by Alex Mackenzie

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What this is for

I built a pair of DIY softboxes for my home studio using cheap LED work lights from Home Depot, some foam board, hot glue and duct tape. Total cost: under $30 CAD for two. The results were genuinely solid — soft, even light for reels and portrait work.

This guide lets you do the same thing for any light you own. Five prompts, all in one Claude chat. You paste each one in order — Claude does the measuring, calculating, and planning.

Before You Start

You'll need:

• Your light(s) in front of you — make sure they are LED lights since they will not overheat — these are the ones I used: Husky 1000 Lumen LED Outdoor Rechargeable Work Lights
• A tape measure or ruler
• Claude.ai open in another tab — free account is fine

How it works: Open claude.ai and start a new chat. Paste Step 1 below and answer Claude's questions. Keep going — paste each step in the same chat, in order. Claude remembers everything, so there's no copying between steps. By the end you'll have a spec sheet, a shopping list with prices near you, and a full build guide — all customised to your exact light.

Step 1 — Tell Claude about your light

This sets everything up. Claude will ask you four quick questions about your light, then confirm your measurements before moving on.

• 📋 Click to expand → copy this prompt → paste into Claude

✅ Once Claude confirms your measurements and you've said "confirmed" — paste Step 2.

Step 2 — Calculate your softbox dimensions