# single vs dual monitors and LR



## camner (Dec 30, 2013)

I found this thread fascinating...there's no end to the expertise of folks here, for which I'm very grateful.

I've always been a 1 monitor guy, but more and more people I know use 2 monitors.  I'm curious know, from those of you who use two monitors regularly with LR, how that works to improve workflow, and whether LR has been programmed in such a way that it's even practical to use LR with two monitors, since the panels don't seem to "disconnect."  I did find this Adobe blog post informative.


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## Replytoken (Dec 30, 2013)

There are numerous ways one can use two monitors to make working in LR easier and more pleasant.  For example, I sometimes use my second monitor to show a full image as I move through my library.  And, I often use it for comparison of images when I need to select one for PP.  I can also zoom into an image on one screen to examine detail while I have the full image on the other.  The possibilities are really endless.  If you have two monitors, give it a try for a week or two.  I suspect that you will find it useful.

--Ken


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## camner (Dec 31, 2013)

Thanks, Ken.

Thought not directly related to LR, I have a question re 2 monitor use.  Obviously both monitors cannot be directly in front of one.  How is ergonomically to be regularly looking "off center" in one direction (presumably one of the monitors gets more "eye time" than the other), particularly if the monitors are fairly large (say 24" or more)?


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## clee01l (Dec 31, 2013)

I use my dual monitors more now that I have Mavericks than when I was running ML. Dual monitors are more dynamic now with the top menu and the Dock available on both monitors. Also the second monitor acts like a second, (sometimes 3rd or 4th) desktop. 

In LR I keep one reserved for the "Secondary Window"  and with the image there at 100% (1:1) I am able to visually see the changes that I make in the Develop screen on the other monitor  This is especially good for brush tools that have a and overlay that hides the effect. 

When I shell out to Photoshop with the Edit-In function, PS opens on top of the Secondary Window and I have LR & PS visible at the same time. 

Sometimes I have this browser open on one monitor and LR on the other to check out instructions that I might be giving to people on lightroomqueen.com/community. 

Occasionally I run Win8 and I dedicate one monitor to that virtual machine while the other actively continues with LR Mail or my Chrome browser. 

Think of dual monitors as just a larger more expansive screen where before you needed to hide windows behind other windows, you now can display then side by side.

My dual 27" monitors are side by side and hinged slightly where they meet.  i have a swivel office chair  and with a slight turn of the chair, I am directly in front of either monitor (although each has an excellent viewing angle ~175°).


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## BobMc (Dec 31, 2013)

*One way to use two screens*

There are several ways to use two monitors. 

Just Google “Lightroom using two monitors” for multiple videos of ways they can be used.

I have used two monitors for years on a Lenovo W700ds laptop. By pulling the right edge of LR on to the right monitor, the right panel sits on the right screen so that in the Develop module, with the left panel closed, the image is dedicated to the left screen while the develop tools are all visible on the right screen.  Note in LR5 the “F” shortcut for fullscreen only effects the first screen giving full access to the Develop right panel while in fullscreen mode (best for Basic  panel, adjustment tools require going back to regular Loupe view)

Laptop w/ 2 screens



Desk top w/ 2 screens


In the desk top configuration I choose the two monitors around one particular property.  The short edge of the larger monitor has the same pixel count as the long edge a smaller monitor that can tilt vertical. (NEC  PA271W 2560 x 1440  and Samsung 19” SA450 Series 1440 x 900)  Note, when the second screen is used in the vertical mode, this gives the ability to drag LR across without any mismatch because of the pixel counts are the same and depending on the size of the second monitor the right panel is larger and easier to read.


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## camner (Dec 31, 2013)

Thanks for the tips.  I particularly admire the desktop configuration idea...I never would have thought of it!


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## Linwood Ferguson (Dec 31, 2013)

I have two desktop monitors, and do like BobMc, I think.  One, a 27", is horizontal and is my main screen.  I keep the lightroom grid on it.

The other is a 24" and is in portrait orientation right beside it.  When using lightroom, that is the secondary screen, and is showing the Loupe.

So as I edit or move through the grid, it stays in sync.  If I switch the main monitor to loupe as well, it means as I walk through shots, on landscape shots one monitor shows the image huge, on portraits the other.  Same is true on slideshow preview (which shows on both screens at once), you get the largest possible view just by watching both screens.

When editing, the loupe view shows the whole image, while I'm often zoomed in on the main screen (for any number of reasons).  Also, the secondary shows the impact of editing that is otherwise cluttered by artifacts on the main screen (e.g. in spot correction you have all the circles and arrows shown but on the simultaneous loupe on the other there is just the final result). 

Both monitors are similar (NEC's with hardware LUTS) and calibrated to the same standard so they match; I think it's important they match well if you are going to use them in this way.

It took a while to get used to this configuration for normal PC use, but I've come to like it - the portrait monitor is great for text editing (e.g. Word) as it is more like a sheet of paper.  I keep email over there while programming (etc) on the main screen.


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## BobMc (Dec 31, 2013)

I stumbled into that configuration.  When I got the laptop with two screens I got use to it with LR.  When I upgraded to the new desktop I had an aging CRT (Sony Artisan 21”), but it had a 4:3 aspect ratio and I got the 19” tilt screen to use with it.  When the CRT died and I started to look for a replacement I noticed the pixel ratios and picked the NEC 27” instead of the 30” to match the tilt screen I already had.  Works great.   Oh and it is less expensive than two large screens too. 

NEC PA271W 2560 27” *$859* and Samsung 19” SA450  19”  *$201
*
I only calibrate the NEC.


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