Quick Prompt Co.

Category: Guides & Manuals

Step-by-step setup guides and quick-scan prompt cheat sheets.

  • 5 Claude Prompts Every Beginner Should Save (Reusable Cheat Sheet)

    5 Claude Prompts Every Beginner Should Save (Reusable Cheat Sheet)

    Last Verified: September 2026 — Quick-scan cheat sheet: copy a prompt, fill the brackets, go

    Claude tends to follow detailed instructions closely, hold a long document in view, and give a direct answer when you ask for one. These five prompts lean on those habits. Save them somewhere you can paste from, or put your favorites into a Claude Project’s instructions so they apply automatically.

    TL;DR

    • Five prompts: get one recommendation, pull out decisions, stress-test an argument, match a style guide, list assumptions.
    • Claude’s Free plan includes up to 5 Projects, so you can store standing instructions without paying.
    • Each prompt works as-is; replace the [brackets].

    Cheat Sheet at a Glance

    PromptBest for
    Straight recommendationDecisions where you want an opinion
    Pull out decisionsLong emails and reports
    Devil’s advocateProposals and pitches
    Style-guide rewriteLong, multi-section documents
    Show assumptionsAdvice with missing detail

    The Prompts

    Get a straight recommendation, not a list

    Use it for: Any decision where you want an opinion.

    Give me your single best recommendation for [decision], not a list of options. Then tell me the one factor that would change your answer.

    Why it works: Asking for the deciding factor gives you a way to check the recommendation against your situation.

    Pull out only what needs a decision

    Use it for: Long emails, reports, or threads.

    Read the following and pull out only the parts that require a decision or action from me. Skip background and anything I already know. Output as a numbered list with a deadline if one is mentioned: [paste text]

    Stress-test an argument before you publish

    Use it for: Proposals, posts, pitches.

    Here's an argument I'm making: [paste argument]. Play the strongest devil's advocate you can. What's the weakest part, and what would a smart critic say? Then suggest one change that addresses it.

    Keep a long document consistent

    Use it for: Multi-section docs, brand copy.

    Here is a style guide: [paste style and tone notes]. Rewrite the following section to match it exactly, without changing the meaning. List any places where the guide and the content conflict: [paste section]

    Why it works: Listing conflicts is better than Claude silently picking one side.

    Make Claude show its assumptions

    Use it for: Advice questions with missing detail.

    Before answering, list the 3 assumptions you're making about my situation. Then answer based on those assumptions, and flag where I should correct you.

    Common Mistakes to Avoid

    • Pasting a huge document with no question. Say what you want from it first, then paste.
    • Re-pasting the same instructions every chat. Put them in a Project’s instructions once.

    Q&A

    Is Claude free?

    Yes, there’s a Free plan that includes chat, web search, file creation, memory, and up to 5 Projects. Pro ($20/month, or $17/month billed annually) adds more usage and features like Research.

    Do these work in ChatGPT?

    Mostly. The structure transfers; results vary by model.

    Related Guides

    Official Resources

  • How to Prompt AI for Better Product Photos (Without a Studio): Template + 5 Prompts

    How to Prompt AI for Better Product Photos (Without a Studio): Template + 5 Prompts

    Last Verified: September 2026 — Quick-scan cheat sheet: copy a prompt, fill the brackets, go

    You don’t need a lightbox and a camera to get clean product shots. AI image editors can turn a decent phone photo into something close to studio quality, if you prompt for the right things. The rule that matters most: edit a real photo of your product, and tell the AI never to change the product itself.

    TL;DR

    • Shoot on a plain background in even light first. AI polishes a photo; it shouldn’t invent your product.
    • Every prompt names lighting, background, and “keep the product unchanged”.
    • Check the result against the real product before you list it.

    Cheat Sheet at a Glance

    Shot typeUse it forPrompt
    Better lightingFixing a dim photo#1
    Clean studio backgroundMarketplace main image#2
    LifestyleSecondary listing images, social#3
    SeasonalHoliday promos#4
    DetailTexture and material close-ups#5

    The Prompts

    The reusable template

    Use it for: Build any product edit from this.

    [Action: enhance / replace background / add context], [lighting description], [background description]. Keep the product's shape, color, label, and proportions exactly as they are.

    1. Fix the lighting

    Enhance this product photo with soft studio lighting from the upper left, remove harsh shadows, and keep the product's true colors accurate. Do not change the product.

    2. Clean studio background

    Replace the background with a seamless light gray studio backdrop. Keep a soft, realistic shadow under the product. Do not alter the product itself.

    3. Lifestyle context shot

    Place this product on a wooden table near a window with natural daylight and soft shadows. No other branded objects in frame. Keep the product exactly as it is. Photorealistic.

    4. Seasonal version

    Put this product in a [season / holiday] setting with [2-3 props], keeping the props out of focus so the product stays the hero. Do not change the product.

    5. Detail close-up

    Crop in on the [texture / stitching / material] of this product and improve sharpness and lighting on that area only, without inventing detail that isn't in the original.

    Common Mistakes to Avoid

    • “Make it look professional”. The vaguest instruction you can give an image model. Name the lighting, background, and what must stay unchanged.
    • Letting AI change the product. A listing photo that doesn’t match what arrives leads to returns and complaints. Check colors and labels.
    • Ignoring marketplace rules. Marketplaces set their own image rules (backgrounds, props, text). Check them before you upload.

    Q&A

    Which tool should I use?

    Any image editor that accepts an uploaded photo plus a text instruction, including ChatGPT’s image editing. The template works across them.

    Can I generate the product from scratch?

    You can, but it won’t be your product. Use a real photo for anything a customer will buy.

    Related Guides

  • 5 Prompt Mistakes That Cost You an Extra Round Trip (Before/After Fixes)

    5 Prompt Mistakes That Cost You an Extra Round Trip (Before/After Fixes)

    Last Verified: September 2026 — Quick-scan cheat sheet: copy a prompt, fill the brackets, go

    Bad prompts don’t just produce worse answers. They produce answers you have to fix with another message, then another. Each mistake below comes with the prompt people usually send and the version that gets it right the first time.

    TL;DR

    • Break big asks into stages. Say what to leave out. Give numbers, not adjectives. Front-load context. Name the format.
    • Each fix removes one follow-up message.
    • Copy the “after” prompts and swap in your own details.

    Cheat Sheet at a Glance

    MistakeBeforeAfter
    Asking for everything at onceWrite me a full marketing planStage 1 of 4: define the audience…
    Not saying what to leave outWrite a product update… no intro, no summary paragraph
    Vague lengthKeep it shortUnder 80 words
    Context dripped in laterThree follow-ups adding backgroundOne context block up front
    Format as an afterthought“Can you make that a table?”Output as a table with columns…

    The Prompts

    1. Break the big ask into stages

    Use it for: Anything with more than one deliverable.

    We're building a marketing plan in 4 stages. Stage 1 only: define the target audience for [product] in 5 bullets, including the problem they're trying to solve. Stop after stage 1 so I can review it.

    Why it works: Each stage gets a sharper answer because the model isn’t guessing at everything at once.

    2. Say what to leave out

    Use it for: Any writing request.

    Write a 3-paragraph product update about [feature]. No introduction, no closing summary, no "we're excited to announce".

    Why it works: Negative constraints remove the parts you’d otherwise delete by hand.

    3. Give numbers, not adjectives

    Use it for: Anything with a length or quantity.

    Explain [topic] in under 80 words, as 3 bullet points.

    Why it works: “Short” means something different every time. “Under 80 words” doesn’t.

    4. Front-load context once

    Use it for: Any conversation longer than one question.

    Context for this whole conversation: I'm a [role] at a [company type]. My audience is [audience]. Constraints: [budget / tone / deadline]. Don't ask me to repeat this. First question: [question]

    5. Name the format in the first message

    Use it for: Comparisons, lists, data.

    Compare [A], [B], and [C]. Output as a table with columns: Option, Cost, Setup time, Biggest risk. No prose before the table.

    Why it works: Asking for a table after three paragraphs of prose means the whole answer gets redone.

    Common Mistakes to Avoid

    • Fixing with “try again”. A bare retry reruns the same guess. Name what was wrong: “too long, cut to 3 bullets”.
    • Correcting one thing per message. If the tone and length are both off, fix both in one reply.

    Q&A

    Does this matter if ChatGPT text chat is unlimited?

    Yes. Fewer round trips save your time, and uploads, deep research, and advanced models still have limits on most plans.

    Do these fixes work in Claude and Gemini?

    Yes. They’re about giving the model complete instructions, not about any one product.

    Related Guides

  • The RTFC Prompt Framework: Role, Task, Format, Constraint (1-Page Manual)

    The RTFC Prompt Framework: Role, Task, Format, Constraint (1-Page Manual)

    Last Verified: September 2026 — Quick-scan cheat sheet: copy a prompt, fill the brackets, go

    Vague prompt in, vague answer out. Most weak AI answers trace back to a prompt that skipped one of four things: who the AI should act as, exactly what to do, what shape the answer should take, and where the boundaries are. That’s the RTFC framework. Fill four slots and the output stops being generic.

    TL;DR

    • Role sets perspective, Task sets the job, Format sets the shape, Constraint sets the limits.
    • If an answer disappoints, check which slot you left empty. That’s usually the fix.
    • Copy the template below and fill the four brackets.

    Cheat Sheet at a Glance

    SlotQuestion it answersWeakStrong
    RoleWhose perspective?(none)Act as a skeptical editor
    TaskWhat exactly?Help with this emailShorten this email to 3 sentences, keep the ask
    FormatWhat shape?(none, so you get prose)A bullet list, one issue per line
    ConstraintWhat limits?Keep it shortUnder 100 words, no jargon, cite the sentence

    The Prompts

    The fill-in template

    Use it for: Start every non-trivial prompt from this.

    Act as [role]. [Task, stated with a precise verb]. Output as [format]. Constraints: [length], [tone], [must include], [must avoid].

    Why it works: Four labeled slots make it obvious when one is empty.

    Example: reviewing copy

    Use it for: Checking a product page before it goes live.

    Act as a skeptical technical reviewer. Review this product description for unsupported claims. Output as a bullet list, one issue per line. Constraints: under 150 words, quote the specific sentence for each issue: [paste description]

    Example: planning

    Use it for: Breaking a fuzzy goal into work.

    Act as a project manager who has shipped this kind of project before. Break [goal] into milestones. Output as a table with columns Milestone, Owner, Done-when. Constraints: 5 milestones max, each with a testable done-when.

    Example: learning

    Use it for: Getting up to speed on an unfamiliar topic.

    Act as a patient tutor. Explain [topic] to someone who knows [related thing] but not this. Output as 3 short sections: the idea, a concrete example, a common misconception. Constraints: under 250 words, no unexplained acronyms.

    Common Mistakes to Avoid

    • Using a role as the whole prompt. “Act as a marketing expert” with no task just gets you generic expert-sounding prose.
    • Vague verbs. “Help with”, “look at”, and “improve” don’t say what done looks like. Use shorten, rank, rewrite, extract, compare.
    • Adding constraints after the fact. Asking for “shorter” in a follow-up costs a round trip. Put the limit in the first message.

    Q&A

    Is the Role slot really necessary?

    Not always. For simple extraction (“list the dates in this text”) you can skip it. For judgment calls, a role changes what the model prioritizes.

    Does RTFC work for image prompts?

    Partly. Image models care more about subject, style, and lighting. See our Midjourney cheat sheet for that structure.

    How long should a prompt be?

    As long as it needs to be to fill the four slots. Most good prompts are 2 to 4 sentences plus the pasted material.

    Related Guides

  • 10 ChatGPT Prompts That Actually Save You Time at Work (Copy-Paste Cheat Sheet)

    10 ChatGPT Prompts That Actually Save You Time at Work (Copy-Paste Cheat Sheet)

    Last Verified: September 2026 — Quick-scan cheat sheet: copy a prompt, fill the brackets, go

    Most ChatGPT prompt lists are filler: vague one-liners that produce vague answers. These ten cover the tasks that come up every week at a desk job. Each one names what you’re pasting in, the exact shape of the answer, and a limit, so the first reply is usually the one you keep.

    TL;DR

    • Pick the row in the table that matches your task, copy the prompt, and replace the [brackets].
    • Every prompt names an input, an output format, and a constraint. Keep all three when you edit them.
    • Paste real material (notes, email, plan). ChatGPT can’t summarize what it hasn’t seen.

    Cheat Sheet at a Glance

    #TaskWhat you paste in
    1Meeting notes to action itemsRaw notes
    2Change an email’s toneThe email
    35-bullet summaryLong document
    4Slide outlineBullet points
    5Difficult messageThe situation
    6Compare two optionsOption names
    7Task to checklistThe task
    8Explain for an audienceThe topic
    9Find gaps in a planThe plan
    10Feedback to revision planThe feedback

    The Prompts

    1. Turn messy meeting notes into action items

    Use it for: Right after a meeting, before the notes go stale.

    Here are my raw meeting notes: [paste notes]. Turn these into a clean list of action items, grouped by owner, with any deadlines called out separately. If an item has no clear owner, list it under "Unassigned".

    Why it works: The “Unassigned” rule surfaces the tasks that usually fall through the cracks.

    2. Rewrite an email to a different tone

    Use it for: When a draft reads too blunt, too stiff, or too casual.

    Rewrite this email to sound more [direct / friendly / formal]. Keep every fact, date, and request exactly the same, and keep it about the same length: [paste email]

    Why it works: Locking facts and length stops the rewrite from adding promises you didn’t make.

    3. Summarize a long document into 5 bullets

    Use it for: Reports, policies, and long threads you need the gist of.

    Summarize the following into exactly 5 bullet points, ordered by importance. Each bullet under 20 words. End with one line naming anything that needs a decision from me: [paste text]

    Why it works: A fixed count and word cap force prioritizing instead of paraphrasing everything.

    4. Turn bullet points into a slide outline

    Use it for: Turning a brain dump into a deck skeleton.

    Turn these bullet points into a 5-slide outline, one idea per slide. For each slide give a title of 8 words or fewer and 3 supporting points: [paste bullets]

    5. Draft a difficult message

    Use it for: Pushback, bad news, or a boundary you’ve been putting off.

    Help me draft a message to [person/role] about [situation]. Be direct but not confrontational, state what I need in the first two sentences, and keep it under 100 words.

    Why it works: Putting the ask up front keeps the message from turning into a long apology.

    6. Compare two options side by side

    Use it for: Tools, vendors, job offers, or approaches.

    Compare [option A] and [option B] in a table across these criteria: cost, time to set up, risk, and long-term impact. Below the table, give your recommendation in one sentence and the one factor that would change it.

    7. Turn a vague task into a checklist

    Use it for: When you know the goal but not the order of steps.

    Turn this into a step-by-step checklist I can follow. Number each step, start each with a verb, and flag any step that needs someone else's input: [paste task]

    8. Explain something to a specific audience

    Use it for: Handing work to a new hire, manager, or client.

    Explain [topic] for [a new hire / a non-technical manager / a client]. Keep it under 150 words, avoid jargon, and end with the one thing they should do next.

    9. Find the gaps in a plan

    Use it for: Before you share a plan and someone else finds the holes.

    Here's my plan: [paste plan]. List what's missing and what could go wrong that I haven't accounted for. Rank the risks from most to least likely, and suggest one fix for each.

    Why it works: Ranking by likelihood stops the answer from being a flat list of every possible risk.

    10. Turn feedback into a revision plan

    Use it for: After a review with ten comments and no clear order.

    Here's feedback I received: [paste feedback]. Turn it into a prioritized list of changes, starting with the most important. Mark any comments that contradict each other.

    Common Mistakes to Avoid

    • Leaving the brackets in. “[paste notes]” with nothing pasted gets you a made-up example. Replace every bracket before sending.
    • Deleting the constraint. The word limit or fixed count is what makes the answer usable. Adjust it; don’t remove it.
    • Pasting confidential material without checking policy. Check what your company allows before pasting client data or internal documents.

    Q&A

    Do these work in Claude and Gemini too?

    Yes. Nothing here depends on a ChatGPT-only feature. The structure (input, format, limit) works in any chat assistant.

    Do I need a paid plan?

    No. ChatGPT’s Free plan includes unlimited text chats; uploads, deep research, and image generation are the parts with tighter limits.

    How do I stop retyping the same rules?

    Put standing rules (tone, length, audience) in ChatGPT’s custom instructions once. See our Insights piece on what still runs out on ChatGPT.

    Related Guides

  • How to Write Midjourney Prompts: A Beginner’s Cheat Sheet (V8 Parameters)

    How to Write Midjourney Prompts: A Beginner’s Cheat Sheet (V8 Parameters)

    Last Verified: September 2026 — Quick-scan cheat sheet: copy a prompt, fill the brackets, go

    Midjourney prompts follow a predictable structure. Once you know the parts, you can build almost any image prompt without guessing. This is the fundamentals sheet. Already comfortable and need a whole set to match? Go to the brand-consistency reference.

    TL;DR

    • Formula: subject, medium, lighting, composition, detail, then parameters at the very end.
    • Specific subjects beat clever ones. Lighting changes mood more than almost any other word.
    • Leave off --v to use the current default model (V8.x as of September 2026).

    Cheat Sheet at a Glance

    ParameterWhat it doesExample
    --arAspect ratio (images start square)–ar 16:9, –ar 9:16
    --noExclude something–no text
    --chaos / --cMore varied results in the grid–chaos 30
    --stylize / --sHow much artistic flair Midjourney adds–s 50
    --rawLess automatic styling, closer to your words–raw
    --seedRepeatable starting point for tests–seed 42
    --hdHigher-resolution (2048px) V8.1 images–hd

    Slot Tips

    • Subject: “A dog” gives you a random dog. “A wet golden retriever shaking off water on a beach at sunset” gives you a scene.
    • Medium: name it directly: oil painting, watercolor, 35mm photograph, isometric 3D render, pencil sketch. An art movement (“art deco”, “ukiyo-e”) works better than an artist’s name.
    • Lighting: golden hour, blue hour, harsh studio light, soft diffused light, backlit, neon-lit.

    The Prompts

    The basic formula

    Use it for: Every prompt.

    [subject], [style / medium], [lighting], [composition], [extra detail] --ar [ratio]

    Worked example

    a lighthouse on a rocky cliff, oil painting, golden hour lighting, wide shot, stormy sea in background --ar 16:9

    Why it works: Each comma-separated part fills one slot of the formula.

    Starter template

    Use it for: Fill in and go.

    [subject doing something specific], [medium], [lighting], [camera angle], highly detailed --ar 16:9

    Vertical cover for Shorts or Reels

    [subject], [medium], bold simple composition with empty space at the top, [lighting] --ar 9:16 --no text

    Common Mistakes to Avoid

    • Putting text after the parameters. Parameters go at the very end, with a space before the dashes and no punctuation.
    • Copying –v 6 or –cref from old tutorials. Those target older models. Leave –v off for the current default.
    • Writing an essay. Clear, specific phrases beat long paragraphs.

    Q&A

    Why doesn’t my result match the prompt?

    Try –raw to reduce automatic styling, make the subject more specific, and remove conflicting descriptions.

    Where’s the full parameter list?

    Midjourney’s Parameter List page, linked below, covers every current parameter, plus a link to legacy ones.

    Related Guides

    Official Resources