PS CS — dual monitors, different resolutions — OPTIONS BAR problem

JB
Posted By
John_Blaustein
Dec 13, 2003
Views
892
Replies
28
Status
Closed
I’ve just installed PS CS on a dual monitor system. The primary monitor is a Sony 21" running at 1152×864. The second monitor is a Dell 17" running at 1024×768.

When I drag the Options Bar from the Primary to the Secondary monitor, it doesn’t resize to fit on the screen. What happens is that it’s too long to fit the smaller screen at the lower resolution, so it "hangs over" onto the first monitor. If I change the resolution of the second monitor to match the first, then it fits.

In PS 7.0.1, this worked fine. When the Options Bar was dragged to the secondary monitor, it resized to fit along the top of that monitor.

Can this be fixed? Am I missing something?

Windows XP Home
Matrox G450 using Matrox XP Certified Driver

Thank you.

John

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QP
Q_Photo
Dec 13, 2003
I’m not sure about this, but give it a try. RIGHT click on desktop. Left click PROPERTIES. Left click SETTINGS. Left click on your second monitor in DISPLAY PROPERTIES. and drag up or down slightly, and release. Click APPLY. If it does what you wish click OK. If this doesn’t work simply rest everything to where you started.
JB
John_Blaustein
Dec 13, 2003
Thanks, Q Photo…

Unfortunately, that didn’t work. The Options Bar is still too wide to fit onto the second monitor.

Anyone else?

John
JB
John_Blaustein
Dec 13, 2003
I now notice that the File Browser can not be moved to the second monitor. I don’t have PS 7.0.1 on my PC anymore, but as I recall, the File Browser could be moved the second monitor. Also, I notice that the File Browser does not close when you click off of it as it did in PS 7.

John
AP
Andrew_Pietrzyk
Dec 13, 2003
John,

Options Bar seems to work the same for me in PS7 and 8.0.

With two tabs or less in palette well when I drag it onto 1024×768 monitor it fits. Three or more and it gets “hangover”.

Try this. With Options Bar on large monitor pull everything out of Palette Well, drag it to smaller screen then start docking whatever you need. This should keep OB sized properly for 1024×768 screen.

Andrew
JB
John_Blaustein
Dec 13, 2003
Andrew,

That did it! Thanks.

Am I correct that the File Browser in PS 7 could be moved to the second monitor?

John
DM
dave_milbut
Dec 13, 2003
john, in 7 the browser could be docked in the well on the 2nd monitor. i’ve not found a way to get 8 to put the browser there. that’s the one change about the browser that i DON’T like. (Please Adobe! Make it dockable to the palette well again!)
AP
Andrew_Pietrzyk
Dec 13, 2003
I’m glad it worked for you John.

Am I correct that the File Browser in PS 7 could be moved to the second monitor?

In 7 you could have it docked to Palette Well and run on second monitor from there.

Edit: remember that FB in PS8.0 is color managed so it makes more sense that it belongs on main (calibrated) monitor.

Andrew
ND
Nick_Decker
Dec 13, 2003
Try this. With Options Bar on large monitor pull everything out of Palette Well, drag it to smaller screen then start docking whatever you need. This should keep OB sized properly for 1024×768 screen.

Hey, nice one, Andrew. That’s the way it’s working over here.

John, I just checked and I’m not able to move the File Browser onto the second monitor with PS 7.01 or PS CS. Not sure I’m understanding you when you say "I notice that the File Browser does not close when you click off of it as it did in PS 7." In both versions, I have to either close it via the File menu, or via "X".

Nick
DM
dave_milbut
Dec 13, 2003
there’s now (in 8) a button next to the pallete well that toggles the browser on and off.
JB
John_Blaustein
Dec 13, 2003
Andrew… Your right about the FB being color managed and therefore belonging in the main monitor window. Good point.

Nick… in PS 7, if you have the FB docked in the Palette Well and then open it from there, it will close when you click anywhere out of it. However, if you have the FB set for Show in Separate Window, then it requires clicking the X to close. If it’s set for Show in Separate Window, then it’s not in the Palette Well. That’s what I’m seeing, anyway. (Sometimes I think we don’t all see the same things because of differences in configurations.)

Dave… I like the little Toggle FB button in the Options Bar. Nice touch!

John
ND
Nick_Decker
Dec 13, 2003
John,

in PS 7, if you have the FB docked in the Palette Well and then open it from there, it will close when you click anywhere out of it.

Yup, I remember that now. I think that’s why I didn’t like using it out of the Palette Well in PS 7. Too easy to click in the wrong place and make it disappear. <g> I like the Toggle button in CS better, now that I’m used to it.
QP
Q_Photo
Dec 14, 2003
John B.,
Sorry about my misinformation. I didn’t understand that you wished to MOVE the options bar. I thought you were EXTENDING it onto 2nd monitor. My mistake, your post was clear, my head, not so clear. By the way, I have no problem placing browser on second monitor in CS. Yes, toggle button is cool.
DM
dave_milbut
Dec 14, 2003
I have no problem placing browser on second monitor in CS

true, IF you stretch the app across both monitors.
JB
John_Blaustein
Dec 14, 2003
Q Photo… no problem.

Dave… for some reason, I can’t find a way to put the FB on my second monitor. I have the Options Bar there and working the way I want it to (thanks to Andrew). In addition, I have all of my palettes on the second monitor. When I click the toggle button on the Options Bar for the FB, it opens on the main (larger) monitor. I can size it very small, but I still can’t drag it to the second monitor. Go figure. In fact, I’m fine using it on the main monitor, but it’s odd I can’t get it to work the way you do.

John
DM
dave_milbut
Dec 14, 2003
does the main app itself stretch across both screens? that’s what you need to do before the FB will work on the 2nd monitor. I hate working like that, so the browser stays on the 1st (21" nokia crt) and all the palettes and the option bar go on the 2nd (15" nec lcd).
IL
Ian_Lyons
Dec 14, 2003
Edit: remember that FB in PS8.0 is color managed so it makes more sense that it belongs on main (calibrated) monitor.

Assuming you have a graphics card with the appropriate feature you can calibrate both monitors and Photoshop will honour both. This means that so long as the image is placed on one or other (not spread across both) it will be displayed correctly.

Am I correct that the File Browser in PS 7 could be moved to the second monitor?

With 7 it could – with it CS it can’t. FB in CS is a completely different animal. BTW: I don’t see Adobe going back to the way it was in 7.

To auto close FB when opening an image (or multiple images) you should hold down the ALT key whilst double clicking the image(s).
IL
Ian_Lyons
Dec 14, 2003
FB in CS is a completely different animal. BTW: I don’t see Adobe going back to the way it was in 7.

Next time I’ll read what I write before hitting the "Post Message" button 🙁

I meant that I don’t see Adobe going back to a dockable version of the File Browser. As for placing the FB on a second monitor that IS supported on the Mac platform and I can’t recall any reason why it shouldn’t be on the PC. Actually I thought it was. Are you sure that the problem isn’t down to using a low res setting (i.e. 1024 by 768) on your primary display.

As I mentioned above CM is supported by FB. In fact on the Mac platform the FB will generate a whole new set of previews when the FB is dragged to the second display. This ensures that colour accuracy is maintained on both displays.
TM
Thomas_Madsen
Dec 14, 2003
Assuming you have a graphics card with the appropriate feature you can calibrate both monitors and Photoshop will honour the ICC profile for each (at the same time).

What graphic card has that feature and what is the feature called? Doesn’t it require two graphic cards to achieve that on the Windows platform?


Regards
Madsen.
IL
Ian_Lyons
Dec 14, 2003
Thomas,

It should be possible with any card with dual outputs (dual head is one name given to this type of card). So long as the card supports separate video LUT for each output it should be capable of allowing each display to be calibrated independently.
DM
dave_milbut
Dec 14, 2003
To auto close FB when opening an image (or multiple images) you should hold down the ALT key whilst double clicking the image(s).

thanks ian. good to know.

Actually I thought it was. Are you sure that the problem isn’t down to using a low res setting (i.e. 1024 by 768) on your primary display.

doesn’t seem to be. my 2nd monitor is running at it’s native 1280×1024.

if I’m wrong about this, i’d appreciate someone from adobe pointing out how to get the browser over there. i don’t like it when the image covers it up when it needs to remain on monitor 1.
TM
Thomas_Madsen
Dec 14, 2003
Ian,

I have a tripleheaded Matrox Parhelia graphic card but I can’t choose different profiles for each output in Windows (XP). If I change the profile for output 1, output 2 changes accordingly or vice versa. Maybe it’s because the Parhelia card only have one LUT, but then I wonder who’s making a dual headed graphic card with more than one LUT. I don’t think that neither ATI nor Nvidia has more than one LUT in their "consumer cards" either, but maybe I’m wrong.

It’s possible to assign different profiles to each output on the Parhelia with the Coloreal software though, but I must admit that I don’t like it. It should be possible to assign different profiles to each output directly at system level, or whatever it’s called in English (directly in Windows without the need of third party software).


Regards
Madsen.
IL
Ian_Lyons
Dec 14, 2003
Thomas,

Since I don’t run a Matrox card these days I can’t really offer much more help. However, a search of the forum using "dual monitor" turned up the following, which may be of interest to you:

Daryl Pritchard "Photoshop recommended video adapters" 11/29/03 12:02am </cgi-bin/webx?13/1>

Jerry Jensen "calibrate dual-monitor setup with LCD and CRT / Gamma setting" 11/20/03 7:49pm </cgi-bin/webx?13/0>

According to the WinXP Help and Support docs different colour settings can be used for each monitor.
TM
Thomas_Madsen
Dec 14, 2003
Ian,

Thanks. I’ll take a look at the links you provided.


Regards
Madsen.
JB
John_Blaustein
Dec 15, 2003
Ian…

Thanks for that cool tip about Alt double-clicking in the FB to close the FB as it opens an image.

I’ve played with different resolutions on the second monitor and the FB just won’t go there. While that might be nice, I’d not call this a disaster.

John

(P.S. Did the river again in September. Same old, same old!)
SB
Scott_Byer
Dec 15, 2003
Can’t – not without entending the parent MDI window to both monitors. Wish you could, but it just didn’t get done.

-Scott

if I’m wrong about this, i’d appreciate someone from adobe pointing out
how to get the browser over there. i don’t like it when the image covers it up when it needs to remain on monitor 1.
DM
dave_milbut
Dec 17, 2003
Wish you could, but it just didn’t get done.

does that imply that it MIGHT get done sometime in the future? 🙂
SB
Scott_Byer
Dec 17, 2003
does that imply that it MIGHT get done sometime in the future? 🙂

Yes, or something better.

-Scott
DM
dave_milbut
Dec 20, 2003
<Mr. Burns rubbing hands together>Eeeexcellent</Burns>

🙂

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