Anime-style ad with Seedance 2.5: use a character sheet as references

To keep an illustrated mascot on-model across a short ad, send the character sheet as images in input_references and describe the action in the prompt. On seedance-2.5 a 6-second test costs about $1.61 at 480p on Sume, and about $3.47 at 720p.

References are guidance, not an exact copy. Expect the outfit and face to be close, and plan to reject takes where they drift.

Build the reference set

Use two to four images: a front view, a three-quarter view, a color palette card and, if you have it, a background style frame. Each is one image_url entry. Seedance 2.5 takes many references on the provider side, but check the limit on the Sume catalog for the id before you send a large set (video generation docs).

{
  "model": "seedance-2.5",
  "prompt": "The mascot runs through a rainy neon street, hand-drawn anime style, flat colors",
  "duration": 6,
  "resolution": "480p",
  "aspect_ratio": "9:16",
  "input_references": [
    {"type": "image_url", "image_url": {"url": "https://example.com/mascot-front.png"}},
    {"type": "image_url", "image_url": {"url": "https://example.com/mascot-three-quarter.png"}},
    {"type": "image_url", "image_url": {"url": "https://example.com/palette.png"}}
  ]
}

Price

Seedance 2.5 is billed per video token times 1.25 on Sume. The rate card charges output tokens (width x height x seconds x 24 / 1024) at $0.0214 per 1,000 tokens at 480p and 720p, times 1.25, so 6 seconds is about $1.61 at 480p and about $3.47 at 720p.

What to judge in a take

Check three things on each result: whether the hair and outfit colors match the palette card, whether the face stays on-model when the character turns, and whether the line weight stays consistent. ByteDance says Seedance 2.5 gives smoother, more consistent motion (read 2026-10-07, Seed), but you should confirm that on your own character rather than rely on the claim.

Rights

Only send characters you own or have a license to use. Do not ask for an existing studio's characters or style by name.

Practical notes

Keep the action simple in the first test: one character, one location, one movement. Once the character holds up, add a second reference for a prop or a background style and run a longer take.

Write the style once and reuse it. A line such as hand-drawn anime style, flat colors, clean outlines, repeated word for word across jobs, does more for consistency than rewording the prompt each time.