, crisp text rendering for both 'JAPAN' and 'SUSHI'.
  • + Excellent miniature aesthetic with vibrant, appealing colors.
  • + Very high detail on the sushi textures, particularly the grain of the fish and the rice.
  • The raised diorama base is very thin, almost looking like just a tray.
  • The flag icon is slightly simple compared to the other graphics.

Seedream 4.5

  • + Accurately interprets the 'raised diorama base' as a thick, blocky platform.
  • + Good use of depth of field and realistic lighting on the 3D objects.
  • + Includes a literal flag icon with a flagpole, adding to the miniature feel.
  • The 'JAPAN' text has a slight artifact/glitch on the letter 'N'.
  • Overall composition feels a bit less polished than Model A.
  • The diorama base texture is somewhat grainy and less 'refined' than requested.

Verdict: Both models followed the prompt closely, but Seedream 4.0 produced a much cleaner and more professional-looking graphic with perfect text rendering. While Seedream 4.5 captured the 'raised diorama' concept more literally, it suffered from a minor text artifact and a grainier texture on the base, making Seedream 4.0 the preferred choice for visual clarity.

Over-the-top cartoon caricature

Editing
Edit instruction

“Create a caricature of me and my job. Make it exaggerated and humorous, incorporating my profession as a tv show anchor and my love for dogs and hockey.”

Source
Seedream 4.0
Seedream 4.5
40% wins 0% ties 60% wins

AI Judge Analysis

Seedream 4.0

  • + Successfully incorporates all elements: news desk, microphone, dog, hockey stick, and jersey.
  • + Captures the 'caricature' style well with an exaggerated wide-mouth expression and bobblehead proportions.
  • + Maintains a strong resemblance to the source subject's facial features despite the exaggeration.
  • Small anatomical errors such as the hand holding the phone having an extra/distorted finger.
  • The background becomes slightly more cluttered compared to the clean original.

Seedream 4.5

  • + High visual clarity and very clean rendering of the anchor desk and hockey equipment.
  • + Professional lighting and composition that feels like a polished 3D animation style.
  • + Excellent preservation of the subject's face while applying the caricature proportions.
  • Less 'humorous' and 'exaggerated' in its expression compared to Model A, opting for a standard smile.
  • The placement of the dog on the desk feels a bit static and less integrated into the scene's story.

Verdict: Both models did an excellent job of following complex instructions and transforming the source image into a caricature. Seedream 4.0 (Model A) leans more into the 'humorous and exaggerated' request with a funny facial expression and the inclusion of a selfie-taking pose. Seedream 4.5 (Model B) has superior technical polish and cleaner rendering of objects like the hockey gloves and microphone, but is slightly more conservative in its interpretation of 'exaggerated'.

Adorable Baby Animals in Sunny Meadow

Text-to-Image

“Hyper-photorealistic scene of fluffy baby animals—a golden retriever puppy, tabby kitten, baby bunny, and red fox kit—with big expressive eyes and ultra-detailed soft fur, playfully chasing butterflies and tumbling together in a lush wildflower meadow, warm golden sunrise light with god rays and dew sparkles, joyful wholesome vibe, 8K masterpiece.”

Seedream 4.0
Seedream 4.5
0% wins 0% ties 100% wins

AI judge analysis unavailable for this challenge.

Studio Ghibli Anime Style

Editing
Edit instruction

“Transform this photo into a Studio Ghibli–inspired illustration. Use soft pastel colors, hand-painted textures, gentle lighting, dreamy backgrounds, and a warm, nostalgic mood”

Source
Seedream 4.0
Seedream 4.5
33% wins 0% ties 67% wins

AI judge analysis unavailable for this challenge.

Golden Hour Stroll

Image Editing
Edit instruction

“Add dynamic motion to this photo: make hair blow in the wind, add leaves flying, energetic and lively feel.”

Before After
Seedream 4.0
Before After
Seedream 4.5
0% wins 0% ties 100% wins

AI Judge Analysis

Seedream 4.0

  • + Successfully added blowing hair and falling leaves.
  • + Excellent source preservation, maintaining the exact pose and features of the subject.
  • The falling leaves appear a bit flat and lack motion blur.
  • The overall 'energetic feel' is subtler compared to Model B.

Seedream 4.5

  • + Superior dynamic feel with motion blur on leaves and a wider, more active stance.
  • + Hair motion is very well-executed and feels natural to the wind direction.
  • + Maintains very high visual quality and likeness to the original subject.
  • Slightly altered the subject's pose (arms are wider) compared to the source image.
  • Small artifacting where the leash meets the dog's collar.

Verdict: Seedream 4.5 is the winner as it better captures the requested 'energetic and lively feel' by adding motion blur to the leaves and adjusting the subject's posture to look more active. While Seedream 4.0 does a perfect job of preserving the original pose, its addition of motion feels more like a static overlay than a part of the scene.

Vintage Cafe Logo

Text-to-Image

“Vintage minimalist restaurant logo for "Caffè Florian", retro cloche dome with steam and "Est. 1720" banner, classic typography, warm brown and cream tones, subtle texture on light background, vector emblem style.”

Seedream 4.0
Seedream 4.5
50% wins 0% ties 50% wins

AI Judge Analysis

Seedream 4.0

  • + Perfect text rendering for both the name and the date banner.
  • + Excellent use of texture on the background and within the logo elements.
  • + Warm, cohesive color palette that matches the 'vintage restaurant' prompt.
  • The steam lines are slightly asymmetrical.
  • A bit more 'illustrated' than 'vector minimalist' but still very close.

Seedream 4.5

  • + Closer to a clean 'vector' style with sharper lines.
  • + Accurate text rendering and layout.
  • + Well-defined highlights on the cloche dome.
  • The accent mark on 'Caffè' is oriented incorrectly (grave vs acute).
  • The 'Est. 1720' text is slightly off-center within the banner.
  • The background texture is much more subtle, making it feel slightly flatter.

Verdict: Both models followed the prompt exceptionally well, producing high-quality logos. Seedream 4.0 is preferred as it correctly oriented the accent mark in 'Caffè' and provided a more authentic vintage texture, whereas Seedream 4.5 had a minor typographical error and slightly less balanced text placement.

Apollo 11: Journey to Tranquility

Text-to-Image

“Create a clean, modern vector infographic poster about the Apollo 11 mission. NASA-inspired palette (navy, white, muted red, light gray). Flat-vector style, crisp lines, consistent iconography, subtle gradients only. Steps (stop at landing): 1. Launch (Saturn Vicon) 2. Earth Orbit (Earth + orbit ring icon) 3. Translunar (trajectory arc icon) 4. Lunar Orbit (Moon + orbit ring icon) 5. Descent (lunar module descending icon) 6. Landing (lunar module on the surface icon) Small supporting elements (minimal text): • Crew strip: three silhouette icons with only last names: Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins. • Landing site marker: Moon pin labeled "Tranquility" only. Layout constraints: generous margins, large readable labels, clean background with subtle stars. Vector-only, print-poster look, high resolution.”

Seedream 4.0
Seedream 4.5
100% wins 0% ties 0% wins

AI Judge Analysis

Seedream 4.0

  • + Successfully renders all 6 requested steps with numbers.
  • + Legible main titles and astronaut names.
  • + Good inclusion of 'Tranquility' as the landing site.
  • Icons for steps 5 and 6 are fused into one large illustration, ruining the step-by-step layout.
  • Inconsistent vector style with some messy lines and overlapping numbers.
  • Text alignment and spacing is cluttered.

Seedream 4.5

  • + Excellent clean, modern vector aesthetic that perfectly matches the 'flat-vector' request.
  • + Logical layout with clear vertical guide lines for all 6 steps.
  • + Superior color palette application and professional font choice.
  • Step 5 uses a generic satellite icon instead of a descending lunar module.
  • Spelling error in 'Tranquility' (missing an 'l').

Verdict: Seedream 4.5 captures the requested 'modern vector infographic' style far better than Seedream 4.0, which looks a bit like a rough sketch. While Seedream 4.0 followed the specific icon instructions for the final steps more literally, Seedream 4.5 produced a much more professional, balanced, and visually appealing layout that feels like a real NASA-inspired poster.

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