Featured Image Specs

Is there any way to set a featured image without having to specify where I want it to show on posts?

I only want to select a featured image so that certain themes and plugins I use know what image to feature when active. I don’t want the layout of my individual posts to change.

My dilemma is that when I publish a post, I have the title centered on top, meta data under the title, followed by a quick intro text and then comes the main image. Any time I try to set a featured image, it asks where the featured image should appear. The only sensible options for me to tie in with the design of my posts is either above or below the title – which in either case disregards the intro text (which needs to appear between the title and main image) and doesn’t work for me.

If anyone can help with how I can set a featured image without it affecting the layout of individual posts, that would be great. It may be a simple and obvious solution that I’m overlooking. Many thanks.