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When you use multiple monitors, Windows spreads your desktop across the monitors. When using an editing program like Premiere Pro, this becomes extremely advantageous because you can spread all the palettes and windows out.
Using Dual Monitors Effectively
Whether you need to hook up a projector to your laptop for a PowerPoint presentation, or extend your desktop to cover a wider viewable area, the need to set up Dual Monitors is an increasingly common one. Most all consumer level video cards are Dualhead cards, which allows you to use two monitors.
Why use Dual Monitors?
Using Dual Monitors will increase your Windows Desktop space and allow you to work more efficiently with all the many palettes and windows found in various software programs. This also allows you to avoid the clutter of having too many windows or programs open at once. All of our favorite editing applications like Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Xpress Pro, Canopus Edius Pro all support dual monitors, and even encourage it. Using a single monitor to edit means that every time you need an effect you have to go looking. With dual monitors you can have instant access to what you need.
Of course, there are more advantages to dual monitors than just video editing. I was just speaking to a customer recently who said, "I get frustrated now when I'm on my other computers with single monitors. With programs like Photoshop it's so great to have all the palettes out of the way on the second monitor." Another nice use of dual monitors is the ability to have multiple programs running fullscreen simultaneously.
So, how do I set up dual monitors?
In a Windows environment, the set up is mostly typical. You may get some minor differences depending on what video card you are using.
· First, with your workstation powered off, hook up your two monitors into the two available monitor ports. Depending on what
type of monitors and video card you’re using, you may need a
DVI to VGA adapter.
· Next, power on your workstation.
· When windows loads to your desktop, right click on any empty space on your desktop. A new window should pop up. In the new window, click on the word “properties”. (Note: You can also get here by going to Start-> Settings-> Control Panel-> Display) screen shot
· A new window should open up called “Display Properties”. In this window, click on the settings tab. screen shot
· The Settings tab should display box 1 and box 2. These numbered boxes represent your two monitors. Click on the box with the number 2 on it, representing your inactive monitor.
· Adjust the resolution of monitor 2 so that it matches that of monitor 1.
· Then put a check in the box labeled “Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor”
· Click the “Apply” button in the lower right corner of the display properties window.
· Your 2nd monitor should now be activated, allowing you to drag windows and icons to that monitor.
The interaction between your two monitors can be adjusted for ease of use. If you two monitors are not the same size, you may want the resolutions to be different. Also, you can adjust the relative positions of monitor 1 and 2 by sliding the numbered boxes around to represent how your monitors are actually set up on your desk.
So, how do I get dual monitors?
Well, there are two ways to get your computer to work with multiple
monitors. You can use a DualHead video card or you can use multiple
video cards in your machine. Both method have their pros and
cons.
DualHead Video Cards
Most video cards made by companies such as
Matrox,
ATI, or
nVidia
have dual monitor capabilities.
This is the easiest way to set up dual monitors on your
computers. you just install the card in your system and voila,
your set to go. The downside is that not all the dualhead cards
properly support overlay, which means they don't work well with
video editing. Also, since the computer only sees one "widescreen"
video card most the dialog boxes will pop up right in the middle
with half being on each monitor -- an annoyance at best.
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Pros |
Inexpensive |
Cons |
Not all cards support Overlay |
|
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Easy to setup |
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Dialog boxes are not handled well |
Multiple Video Cards
With this method you use an AGP
video card for your primary monitor and a PCI video card for
your secondary display. Using dual video cards lets you use the
top-of-the-line AGP card in your system. And, almost any PCI
video card will work for the second monitor. Dialog boxes work
as expected. The main disadvantage is the expense and the loss
of a PCI slot. Also, I have seen slightly different color, even
with video cards from the same manufacturer.
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Pros |
You can use the AGP video card
you want to use. |
Cons |
Expensive
More difficult to install |
|
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Dialog boxes work correctly |
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Takes up additional PCI slot |
Setting Up More Than Two Monitors
With the rapid progress of technology, more people are finding uses for more than two monitors. One of the leading manufactures producing multiple monitor cards is Matrox. They have products ranging from dual monitor cards, to products that let you have an entire wall of monitors working together to produce one large picture.
For a more detailed breakdown of multiple monitor solutions that would work for you needs, please visit the
Matrox product page.
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