Image and media tools
Some tools make pictures, others make voices. Like a toolbox, where each tool has its own job and its own rules. Learn what to check before you make something, and before you share or sell it.
First, what do you think?
You make a picture with a free AI tool. May you sell it on a T-shirt? Have a guess.
What are image and media tools?
The whole story in three sentences. Some AI tools make images, others make voices, and some make video. Each has its own age limit and free plan. Each has rules about what you may do with the result. Before you share or sell what you made, you check those rules.
Think of a toolbox. A hammer, a saw, a screwdriver. Each has its own job. And some tools come with a label: "not for children" or "for home use only".
- Images. Several chat assistants can make pictures, and some tools only do images.
- Voices. Turning text into speech, or speech into text, or designing a voice.
- Video. Some makers have models that make short clips with sound, like Google's.
What they share: they make what fits your description. And what you make can look real. In the EU, deepfakes must be labelled. Google puts an invisible watermark in images and videos its models make.
Here are five tools that make images or voices, in alphabetical order.
Copilot
- Made by
- Microsoft
- Can make or do
- text, images, audio, tasks
- Free
- Yes, with limits
- Paid
- Part of Microsoft 365 subscriptions
- Minimum age
- 13 years
- Good for
- Chatting and making images
- Help in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook (with Microsoft 365)
- Watch out
- Sometimes older than 13, depending on your country
- Microsoft itself says Copilot can make mistakes: check it
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
ElevenLabs
- Made by
- ElevenLabs
- Can make or do
- audio
- Free
- Yes, with a monthly limit, not for commercial use
- Paid
- Subscriptions in several levels
- Minimum age
- 18 years
- Good for
- Turning text into speech
- Turning speech into text
- Designing voices and sound effects
- Watch out
- Only from 18
- A copied voice can be misused: only use your own voice, or a voice you have permission for
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
Gemini
- Made by
- Can make or do
- text, images, search
- Free
- Yes, with a Google account
- Paid
- Google AI subscriptions in several levels
- Minimum age
- 13 years
- Good for
- Chatting and making images
- Deep Research
- a report from many websites
- Watch out
- Some chats are read by people at Google: don't type anything confidential
- With Keep Activity on, your chats can be used for training
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
Midjourney
- Made by
- Midjourney
- Can make or do
- images
- Free
- No free trial on the website
- Paid
- Subscriptions in four levels
- Minimum age
- 13 years
- Good for
- Making images from a description
- Making variations of an image
- Watch out
- Below the age of consent in your country, a parent agrees for you
- You pay before you can try it
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
Vibe (Le Chat)
- Made by
- Mistral AI
- Can make or do
- text, images, search, code
- Free
- Yes, with limits
- Paid
- Subscriptions in several levels (Pro, Team)
- Minimum age
- 13 years
- Good for
- Chatting and searching the web
- Simple images
- Help with code
- Watch out
- A minor needs permission from a parent or guardian
- On the free plan your chats are used for training unless you turn it off
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
What the predictor does
The tool predicts an image or a voice that fits your words. That's the rule.
That's why the rules matter so much here. A picture can look like a photo. A voice can sound like a real person. The Fraudehelpdesk calls a copied face or voice a deepfake. It's hard to tell from the real thing.
So the makers add rules. Age limits, rules for commercial use, and warnings about copying voices. You find them on the cards.
Every tool in the box has its own label. Read it before you make, share or sell.
Try it yourself
Three people pick a tool. What should they check?
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
How do you choose and use one?
Four steps. Use them the next time you want to make a picture or a voice.
Pick the kind of tool
A picture, a voice, or a video? Look at what the card says the tool is good at.
Check the age and the free plan
Is the tool for your age? Is there a free plan, or do you pay before you try?
Check what you may do with it
Sharing with friends is different from selling. Some free plans don't allow commercial use.
Say it's made with AI
Share it as made with AI. That's fair, and in the EU deepfakes must be labelled.
In practice
Three people open the toolbox.
Case 1The voice-over
Noor (15) makes a video for school and wants an AI voice-over. She finds a voice tool online.
Sign up anyway.
The card says that tool is only from 18.
Record her own voice. Or ask her teacher which tool the school allows.
Her video gets a voice, and she stays within the rules.
Case 2The shop pictures
Dennis (29) sells mugs online. He wants AI pictures on them, made with a free plan.
Make them and start selling.
Some free plans don't allow commercial use. Selling mugs is commercial.
Check the rules for the plan. If needed, use a plan that allows commercial use.
He knows he's allowed to sell what he made.
Case 3The old photo
Henk (68) has a faded photo of his parents' wedding. He asks an image tool to make it sharp and colourful.
Replace the original with the new version.
The tool predicts what fits. Faces and colours may change. It isn't how it really looked.
Keep the original. Share the new version as "made sharper with AI".
The family keeps the real photo, and enjoys the new one too.
When not to
- Not below the age limitThe terms set a minimum age.Use another tool, or ask an adult.
- Not for sale without checking the rulesFree plans may forbid commercial use.Check the plan first.
- Not to copy someone's voice or face without permissionIt can deceive and hurt.Ask first, or make something up.
By situation
Check the age on the card. Use what the school allows, and say it's made with AI.
Before using AI images or voices in anything you sell, check the plan's rules. Ask your employer what's allowed.
Cards, invitations, a story read aloud. Keep originals of real photos. Copy no one's voice without asking.
Myths and mistakes
| Claim | True? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| If I made it, I may sell it | Not always | Some free plans don't allow commercial use. |
| An improved old photo shows how it really was | No | The tool predicts what fits. Details may change. |
| Every tool is for everyone | No | Some are from 13, some from 18. |
| AI images are always obvious | No | A deepfake can be hard to tell from the real thing. |
Related topics
Read first
- Chat assistantsmany of them also make images.
Next
- AI in your appsAI that's already in the apps you use.
Related
- Imageshow to describe the picture you want.
Sources
- documentationGoogle AI for Developers. Image generation with Gemini.Describe a scene in rich detail: the more specific, the more control. Be specific about the style. Improve an image in a conversation. You can add, remove or change parts, or change the style. All images it makes carry a SynthID watermark.
- documentationGoogle AI for Developers. Gemini Omni Flash.Makes short videos with sound from a description or an image. Describe the scene, camera movement, lighting and mood. For edits, add 'keep everything else the same'. All videos carry an invisible SynthID watermark.
- governmentEuropean Commission. AI Act.The EU AI Act sorts AI into four risk levels. Some uses are banned, like social scoring. People must be told when they talk to a chatbot, and deepfakes must be labelled. AI literacy rules apply from 2 February 2025.
- organisationFraudehelpdesk. Fraudevormen en -termen.A deepfake copies someone's voice or face with AI and is hard to tell from the real thing. In 'help request fraud' a 'son' or 'daughter' asks for money by app, sometimes with a recorded copy of their voice.
Test
You get 7 questions about the whole page. Get 5 right, and you've mastered the topic.
About the tools in this course. Every tool is described in the same way, in alphabetical order, without a recommendation. Names, prices and features change often: the maker's own site is always right. This site was built with the help of Claude, one of the tools described here.