CS4 does not support 2 monitors

[Craig]

Here is what a dummy I am.

I have been using my Macbook Pro for photo editing, many times on it's own and most of the time hooked up to my Mitsu Diamond Pro 20" CRT monitor.

So I often wondered why I was having problems getting good prints. Colors off, sometimes coming out dark, etc.

First I found out that the laptop 6 bit screen is no good for color correction, 2nd my CRT is old and cannot be calibrated correctly, all along I thought it was and 3rd, when I was editing photos using my CRT and photoshop, PS was using the profile from my laptop. NO stinking way was I going to get good color correction like that.

I did figure out what to do. Maybe someone knows a better way.

I played with a new HP 2475 like crazy clailbrating it but when viewing pictures on it in PS and comparing I could not get good results, because of the wrong monitor profile being used. So what I did on my MBP in the display program I just made the external monitor the profile for the laptop and then PS would use it for the 2nd monitor.

Why I never heard anything about this or anyone else on these forums or others menitioning this problem beats me.

So hear is one. If you buy say a NEC 90 series moniter with the built in LUT tables, internal calibration, since it is not storing the profile in the laptop should I be able to get PS to work on the 2nd monitor?

Am I clear on this??

 

[PenguinPhotoCo]

CS4 isnt' the problem.

What are you using to calibrate? Some (most) calibration hw/sw won't do two monitors. So you need one that will.

Then you have to consider your laptop - is it capable of running two monitors with seperate profiles? Again, most cannot - they just have lower end video cards and there's not much you can do about it.

I've got this problem with my laptop but none of my desktops (4 of them) as long as I'm not sticking with the integrated video cards.

--
If I knew how to take a good picture I'd do it every time.

 

[Craig]

Uh..... well anyone else like a go at it?

 

[dik]

Using Macbeth iOne, MBP +23" Apple Cinema display.
Eye-One Match 3 software.

Put the Match 3 window on the monitor you want to calibrate, calibrate, then name profile appropriately and save.
Do the same for the other monitor.

In system preferences, displays, check that each monitor is set to the correct profile.

Have you been profiling your monitors with the window on the wrong monitor?

 

[Craig]

I use eye1 D2 latest version 3.62 software.
I know how to profile both monitors correctly thats not the problem.

When you use PS CS4 for example and I am on my Laptop hooked up to a bigger monitor like a nice 24" to edit my pictures on, I move the PS window to that monitor, So you think hey, I have PS in the 2nd monitor so it is using it's profile, correct?

NOT!!!! it is using my laptops profile. You go into edit/color settings, then hold down RGB and a drop down window appears, the 4th box down you will see Monitor, and it will show which profile it is using to manage colors.

The only way I know is to insert the 2nd monitor's profile in the Display settings on the Laptop so that in effect the Laptop is using the 2nd monitor's profile too. Understand?

So for a very long time I have been editing with the wrong profile in PS.
I don't understand why you can't set the profiles directly in PS..

I sent an email to Adobe about this and they said. "CS4 is not set up to do dual monitors.

Duhh,, Any more thoughts on this?

 

[PenguinPhotoCo]

You lost me at some point...now bear with me as I've only been using PS since version 4...

The purpose of calibrating a monitor is so that 'reddish blue' appears the same on screen as it does in print, on your screen the same as mine, etc.

So if you have an image displayed on your laptop or the 24", 'redding blue' will appear the same color/shade on both.

I've never set a profile in PS/CS, ever, for anything, other than the colorspace setting for sRGB...and I've never had an issue with color, ever. I currently work with 4 different labs on a regular basis as well as many other printers for postcards, brochures, catalogs, books and many other things - and I've never had a color issue...

Dragging a window from one monitor to another will not affect the color of the image, but it affect what you see as the color.

So you've lost me. If you have a profile for the file you're editing then it will be saved with the file - and never look right on any other output device. I know many folks that print for themselves that load an ICC profile for the printer/paper they'll be using, but I've never heard of anyone loading a profile in CS for their monitor...

The only time i've had an issue is with my laptop because while it can run dual monitors it can only hold 1 profile at a time - so both monitors will use the same profile and yes, they'll be different.

--
If I knew how to take a good picture I'd do it every time.

 

[dik]

Craig, I think that's the Photoshop working space, not the profile the monitor is using.

 

[Craig]

HuH? ok explain. Did you look at the color profiles like I said in PS?

PS is color managed so it when you view images inside it, I believe that it is using the Monitor's color space of the Main system, such as my laptop

So it is rendering colors based on the calibration of the profile in that Monitor section.

What else do you mean?

 

[dik]

My admittedly limited understanding, is that the Photoshop working space and monitor display profiles are separate and independent.

Do you have a custom profile for each monitor set in System Preferences?
Does the same image look nearly the same on both monitors?
Is it the same when using Photoshop?

 

[Craig]

To be honest I am not 100% sure but I think I do have it correct.

I have to monitor profiles set for each monitor. When I run two displays, like my MBP laptop when I open the display windows, one window opens on the laptop and another window opens on the 2nd display and you open up the color window and you can see that each monitor is using that profile.

If you have to monitors that are close as far as type, etc then when you move the PS window from one to the other you will probably not see much difference, however because my laptop has a different white point, 7000 compared with the 2nd monitor at 6500 plus different types of displays when you move the window back and forth I can see a big difference in color, etc. So that got the wheels turning and I spent a lot of time examining this issue.

So I used the profile from my 2nd monitor in the laptops, then opened up the color preferences in PS and saw that profile under Monitor and when I moved PS shop back in forth with an Image open it was close to the same.

Now using the 2nd monitor's profile is not good for the laptop's color but at least I got to use my 2nd display for good color correction..

 

[dik]

I don't quite follw you, but, I am using a MacBookPro (2008) and Apple 23" LCD.
Each monitor is profiled to the same settings using EyeOne Match 3.
Monitors are set to extend desktop (not mirror).

When I open a file in PsCS4 and drag it so that part of it is on each monitor, it is a different color, but close.

If I change a display's profile in system preferences, the appearance of the image in PsCS4 on that monitor changes.
Is that how your system works?
Try making a fresh set of profiles using the same settings for each monitor.

 

[Craig]

I am using a laptop as my main machine, so it's calibration is obviously much different than a nice 8 bit LCD monitor. There is no way I will get them close, so it's important that I use the right profile for photo editing on the good 2nd monitor.

When you select the working color space in PS, lets say sRGB that is different from the monitor profile. It's using the right monitor profile while you are woking in PS on the 2nd monitor.

 

[Tom Ferguson]

Craig, are you worrying about this setting (this is a CS3 screenshot) in the select an RGB workspace:



If so, don't worry about there only being one monitor listed. Yep, in this specific instance Adobe ignores the second monitor. Well, "ignore" is too strong a word.... it doesn't offer to let you select your second monitor profile as a working space..... which would be a very silly thing to do!

If you go far enough back in time, think Photoshop 2 or 3, folks did use a monitor profile as a workspace. It was a bad plan, but folks wanted the option. What you see next to the red arrow is (I assume) a leftover from those practices. Selecting your monitor profile here would be a very bad choice, being worried that you can't select your second monitor profile is just wasting your time!

Color management folks seem to fall into two categories: "thinkers" and "believers".

My god-kids ran a short lived wedding photography biz. They were pretty good, but had little tolerance for bridezillas. They (twins) were color management "believers". They asked me what settings to use, set them, and NEVER gave it another thought (beyond calibrating the screen every 3 months). You don't seem to be a "believer"... you seem to be a:

"Thinkers" (like me!) NEED to know the hows and whys. That is not a simple thing in today's computers and cameras. It will be a very frustrating thing to learn on a web board, for two reasons:

You'll get it in disconnected bit and pieces

You'll get lots of mis-information and/or mis-understandings from well intentioned folks. These well intentioned folks will be hard to tell from the actual knowledgeable folks (heck, I could be feeding you bad stuff!).

So, for "thinkers" like you and me (who have to work far harder than "believers" just to achieve the identical results!) let me suggest some more organized reading. I like "Digital Dog". Most of his writings are available as free PDF downloads:

http://www.digitaldog.net/

Lot of folks also like Fraser's book:

http://www.amazon.com/World-Color-Management-Bruce-Fraser/dp/0201773406

Hope that helps

--
Tom Ferguson
http://www.ferguson-photo-design.com

 

[Craig]

Tom, yes that's the place.

However it is not the working space, sRGB is my working space I am not selecting the monitor's profile for that.

I do believe PS is using my laptop's profile when I view it in the 2nd monitor.

I don't know how to explain it any better.

Thanks for the other info I will check it out.

 

[dik]

Your belief that Photoshop is using your laptop's profile for your second monitor is wrong.

Photoshop does not determine what profile will be used by a monitor, the Operating System does.

Prove it to yourself by opening an image in Photoshop and then opening System Preferences> Displays> Color. Change the profile for each monitor and watch the color change.

The workspace selection in Photoshop is not where display profiles are applied to the signal sent to the monitors.

 

[Craig]

Have you used Firefox 3.5?
To make it color managed what do you have to do?

You have to take the profile from your monitor and put it in that add on program to get it to work.

Same thing for PS. You have to use the appropriate monitor profile so it too can be color managed.. This has nothing to do with it's color working space.