Seedance 2: Text & Image to Video Online
Bottom line
ByteDance's 4K-capable Seedance tier: 4-15s clips, six aspect ratios including 21:9, up to 4K. Start from a prompt or a still image in the Image to Video tool; VdoBloom shows the exact credit cost before each Seedance 2 run, with no separate Seedance account.
Seedance 2 is the flagship of ByteDance's Seedance 2 line on VdoBloom and the only model in the family that reaches 4K. Duration runs from 4 to 15 seconds in one-second steps, resolution spans four tiers — 480p, 720p, 1080p, and 4K — and framing covers six aspect ratios, including the 21:9 cinema-wide format most video models don't offer at all. It generates from a text prompt or a starting image, and at 480p/720p/1080p those two input modes are priced identically.
Where it gets more interesting is reference-video mode: attach an actual video clip (not just a still) as a motion reference, and 4K generations switch to a cheaper per-second rate — 480p/720p/1080p stay price-neutral either way. That lower 4K rate is billed on input-plus-output duration, the same mechanic used across the whole Seedance 2 family (see the Seedance 2.5 page for the full breakdown, since the math is identical).
Audio generates by default at no extra cost. VdoBloom shows your exact credit price before you confirm a generation, and a failed job is refunded automatically rather than silently spending your balance.
What Seedance 2 costs on VdoBloom
Per-second rates (no reference video): 480p ≈ 7.75 cr/s, 720p ≈ 16.5 cr/s, 1080p ≈ 40.8 cr/s, 4K ≈ 83.2 cr/s. Worked examples: a 4-second 480p draft is 31 credits; a 5-second 720p clip is 82 credits; a 10-second 1080p clip is 408 credits; a 15-second 4K hero shot is 1,248 credits. Reference-video mode only changes the price at 4K (to about 51 credits/second), and even then you're billed for the reference clip's length plus your output, capped at 15 input seconds — for example a 4-second 4K output with a 10-second reference video runs about 718 credits versus 333 without one.
Seedance 2 vs Seedance 2.5 vs Kling 3.0
Seedance 2's edge is 4K and a 21:9 frame; Seedance 2.5's edge is a 30-second ceiling and a broader reference-video discount. Kling 3.0 (a separate model family on VdoBloom) undercuts both on raw per-second price at comparable resolutions but applies stricter content filtering and stops at 15 seconds. None of these differences are about output quality — VdoBloom doesn't rank models on subjective quality — they're spec and price tradeoffs worth matching to what a project actually needs.
Common problems and how to avoid them
The complaint that shows up most in Seedance discussion is generations feeling expensive relative to output. On VdoBloom specifically, the two levers that actually move the bill are resolution and, if you use it, reference-video length — a 480p draft costs roughly a tenth of the same clip at 4K, and skipping reference-video mode when you only need to animate a still photo avoids the input-duration surcharge entirely, since plain image-to-video is priced the same as text-to-video. If a generation fails outright, VdoBloom refunds the credits automatically rather than requiring a support ticket.
What creators use Seedance 2 for
- 4K hero shots and trailer beats for landing pages, in 21:9 cinema-wide or standard 16:9.
- Cutting an insert to an exact length — 7 seconds instead of trimming a 10-second render — thanks to one-second duration control.
- Animating one campaign key visual into matching 16:9 and 9:16 cuts from the same starting image.
- Drafting at 480p across several prompt variations before spending credits on a 4K final.
How to use Seedance 2 on VdoBloom
- 1Open the Image to Video tool and select Seedance 2 from the model picker.
- 2Write your prompt — or upload a starting image for image-to-video.
- 3Choose your duration (4–15s), quality (480p/720p/1080p/4k), aspect ratio, review the credit cost, and generate.
Frequently asked questions
Can Seedance 2 actually generate 4K video?
Yes — 4K is the top of its four resolution tiers (480p, 720p, 1080p, 4K). It's the only model in the Seedance 2 family that reaches 4K; Seedance 2.5, Fast, and Mini all cap lower. A 4-second 4K clip with no reference video costs 333 credits.
What does Seedance 2 cost per second?
Without a reference video: roughly 7.75 credits/second at 480p, 16.5 at 720p, 40.8 at 1080p, and 83.2 at 4K. A 5-second 720p clip is 82 credits; a 15-second 720p clip is 244 credits. The exact price for your duration and resolution is shown before you generate.
Is Seedance 2 free or does it have a free trial?
New VdoBloom accounts start with 10 free credits, which covers roughly one 4-second 480p test clip (31 credits) but not much more. There's no separate free-trial program beyond that starting balance — after it's spent, generation draws from purchased credits.
Does attaching a reference video make Seedance 2 cheaper or more expensive?
It depends on resolution. At 480p, 720p, and 1080p, VdoBloom's price table charges the exact same rate whether you use a plain starting image or a reference video — KIE (the provider) doesn't discount those tiers. Only 4K gets a real reference-video discount (about 51 credits/second instead of 83.2), and even then you're billed for the reference clip's length plus your output length, capped at 15 input seconds. If you're not generating at 4K, there's no financial reason to use reference-video mode over a plain starting image.
How censored is Seedance 2?
VdoBloom rates it MODERATE — a step stricter than the HOT label carried by the older Seedance 1.5 Pro and V1 models in the same family. Routine commercial and creative prompts pass normally; explicit material is refused. If a concept keeps getting declined, Seedance 1.5 Pro's more permissive filtering is the fallback within the same family.
What's the maximum clip length?
15 seconds, selectable in one-second steps from 4. For longer single takes, Seedance 2.5 goes up to 30 seconds but trades away the 4K tier.
Seedance 2 vs Seedance 2.5 — which should I use?
Use Seedance 2 if 4K matters — 2.5 doesn't offer it. Use 2.5 if you need more than 15 seconds in one take, or plan to lean on reference-video mode, since 2.5's version of that discount applies across all resolutions rather than only 4K.
Seedance 2 vs Kling 3.0 — how do they compare on VdoBloom?
Both are per-second-priced, but Kling 3.0's standard tier runs about 5.6 credits/second (8.0 with sound) and its 4K tier about 26.8 credits/second — cheaper per second than Seedance 2 at every matching resolution, though Kling caps at 15 seconds like Seedance 2 and applies VdoBloom's stricter STRICT content label versus Seedance 2's MODERATE. If cost per second and filtering flexibility matter more than ByteDance's specific look, Kling 3.0 is the lower-priced comparison; if you want ByteDance's Seedance rendering at 4K with 21:9 framing, stay on Seedance 2.
Is Seedance 2 open source?
No — it's a proprietary ByteDance model, available through VdoBloom's hosted dashboard rather than as downloadable weights.
Does Seedance 2 include audio?
Yes, by default, and it doesn't change the credit price — the cost shown before you generate already accounts for it.