Using two screens on your computer.
There seems to be a little reluctance towards using 2 screens on your computer. I know that sometimes space can be a concern but since most people seem to spend a reasonable amount of money on their main screen and a ton of money on their camera equipment I don't understand why they won't spend a little more on something that considerably increases the convenience of using their computer. And in a lot of cases people don't understand how good it is until they have seen/experienced it with their own eyes.
I have included a couple of pictures below showing my two screen setup. I would never go back to a single screen again. My wife, who is a keener photographer than me, has a similar setup except her main screen is a little smaller (25") because it was impossible to fit a larger screen into an existing light shroud.
I used to have three screens (another to the left) because it made comparing two pricelists for PCs and adding them to a spreadsheet tremendously easier. That had to change when the size of my main screen increased and I had no room on my desk.
My screens are a 32" Dell (4K UP3216Q) and a 20" Dell used in portrait mode (1600 x 1200 res sRGB). The 20" was ideal for this although you cannot buy them anymore. Not sure what I would use as a replacement down the track although I do have a couple of spares. You can see how I use mine with Word open on the 2nd screen. My wife has Outlook open on hers. All screens are VA or IPS types as TN doesn't suit using in portrait mode.
The two cats are ours.
TriX
Loc: Raleigh, NC
I use 3. A center screen (for serious editing) and a smaller screen on either side se at perhaps a 30 angle so it forms a sort of “wrap around” display. While everything is color corrected, the 2 side screens can be lower quality since they are often used for menus, web access or tool panels. I drive two from my Nvidia graphics card and one from the onboard graphics processor on the CPU. I would NEVER go back to a single screen, no matter how large.
When I was still working, I had three monitors on an 8' x 8' wrap-around work surface. I loved it. I'm retired now and at home my 30" x 65" desk only has enough open space for one monitor (and too much other necessary crap). Eventually I may be able to get a larger desk and one additional monitor. My PC can only drive two and I can't justify adding a graphics card.
I have two screens and love it!
Great for:
- Genealogy work: Tree on one screen, internet research on the other.
- HTML editing: editor & FTP on one screen, website on the other.
- lots of other instances also.
I’ve been using two screens since 2012.
I've been using 2 screens for a long time. It works great for many things; especially Photoshop. I have my image on the larger monitor and my pallets on the smalled monitor.
Yeah, once you use a computer with two screens, you'll wonder how you ever got along without it.
This setup is two 4K monitors with a 1080P screen above that I can use as a 3rd monitor or a regular TV
chrissybabe wrote:
There seems to be a little reluctance towards using 2 screens on your computer. I know that sometimes space can be a concern but since most people seem to spend a reasonable amount of money on their main screen and a ton of money on their camera equipment I don't understand why they won't spend a little more on something that considerably increases the convenience of using their computer. And in a lot of cases people don't understand how good it is until they have seen/experienced it with their own eyes.
I have included a couple of pictures below showing my two screen setup. I would never go back to a single screen again. My wife, who is a keener photographer than me, has a similar setup except her main screen is a little smaller (25") because it was impossible to fit a larger screen into an existing light shroud.
I used to have three screens (another to the left) because it made comparing two pricelists for PCs and adding them to a spreadsheet tremendously easier. That had to change when the size of my main screen increased and I had no room on my desk.
My screens are a 32" Dell (4K UP3216Q) and a 20" Dell used in portrait mode (1600 x 1200 res sRGB). The 20" was ideal for this although you cannot buy them anymore. Not sure what I would use as a replacement down the track although I do have a couple of spares. You can see how I use mine with Word open on the 2nd screen. My wife has Outlook open on hers. All screens are VA or IPS types as TN doesn't suit using in portrait mode.
The two cats are ours.
There seems to be a little reluctance towards usin... (
show quote)
I've had two screens for about 15 years. When I lived in VT the satellite internet speed was soooooo sloooow, that I'd fall asleep waiting for the screen to load up, so I got the second screen to keep me awake playing solitaire until the other screen loaded. The download speed was anywhere between 12-168 kb and the internet provider insisted I was getting more than 10MB and I was actually exceeding what I was paying for. I did better with a phone modem.
John N
Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK
I had a twin screen set up at work, magic. If I had a bigger study I'd have the same at home. But whenever I had different screens it messed me up.
The U.K. has Display Screen Regulations and my employer adhered to them. I took great care to level them and set them up together with a slight inward tilt.
chrissybabe wrote:
There seems to be a little reluctance towards using 2 screens on your computer. I know that sometimes space can be a concern but since most people seem to spend a reasonable amount of money on their main screen and a ton of money on their camera equipment I don't understand why they won't spend a little more on something that considerably increases the convenience of using their computer. And in a lot of cases people don't understand how good it is until they have seen/experienced it with their own eyes.
I have included a couple of pictures below showing my two screen setup. I would never go back to a single screen again. My wife, who is a keener photographer than me, has a similar setup except her main screen is a little smaller (25") because it was impossible to fit a larger screen into an existing light shroud.
I used to have three screens (another to the left) because it made comparing two pricelists for PCs and adding them to a spreadsheet tremendously easier. That had to change when the size of my main screen increased and I had no room on my desk.
My screens are a 32" Dell (4K UP3216Q) and a 20" Dell used in portrait mode (1600 x 1200 res sRGB). The 20" was ideal for this although you cannot buy them anymore. Not sure what I would use as a replacement down the track although I do have a couple of spares. You can see how I use mine with Word open on the 2nd screen. My wife has Outlook open on hers. All screens are VA or IPS types as TN doesn't suit using in portrait mode.
The two cats are ours.
There seems to be a little reluctance towards usin... (
show quote)
Where do you get the idea there is some reluctance to use more than one screen? Plenty here use two or more. I have used two since about 1998.
Recently I was looking into getting a 32" Curved Monitor (like my Granddaughter uses) to replace my 24" Samsung Monitor. They were all too tall to put under my wall cabinets so I went another route. I found a second Samsung monitor, one model down from my first monitor, for $20 in a classified add.
It works great, looks great, and makes my work flow, whether photographic, data manipulation, or research, a breeze. I can't imagine going back to a single monitor, and for only $20.
Reflections from my windows doesn't do justice to the picture quality.
(
Download)
TriX
Loc: Raleigh, NC
slcarn wrote:
Recently I was looking into getting a 32" Curved Monitor (like my Granddaughter uses) to replace my 24" Samsung Monitor. They were all too tall to put under my wall cabinets so I went another route. I found a second Samsung monitor, one model down from my first monitor, for $20 in a classified add.
It works great, looks great, and makes my work flow, whether photographic, data manipulation, or research, a breeze. I can't imagine going back to a single monitor, and for only $20.
Recently I was looking into getting a 32" Cur... (
show quote)
Exactly. There’s no reason your extra one (or two) monitors need to be the same quality or aspect ratio as your center as they are often used for menus, web pages and tool bars. In fact, I’ve found that a center wide (16:9 or wider) monitor plus two 4:3’s on the “wings” (that can be bought for very little $) is an excellent setup and saves both deskspace and $.
DWU2
Loc: Phoenix Arizona area
I use two screens for Lightroom Classic and Photoshop. With LR, I can have the Grid View on one screen and the Develop mode on the other. With PS, I edit on the primary screen, and I can put all the little windows (Layers, History, Channels, Brushes, etc.) on the other screen. Or, I can cut LR back to one screen, and have LR on one screen and PS on the other.
I have 2 but one shows what the cameras all around my house are seeing at all times.
If you want to reply, then
register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.