# Multiple Monitors/Profiles on W7-64 machine



## Replytoken (Nov 23, 2011)

Now that I have a Display Port adapter and and HDMI cable, I would like to hook up a second monitor to my laptop in addition to the external monitor that I currently have hooked up with a VGA cable.  On my last laptop running XP Pro, Lenovo had some ThinkVantage Presentation Manager software that made it very easy to associate monitor profiles with specific monitors.  I would create a prifile with my Spyder2 Express, rename the profile, and then associate it with a specific monitor.  My new Lenovo laptop does not have this software, so I am left with using Windows Display settings, and possibly Intels graphic properties options since the laptop has on-board graphics.

So, here is the issue, I have successfully created monitor profiles with the Spyder2 Express for the laptop display and each of the two external monitors.  And, while I have been able to change their names in Windows Explorer so I can identify each profile, I have not been able to get the OS to properly load the respective profile with each monitor.  Sometimes it loads the correct profile with the correct monitor, and sometimes it loads one profile for both monitors.  I have reviewed which profile is associated with which monitor in the Color Management settings, but its not clear that any of this is taking hold as it should.  Any suggestions?  I sometimes want to use just one external monitor, and there are times when I want to use both external monitors.  But, I always want the correct profile loaded with the correct monitor so I can do color-critical work with my images.  This should not be that difficult.

Thanks,

--Ken


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## Hal P Anderson (Nov 23, 2011)

Ken,

On Windows XP, I was able to download a Color Control Panel Applet from Microsoft that lets me specify a different colour profile for each monitor. I'm given to believe that such an applet comes with Win 7. It ought to live in the Control Panel under the name Color Management. 

Hal


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## Replytoken (Nov 23, 2011)

Hal P Anderson said:


> Ken,
> 
> On Windows XP, I was able to download a Color Control Panel Applet from Microsoft that lets me specify a different colour profile for each monitor. I'm given to believe that such an applet comes with Win 7. It ought to live in the Control Panel under the name Color Management.
> 
> Hal



Hi Hal,

That was what I used in XP and it worked really well.  The color management app in the W7 control panel is a bit of a mystery.  It seems to identify each profile with each monitor, but I am not fully certain that it is not just loading the last profile it used.  The laptop seems to load with its profile when it is selected and the external monitors are not on.  And my first external monitor which I switched from VGA to DVI seems to load with its profile when it is the primary monitor.  Its the second monitor that I added to the system, via VGA, that is giving me concern.  It is going to be my primary monitor, and when it boots up, it seems like it may be loading two profiles.  Two profiles flash across my task bar instead of one, and neither one will display the profile on my screen like the computer does when only one profile is loading.  Thus, I am not fully sure it is loading its profile, or if it is loading the profile of the other external monitor.  Perhaps the system is loading both, and keeping track of which belongs to which monitor, but that seems odd as this behavior does not happen if the other monitor is primary and used exclusively.  Very confusing!

--Ken


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## Hal P Anderson (Nov 23, 2011)

Ken,

How do the colours look in colour-managed apps on the various monitors? I guess that would be the real test of whether the correct profiles are being loaded for each.

Just in  : I found a forum entry on dpReview.com that says the color management app on Win 7 works and gives a way to prove it actually assigns separate profiles to each monitor.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1004&message=36168854

Here's the important paragraph:
_"If you want to test whether the LUT loader is working, you can use a  test profile with gamma = 1. This will make the display appear very flat  and washed out. Apply it to only one of the displays at a time to test  whether each display is using a separate LUT. I don't remember where I  downloaded it, but here's a gamma = 1 test profile:
_
http://www.ethervizion.com/post/gamma1_for_testing.icm    "

Hal


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## Replytoken (Nov 23, 2011)

Hal,

Thank you for both links!!  I did not have as much success/luck as you when I did a search.  I will read the linked thread this afternoon.  As far as eyeballing it, I guess I am lucky.  Both of my NEC monitors are quite close to normal, so the changes are very subtle.  I wish I could say the same for my laptop.  I do not know who calibrates Lenovo's screens, but they always crank the blues to "11". :bluegrin:

--Ken


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## Replytoken (May 23, 2012)

Hal P Anderson said:


> Ken,
> 
> How do the colours look in colour-managed apps on the various monitors? I guess that would be the real test of whether the correct profiles are being loaded for each.
> 
> ...



I realize I am reviving an old thread, but I am only now getting around to addressing this issue as I was unable to do much work on my computer for the past few months.  I took Hal's advice and tried to test what is being loaded, but the results were a bit inconclusive.  It seems that the profile of one monitor is being loaded for both machines, and what is even stranger is when I have Windows control the LUT, it does not load the profile that I set as default.  I am not sure what is controlling what, but I would love to get this resolved, as I am now finding that having a second monitor will be useful as I try and catch up on some past projects.  Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

--Ken


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## Replytoken (May 23, 2012)

OK, after spending some additional time troubleshooting this "problem", I am not going to ask questions as we seem to have made peace.  The computer I am using is a Lenovo T420 laptop with integrated graphics and both VGA and DVI ports.  And, it turns out that for things to work properly, or at least appear to work properly, the DVI monitor must be the primary monitor with the desktop.  If that is the case, each monitor shows that it loaded its Spyder2 Express profile correctly.  If the VGA monitor is set as the primary monitor with desktop, then the calibration notifications for both monitors appears on the DVI monitor rather than each notification appearing on the respective monitor.  I have confirmed this behavior by switching cables, but cannot explain why this is happening.  And, at this point, I am going to accept things as they are and move on.

--Ken


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## AlexanderK (Jun 3, 2012)

Hi.

*About configuring W7*

Open start menu, type 'color' into the search box and one of the results should be 'Color Management'.

On the 'Devices' tab make sure that every display device has *only *the correct profile associated with it (each device can have multiple profiles; one is marked '(default)').

*About diagnostics*
Get two programs from X-Rite:

1. Calibration Tester
http://www.xritephoto.com/ph_product_overview.aspx?ID=1461&Action=Support&SoftwareID=546

This will show if a profile has been loaded. It also allows to reset the LUT and save-load values.

2. Display Profile
http://www.xrite.com/product_overview.aspx?ID=1007&Action=Support&SoftwareID=539

Displays currently loaded profile and allows to load a different one.

*My experience*
My calibration software came with a program called 'CalibrationLoader.exe'. It's originally meant to be run automatically on startup to load the default profile for each display. But as I discovered that sometimes after waking from sleep the LUT-s had been reset, I shortcut-ed that program to my desktop.

I'm not sure if following is the case for Lenovo laptops only (I've got a Lenovo laptop) or Intel display management software in general, but in some version the Intel management software (aka tray icon) would wipe the slate clean after WCS (Windows Color System) had loaded the correct profiles. I just reinstalled my system and I have no problems with the drivers System Update got from Lenovo.


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## Replytoken (Jun 4, 2012)

AlexanderK,

Welcome to the forum!  And thank you for the links to the diagnostic programs.  Things seem OK now, but my 2090UXi seems a bit darker than my 20WMGX2, even thought each seems to be loading their correct profiles.  While they are both IPS panels, the latter is S-IPS and is also a glossy screen.  I do not expect them to ever match perfectly, but I need to better understand how each relates to printed output from labs.  Thankfully, they are reasonably close to each other, so as long as the work is not absolutely color critical, I should be OK until I have a better handle on things.

Thanks,

--Ken


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