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View Full Version : To answer Heather's question:


Kinetix
02-03-2007, 06:00 AM
I'm looking into getting a 21' LCD 8ms refresh and at a decent price (finally) but I do alot of photo work and I want to keep using my CRT for post-processing because "I" feel what I see on a CRT more closely matches what I get out of printing. People have argued this with me till they were blue in the face over LCD vs. CRT for photography, it's personal preferance, just leave it at that.

So my question is how can I do this? Can I run the CRT off to the side as one of thoose keen gear slaved screens? Will it matter that they are not the same model? Or should I use something like a A/B/C Black Box switch? Next question... and this is probably a long shot since few people use screen calibrators, if I ran it slaved can I use two different calibration settings?

I have a 9800 pro and I'm not planning on upgrading the card anytime soon. Can that card run slaved monitors? I could probably find that out myself but since I'm here already :D


Setting up two monitors is a LOT easier than you think it is.

The back of your video card has two ports, one VGA(blue) and one DVI(white).
If you have a CRT and a Flatpanel with a DVI port: just plug both in.
If you have 2 VGA monitors: buy a DVI to VGA adapter at any local computer store (they should be around $5.)

Once you plug both monitors in, Windows will automatically recognize the second (one plugged into the DVI port.) You can then right click the desktop, properties, settings tab and drag your monitors to show offset, or change which is left and right. You can also change each resolution here seperately.

With two monitors, it's basically like having a wide desktop where a window can maximize to either monitor. You will not run programs in the middle, you'll run on one with space for other things on the other. (For example, I run programs and games on the left, and browse websites and chat on the right.)

Different models, or even types of monitor do not matter.

No special switch is needed.

I have no clue about calibration.

That answer your questions?

Heather
02-03-2007, 02:53 PM
Hey thanks! Seperate resolutions are going to be so cool!

Personally I think a screen calibrator is something more people should look into. You wouldn't believe the difference it makes. I mean I got it for photography, but love it for everything... games, video, solves any contrast problems. I noticed it right away in COH, I used to have my gamma set wicked high because I had my contrast pushed on my monitor making shadows voids in space where all of a sudden you could be smacked around by that unseen mob. Also I'd wind up printing like ten copies of the same pic because I couldn't match the color from my screen to the prints, highly frustrating and costly.

With the calibrators (one for the screen, one for the printer) what I see is what I print and colors are beautiful.

if any one is interested this is my setup....
Spyder2 screen cal (http://www.colorvision.com/product-mc-s2s.php)
Printer Cal (http://www.colorvision.com/product-pp-pfp.php)
Epson Printer (http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/consumer/consDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=53540920)