Seedance 2.5 Edit Video: Change What's in Your Clip

Last verified: October 29, 2026

Seedance 2.5 can edit both the picture and the sound of a clip with timestamp-level control, so you can aim a change at one stretch of the footage. To use it, upload the footage in Video, write in Prompt what should change and in which seconds, and leave Generate Audio on if you want the edited clip back with sound.

ByteDance built the model's editing for film and advertising work. In that work a fix only counts if everything around it survives, so continuity and realism are kept on both sides of the change. That changes how you plan a job: you can keep the take you have and fix only the part that's wrong.

The Vidofy form follows that workflow. Your footage is the master. Reference images are there when a new element needs an exact look. The prompt describes both the change and when it happens. After that, you only have two choices to make before you run it: the resolution and whether to generate sound.

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About Seedance 2.5 Use in First To Last Frame Use in Extend Video Kling 4.0 Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash
Capability Snapshot

Editing Inputs and Output at a Glance

What the form takes in and what each run gives you back.

Input

Video (MP4 or MOV, up to 50 MB) + up to 9 images (JPG, JPEG, PNG or WEBP, up to 10 MB each) (optional) + a text prompt of up to 5,000 characters

Resolution

480p, 720p or 1080p

Audio

Switch on or off, on by default

Output

1 video per run

Techniques for Cleaner Seedance 2.5 Edits

Time-Code the Change in Your Prompt

Seedance 2.5 supports content editing by timestamp, so give each change its own second range instead of describing the whole clip at once. ByteDance's green-screen example works this way: it splits one clip into timed segments, gives each its own setting and action, and ends with one line on the overall look. Write your prompt the same way. Use one line per time range with the change for that range, then a closing line that says everything outside those ranges should stay as it is in the source.

Decide the Soundtrack Before You Run

Seedance 2.5 can deliver a video with audio or a silent one, and its timestamp-level editing covers audio as well as picture. Generate Audio is on by default. That suits edits that change the scene's world, because a new location usually calls for new ambience. Switch it off when the clip is going onto a timeline where you will add your own music and mix, so you don't have to cut around sound you never wanted.

How do I edit an existing video with Seedance 2.5?

Six steps take a clip from upload to a downloaded edit.

Edit Your Clip or Generate a New One

When it makes more sense to edit footage you have than to start over from a prompt or references.

What you start from You start from footage you already have, and the run changes what is in it instead of inventing a new shot. Text To Video starts from a written prompt with no footage, since Seedance 2.5 also generates new videos from scratch. Pick editing when you have a usable take and only part of it is wrong, and pick Text To Video when there is no footage worth keeping.
What happens to the original shot Changes stay in the part of the clip you name, with continuity and realism kept before and after the edit. Reference To Video makes one new target video from your reference material and an optional prompt, so the output is a fresh shot shaped by that material. Choose editing when the original camera work and performance have to survive, and choose Reference To Video when the shot itself still needs to be made.
Edit when the footage is right and one element is wrong. Start in Text To Video or Reference To Video when you don't have a shot worth keeping yet.

Common Seedance 2.5 Edit Problems

What usually goes wrong with a video edit, and what to change before you run it again.

My video won't upload

The clip doesn't fit what Video accepts. It may be in the wrong format, too large, or too short or too long; the limits are in the upload FAQ. Retrying won't help a clip that's too short, because the model's video editing task itself needs a source of at least the minimum length. Lengthen the cut in your editor, or trim a long clip down to the shot you need, export it in one of the accepted formats, and upload it again.

The form won't accept my reference image

Reference images have their own limits on format, file size and minimum dimensions, listed in the upload FAQ. Small crops and thumbnails are the usual problem. Export the image larger, compress it if the file is too heavy, convert it if the format isn't accepted, then add it again in Add Reference Image. You don't need to start a run until the image is accepted.

The edit changed more than the part I asked about

The likely cause is a prompt that describes the whole scene instead of the one change. Seedance 2.5 is built for targeted changes that keep continuity before and after the edit, and a narrow prompt is what aims it there. Name the one element to change and the seconds where it happens, and end with a sentence saying everything else stays as it is in the source. Then run it again at the default resolution before you move up to a higher one.

My edited video came back without the sound I expected

Check Generate Audio first. With the switch off, the run doesn't generate sound. Switch it on and run the edit again with the same prompt and resolution so the picture matches the version you approved.

I can't fit my whole description in the prompt box

The Prompt box has a character limit. Move the detailed look of the new element into an image in Add Reference Image. Keep the text for the change itself, its time range and the short list of what must not change. Then run again with the shorter prompt.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Seedance 2.5 with a photo instead of a video?

Not here. Video is a required upload, because this workflow changes footage that already exists. If you're starting from a still, Image To Video is the Seedance 2.5 workflow built for that.

Which files can I upload, and what are the size and length limits?

Upload the source clip in Video as an MP4 or MOV file of up to 50 MB, running 4 to 30 seconds. That length range matches what the model's video editing task needs from its source. Reference images are optional: you can add up to 9 in Add Reference Image. Each must be a JPG, JPEG, PNG or WEBP file of up to 10 MB and at least 300×300 pixels.

Do I need reference images to edit a video?

No. A source video and a prompt are enough for changes you can describe in words, like changing what a character does or putting the subject in a new setting. Add images when the new element has to match something specific that words alone won't pin down, such as your own product or a particular costume.

Can I edit videos that show real people?

Seedance 2.5 has safeguards against deepfake and copyright-infringement risks, and input material judged risky is blocked when the video is generated. Start with footage and images you have the rights to. If an upload gets blocked, replace that clip or image instead of running it again unchanged.

What makes one generation cost more than another?

The credit cost is calculated from the options you choose and shown above the Generate button once you're signed in. Two things change it: the Resolution setting and the length of the video you upload.

References

Sources and citations used to support the content provided above.

Updated: 2026-10-29 21:16:20 3 Sources

seed.bytedance.com

Source Link
https://seed.bytedance.com/en/blog/one-take-creation-flexible-referencing-introducing-seedance-2-5

docs.byteplus.com

Source Link
https://docs.byteplus.com/en/docs/modelark/create-video-generation-task-api

docs.byteplus.com

Source Link
https://docs.byteplus.com/en/docs/ModelArk/2333565