# Example image prompts — Promptpress format reference

> This file is a **template**. Hand it to Claude (or whatever tool generates your image prompts) and say: "Generate my image prompts in the exact format and structure of this file." Then Promptpress will parse the output correctly.
>
> The parser is strict about a few specific things. The notes below each section explain what matters.

---

# Universal Style Prefix

```
warm cinematic photography, golden hour light, 35mm film stock, shallow depth of field, soft natural shadows, muted earth tones, candid lifestyle moment, editorial composition
```

> **Required.** Promptpress prepends this prefix to every prompt so all images feel like they're from the same publication. Must be:
> - Inside a fenced code block (triple backticks)
> - Under a heading or paragraph mentioning "style prefix" (case-insensitive)
> - Comma-separated descriptors work best (this is the standard image-prompt grammar)

---

# Universal Negative Prompt

```
text, watermark, signature, logo, blurry, low quality, distorted faces, extra limbs, oversaturated, plastic skin, cartoon, illustration, AI-generated look
```

> **Optional but recommended.** Things to avoid in every image. Same rules as the style prefix: fenced block, heading mentions "negative prompt".

---

## cozy-reading-nook

**hero.webp / pin.webp:** a woman in cream linen reading on a velvet armchair next to a window, soft afternoon light, stack of books on the side table, a steaming mug, autumn leaves visible outside the window

> **Pattern A — combined hero + pin from one prompt.** The most efficient format. Promptpress generates two images (square hero + tall pin) from the same prompt. Use this when the hero and pin should be the same composition.
>
> **Critical formatting rules:**
> - Heading must be `## ` followed by a lowercase-kebab-case slug (letters, numbers, hyphens only). `## Cozy Reading Nook` will be IGNORED.
> - The line must literally read `**hero.webp / pin.webp:**` — the slash, the colon, the bold markers.
> - The prompt goes on the same line, after the closing `**`.

---

## morning-light-routine

**hero.webp**
a woman pouring coffee into a ceramic mug at a marble kitchen counter, soft morning light streaming through linen curtains, fresh croissants on a wooden board, an open journal nearby

**pin.webp**
the same morning routine scene composed vertically, with the steaming coffee mug as the focal point in the upper third, the woman's hands and the journal anchoring the lower two thirds, soft warm tones throughout

> **Pattern B — separate hero and pin prompts.** Use this when you want the hero and pin to be *different* compositions (e.g. hero is a wide overview, pin is a vertical detail shot). Each prompt goes on the line(s) *after* the `**hero.webp**` or `**pin.webp**` marker.
>
> Multiple paragraph lines are fine — they're joined together as one prompt until the next `**...**` marker or `##` heading.

---

## five-cozy-evening-rituals

**Listicle prompts (1-5):**

1. warm-bath-ritual — a candle-lit clawfoot bathtub with eucalyptus sprigs, soft cream towels draped on the edge, a glass of red wine on a wooden stool, dim golden light from a single lamp
2. herbal-tea-by-firelight — a hand cradling a small ceramic teacup, steam rising, a crackling fireplace blurred in the background, an open book face-down on a knit blanket
3. journal-and-pen-still-life — a leather-bound journal open to a blank page, a vintage fountain pen resting on it, a small bowl of pinecones, warm side lighting from a window
4. slow-knitting-evening — hands working a chunky cream wool scarf in progress, balls of yarn in a woven basket, a wood-burning stove glowing softly in the background
5. stargazing-from-the-porch — a wool blanket draped over wicker porch chairs, two mugs of cocoa with marshmallows, a starry sky visible above the treeline, warm porch light spilling out from the doorway

> **Pattern C — listicle items.** Standard for "5 ways to…", "10 ideas for…" articles. Promptpress generates one image per numbered item.
>
> **Format rules:**
> - The header must literally read `**Listicle prompts**` or `**Listicle prompts (1-5):**` (the number range in parens is decorative; the parser ignores it but it helps you).
> - Numbered items use `1.` or `1)` — both work.
> - The text before the em-dash (`—`) becomes part of the output filename. Use a short kebab-case descriptor here ("warm-bath-ritual"). The text after the em-dash is the actual prompt.
> - Multi-line prompts work if the continuation lines are indented at least 2 spaces.

---

## quick-listicle-without-individual-prompts

**Listicle prompts (1-6):** Each prompt for autumn-front-porch (orange-pumpkins, hay-bales, dried-corn-stalks, twinkle-lights-on-railing, woven-doormat, lantern-with-candle)

> **Pattern D — inline listicle shortcut.** When all listicle items share the same style and you only need descriptors (no per-item prompts). Promptpress generates one image per parenthesized item, using the descriptor as the filename and a generated prompt based on the heading context + descriptor.
>
> Useful for rapid-fire "ideas" listicles. Less flexible than Pattern C — use C when each item needs a custom prompt.

---

## article-with-only-a-pin-and-listicle

**pin.webp**
a flat-lay overhead shot of a wooden cutting board with sliced sourdough bread, a small bowl of olive oil, a ramekin of flaky sea salt, fresh rosemary sprigs, warm afternoon light

**Listicle prompts (1-3):**

1. fresh-loaf-on-cooling-rack — a golden-crusted sourdough loaf cooling on a wire rack, soft kitchen light, flour-dusted countertop
2. cross-section-of-crumb — a sliced sourdough showing the open airy crumb, on a linen napkin, butter knife alongside
3. bread-with-soft-butter — a slice of sourdough topped with a generous swipe of cultured butter, on a small white plate

> **Mix and match.** You don't need a hero for every article. You don't need a pin for every article. You don't need a listicle for every article. Just include the patterns you want.

---

# Usage Notes

> This section is **ignored** by Promptpress. Anything under a `# Usage Notes`, `# Generation Recipe`, `# Naming Convention`, `# Folder Structure`, `# Image Specs`, `# Aesthetic Reference`, or `# Estimated Total` heading gets skipped, so you can include comments for yourself or for Claude without polluting the parsed output.

**Filename outputs:**
- `[slug]/hero.webp`
- `[slug]/pin.webp`
- `[slug]/[01-descriptor].webp`, `[slug]/[02-descriptor].webp`, … for listicle items

**Aspect ratios** are picked in the UI per kind (hero/pin/listicle), not in this file. Common defaults: hero 1:1, pin 2:3, listicle 1:1 — but anything from the UI dropdown works.

---

# What the parser ignores (so you can keep them in)

- `#` (H1) headings — for top-level structure like "Pillar Articles" or "Seasonal Content"
- Anything under `# Usage Notes` (or the other skipped sections listed above)
- Blank lines, blockquotes, inline images
- Any text outside the `## slug` blocks except the universal style prefix and negative prompt

---

# What the parser is STRICT about (don't break these)

1. **Slugs must be lowercase kebab-case.** `## morning-light-routine` ✅. `## Morning Light Routine` ❌. `## morning_light_routine` ❌. `## morningLightRoutine` ❌.
2. **The combined pattern needs the exact spelling.** `**hero.webp / pin.webp:**` — slash with one space on each side, colon inside the bolds. Variations like `**hero.webp/pin.webp**` or `**hero & pin:**` won't match.
3. **The standalone pattern needs the literal filename.** `**hero.webp**` ✅. `**Hero:**` ❌. `**hero image**` ❌.
4. **The listicle header needs to mention "Listicle prompts".** `**Listicle prompts (1-10):**` ✅. `**Numbered ideas:**` ❌. `**Tips for X**` ❌.
5. **Style prefix and negative prompt need fenced code blocks.** Plain paragraphs won't be picked up — Promptpress only reads between triple backticks.

---

# Prompt to give Claude when generating your project's MD file

> Copy and paste this when asking Claude to generate image prompts for a new project:

```
Generate image prompts for [X] articles about [your niche], in the exact
format and structure of the attached example file (EXAMPLE-PROMPTS.md).

Strict rules from the example file you must follow:
- Every article heading must be `## ` followed by a lowercase-kebab-case slug
- Use the `**hero.webp / pin.webp:**` combined pattern when the hero and pin
  share a composition, or separate `**hero.webp**` / `**pin.webp**` blocks
  when they differ
- Include `**Listicle prompts (1-N):**` followed by numbered items
  (`1. descriptor — prompt text`) for any listicle articles
- Always include a `# Universal Style Prefix` section with a fenced code
  block at the top
- Always include a `# Universal Negative Prompt` section with a fenced
  code block

Article list: [your slugs and titles]
Style direction: [warm editorial, minimalist, etc.]
```