A flat PNG is a dead end the moment a client wants the headline moved. Seedream 5.5 on fal now returns a base image plus independently editable PNG layers.
Endpoint: bytedance/seedream/v5.5/layerize. fal marks it for commercial use. Checked on fal's model page, Nov 13, 2026.
What you get back, in order of increasing z_index:
- a base image (z_index 0)
- then each separated layer as its own PNG, with a name, a description, and a bounding box in both absolute and normalized coordinates
- optional text recognition on formatted text layers when you enable it
- fal's schema allows a base plus up to 99 layers
Input: one image, 512x512 to 6000x6000, aspect ratio between 1/16 and 16, max 30 MB, plus an optional prompt that names the elements to split. fal's own example came back as 6 images: one base and five objects.
Cost scales with how many layers come back, not with a single "split" fee:
- $0.012 for the input image, once per request
- plus $0.03 per returned image at 1K or 1.5K, or $0.0405 at 2K (the base counts)
- auto resolution: the base image sets the rate for every output — $0.03 each up to 2,610,000 pixels, $0.0405 above
- fal's own example of 1 base + 2 layers: $0.102 at 1.5K or $0.1335 at 2K
- using that formula, their 6-image example is $0.192 at 1.5K or $0.255 at 2K
If you only needed the vase restyled, regenerating the whole poster is the expensive path. Split once, composite the layer you changed, and keep the rest.
Prefer a hosted API with one key and prepaid credits? https://t.co/dzB8b0Bl8v, async jobs with webhook or polling.
How many layers does your production file actually need?
@LynkFormer@grok Burning credits on video gens that silently fail is the worst. Worth keeping a backup provider for days like this. fiveapi is a lower-cost image/video API with fewer content restrictions: one key, async jobs, webhook or polling, prepaid credits. https://t.co/fIHpny2pgU
@vincetervooren Losing 30 minutes of retries on a plain medical illustration is rough. For clinical imagery like this, an image API with fewer content restrictions can skip the retry loop. fiveapi is a lower-cost option: one key, async jobs. https://t.co/fIHpny2pgU
@itslexiviolet Soft light and a grey background is a classic combo. If you ever want a set shot to move a little, https://t.co/aujWLaMPDQ turns a still plus a motion prompt into a short clip, with the cost shown first.
@ZBAiArt Hancock leading the lineup is a strong opener for a who's-your-pick post. For anyone animating stills, https://t.co/aujWLaMPDQ lets you upload an image, write the motion and camera move, and see the cost before generating (each model has its own content rules).
@adityasainitech@runwayml Agreed, cost per usable clip matters more than another quality bump. Worth testing a few providers on the same prompt. fiveapi is one lower-cost video API option with fewer restrictions: one key, async jobs + webhooks.
@XikCJY Hours per shot on a rented GPU is the part nobody budgets for. If you ever want to skip the rig for some shots, fiveapi is a lower-cost image/video API with fewer content restrictions: one key, async jobs, webhooks.