Dual Monitors

[tehybrid]

I always hear people say dual monitors are an editors dream. Why? I currently have dual monitors but im kinda meh about it. What set up should I be using to get the best out of it?

Thanks
Kevin

[bigbossbmb]

dual monitors = no or less shrunken down/overlapping windows

its a productivity thing.

[Grimace]

i never liked having the bezels in the middle of my field of view. A 30" solves that problem! :p

[mkrishnan]

I'd think one of the biggest reasons would be to have an output monitor on one screen and all the editing / timeline / etc tools on the other?

[Rasheem]

In FCP if you click windows>arrange you can see one normal dual editing use however i prefer my timeline and timeline viewer on one screen and my Viewer and Browser on my other screen. For color correcting i slightly modify the preset "dual screen color correcting" already in FCP

[Grimace]

In Aperture there are specific settings for 2 monitor operation. I found it very helpful at the time give that I full screen preview was "necessary".

[fivetoadsloth]

i have and love dual it lets me bu much more productive. I can fit muhc more in my viewable area and for amny applicatiosn you can stratch things across. It is really nice for final cut and many 3d apps as well as photoshop. Personally I really dont think ill be going back to one monitor for a long time.

[faustfire]

I find dual monitors especially helpful when doing pdf based tutorials, not flipping back and forth from the app to the tutorial is a real timesaver.

[BeefUK]

I find dual monitors especially helpful when doing pdf based tutorials, not flipping back and forth from the app to the tutorial is a real timesaver.

I agree they're excellent for reading info on one screen and then working on the other.

I have dual monitors in work, I don't use then for video editing, but instead programming it makes your day so much more productive as there's no flipping backwards and forwards.

[ChrisA]

I always hear people say dual monitors are an editors dream. Why? I currently have dual monitors but im kinda meh about it. What set up should I be using to get the best out of it?

Thanks
Kevin

The best reason to have two monitors is so that one of them can be a "Real" TV monitor so you can see what the show will look like. Put one of the viewers on that. This also frees up screen space.

[theWholeTruth]

More screen real estate is the obvious reason for dual monitors. When you're trying to edit a feature or long-form doc, you need that extra monitor for all those freakin' bins...!

For editing, the standard set-up is (for both AVID and FCP) to have viewing monitors and timeline on one monitor, bins on another. I have at least 5 presets for standard editing, FX editing, audio mixing, preview, etc.; with certain tools on the screen at all times.

The same idea can be applied to everyday use or other apps.

Someone mentioned that the best reason for dual monitors is so that one will used as a 'real' TV monitor. Wrong. A CRT monitor is used as a THIRD monitor to properly view the program, color correct, check titles and title safe, etc. Perhaps the person meant one computer monitor and one CRT monitor; but 2 computer monitors plus 1 CRT is standard for pros.

[tk421]

The best reason to have two monitors is so that one of them can be a "Real" TV monitor so you can see what the show will look like. Put one of the viewers on that. This also frees up screen space.

If you're using two computer monitors (which is what I assume everybody is referring to) than this is a bad idea.

Computer monitors don't look the same as a TV. There's no overscan, the pixel aspect ratio is different, and you're not really seeing the fields as they would appear. If you want a "real" TV monitor, buy an NTSC monitor (or PAL if you're using that). If that's too expensive, do what I did at home on my cheap system: hook up a real TV.

Edit: theWholeTruth posted just before me and caught this as well.