Working on two monitors?

Anybody else work on two monitors when embarking on design projects? I seem to find it more efficient working on two monitors with imageready on one monitor and photoshop on the other.

Normally. when I buckle down to a project I can work extremely fast but I would guess that with two monitors I can decrease the project timeline by 30-40%.

Anyone work in collaboration of the two monitor setup and do you find it easier and more efficient?

 

I don't use two monitors, but boy would I be ecstatic to have a dual monitor setup! This is something I've always wanted but never knew what was needed to set it up (I guess I will go create a thread about that now :p).

Although I'm not a designer, I can imagine how much more efficient this setup would allow you to be. When making template edits on my forum, for example, I'd love to be able to be making the edits on one screen and refresh the live results on the other screen - and skip the minimizing/maximizing part.

 

I use dual monitor.

But I emulate Windows XP so I have that set to full screen on the second display.

 

I have a dual-monitor display (two 24" widescreens), but I rarely use it - I actually prefer using a (large) single display.

 

I have never used a dual-monitor display myself, but like Nick, this is actually something I always wanted to do. I can only imagine how nice it would be as a designer, too.

 

It's also nice when you are collaborating on projects via msn. long ago are the days when I have to keep minimizing photoshop to reply/view what someone typed via msn i just need to switch my head over to the next monitor.

Time saving occurrences such as these will save you bags of time and there's nothing worse than chatting and getting distracted whilst in the middle of doing something (whether it's designing or coding) and forgetting what idea you had planned.

I would recommend the dual monitor setup to anyone. I know I couldn't go back to the one monitor deal.

 

I'm now beginning to wonder if I should start using my dual-view setup more often. Thanks, Shelley - you got me thinking.

 

It's very easy. I have an old g-force card so I expect you tech guys have the updated setups with a normal vga and a dvi output. just simply plug in both monitors, right click your desktop and click settings and identify the second monitor. You will be able to setup whatever resolution for each monitor I have both on the same resolution but they can be different if you have different monitors which support higher res than your current monitor.

Monitors are so cheap nowadays it's well worth the investment and you won't look back.

Another time saver is when i'm styling/coding/making template changes and i have the admincp opened in one monitor and the forum in the other. It's a great time saver.

 

It's quite literally all configured already - I invested in such a system a few months back and left it. Sad eh?

 

Chris, if you don't want it, why don't you 'leave it' at my doorstep?

K thx bai

 

Sure! Let me package it up and see what "brown can do for you".

 

I'm in the minority here I'm sure but after using a 17" screen for years since I upgraded to a 22" last year I get lost easily. If my eyes are focused on my browser and something pops up in the systray, I miss it most of the times. Perhaps I'm just brain dead but I think a second monitor would drive me nuts unless I was a designer or something.

Now, two displays + two separate computers on the same desk would be awesome. One for email/browsing/im and one for development. Or if I had a powerful enough computer 2 displays on one computer with a second OS virtualized on the second screen would work too.

 

Shelley, they are pretty cheep nowadays. The issue is going to be finding a model identical to the one I currently have. I would not be able to use two different monitors that are different colors, shapes, angles, sizes or however else they come. They would need to be 100% identical and even or I'll go crazy.

Or I could just buy two brand new monitors and replace my current one.

 

If your computer is 5 years old or less, you just need to plug the two monitors into the back of the computer. At least on Window's based machines. If you do not have dual DVI outputs than plug one monitor into the analog VGA output and one into the DVI output. Most newer cards come with at least two DVI outputs these days.

I currently have a 19" widescreen monitor. I am looking to add a second 19" monitor and a 7.5" LCD to my setup. The 7.5" will be for things like Skype, MSN and Seesmic Desktop.

 

My next set up which is coming soon will have dual monitors!!! My IT guy uses this set up and it's NICE :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

 

I only have one spot to plug a monitor in. Probably a stupid question, but is there not some sort of adapter or hub I can acquire to turn my single monitor output into two?

Also, how do I know if my graphics card supports dual monitors?

FWIW, my PC was purchased in November of 2006.

 

You have onboard video or low profile shipped by the manufacturer? If its onboard video, then it will most likely only support one monitor. If you get a third-party card it will have at least two connections. Mine has 4 (DVI, VGA, Coaxle, and RGB Composite).

If you are not a gamer, than look for a card that is a generation or two old. This will cost you a lot less than newer cards and still support multiple monitors. My card is a 8800 GT and you can buy a Geforce 8000 series card for as low as $15.00 these days. I don't know of any adapters that would allow this. You'd get the same image on both monitors.

 

I got my main desktop off the shelf from Wal-Mart and has only 1 video out, it's nVidia powered but I'm not entirely sure it's not soldered to the mobo, haven't opened it up to look yet either.

Funny I was reading up on this the other day, some company makes an external piece of hardware that takes one video out and splits it into two. It does all the processing and stuff in that little box, it seem to be mostly used in high end environments and medical settings. The cost of the box is prohibitively expensive though some where around $500.

My next box is going to be either one of those new Intel i7's + 8 GB of RAM and Windows 7 64-bit or a pimped out iMac depending on how much I have to spend when I make the leap. I plan on turning my current box into a DVR / home server.

 

I have the NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE - which is what the computer shipped with.

Whatever you recommend for a graphics card, I will go with - I trust your advice as I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing in this field. I play a few games here-and-there so would like something nice. Nothing worse than what I have now.

So which specific card would you recommend and what all do I need (other than the card - if anything) to get this set up?

Thanks again; and pardon my ignorance here.