Sijun Forums :: View topic - Question for people with dual monitor setup

horstenpeter · Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2002 3:28 am

Since my old Geforce started giving up the ghost lately I had to invest into a new videocard. I went for the Matrox G550 since I knew I'd do dualhead some day anyways. And since I still had this old 13" monitor somewhere around the corner, I set it up right away. I wonder now, how do you use your dualhead setup ? I figure most of you have the image you're working on on one monitor, and the tools on the other one. How do you configure your tablet now ? Having it stretch all over two monitors cuts the part usable for painting in half basically and that is too much considering I'm using a Graphire. So, any suggestions ?

[ February 09, 2002: Message edited by: horstenpeter ]

ewiser · Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2002 6:09 am

I have my wacom set across both monitors as it gets to be in the way to change from pen to mouse when working. I have a 6x8 intous. You can set up your tablet to work just on the main monitor if you find that you like it better. It really is a matter of what works best for you. I keep palettes in the small monitor and image file in the main monitor. If you use painter you have to grab the enge of the application window and pull it over into your second monitor. Not all programs are as dual monitor friendly as Photoshop.

eyewoo · Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2002 1:57 pm

hahahahahahaha.... good point!!! LOL

BTW... took a look at your website... Like your landscapes... very nice work...

[ February 09, 2002: Message edited by: fleabrain ]

eyewoo · Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2002 12:39 am

I use a Wacom 9 x 12. You'll find somewhere in the Wacom setup screen an orientation option. I set mine to portrait, so I actually use my wacom turned 90 degrees clockwise. I also have one monitor on top of the other. With my Wacom in portrait orientation, the bottom part corresponds to the lower monitor (my drawing area) and the top part to the upper monitor... my resources...

With the tablet 90 degrees clockwise, I can have my monitors on top of each other, which saves space and still utilize the maximum real estate on the tablet. My effective drawing area becomes 6" x 9"

[ February 09, 2002: Message edited by: fleabrain ]

BlackPool · Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2002 12:48 am

I wouldn't advise this kind of set up for those of you who live in California--

horstenpeter · Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2002 2:12 am

Thanks for the advice everyone.

ewiser, yeah I tried switching between mouse / tablet but it gets tedious.

fleabrain, I had already wondered why you had that box around your monitor in that picture you did on your thread with your self-portrait. Now I know

Guess I'll have to invest into a larger tablet sooner or later if I want to use dualhead.

Blackpool, I agree with fleabrain, very nice work.

pops · Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2002 3:30 am

I have a dual monitor setup and use the wacom only on the main Sony monitor.
I have some thoughts on the wacom tablets.
1. if you use the default mapping on the wacom you will never be able to draw on it like you do with traditional tools.
Try this:
draw with a ruler 20 cm on your tablet horizontal and then again vertical.
Mesure on the screen the length of the 2 lines with a real life ruler. Normally you should have the same length on the screen for horizontal and vertical. Surprise, it is not...that means if you draw a rectangle on your tablet it will not be rectangle on the screen that way you will never have a accurate eye hand coordination.
The solution: adjust the mapping until the lines on screen are approx. the same lenght after mesuring with the real ruler.

2. Dispite what Wacom says about there stupid sheet of plastic over the tablet it is nothing alike a paper texture feeling. I solved this by laying a real sheet of drawing paper over the tablet,that way i have the same feeling, otherwise i have trouble with plastic, my pen slips to much over it.

I have addressed this several times to Wacom on trade shows, email etc. THEY JUST DONT UNDERSTAND IT! I guess they are not artist.

I asked them to add a programmable button in there software where i can switch to another mapping accessing the second monitor. That way i should just click the button on the tablet and have the mapping over to the second monitor.
They suggested i use the tablet in mouse moude,...sigh

This is my opinion, i guess it does'nt apply to others.

horstenpeter · Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2002 4:21 am

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it that you just have to set your Mapping / Aspect setting to "Proportional" instead of "To Fit" to correct that error you spoke of ? I just tried it and it seems to work.

eyewoo · Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2002 7:53 am

pops,

I use to put paper over the tablet as well, but I was going through tips like jelly beans. The paper acted like a fine sandpaper and wore them down very fast.

I switched to a gloved hand with all fingers cut out except for the pinkie. I use the covered pinkie to control slide on the plastic surface, no matter what the humidity or tempurature. When I sit down at my setup, the first thing I do is put on the glove....

The gloves I use are film editors white cloth gloves, used for handling film negatives while editing.

[ February 10, 2002: Message edited by: fleabrain ]

[ February 10, 2002: Message edited by: fleabrain ]

BlackPool · Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2002 1:28 pm

Thanks guys for your compliments. I apreciate it.

Novacaptain · Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2002 1:39 pm

I use 2 monitors and a graphire2.

What I think works best for me is having them both side-by side (working monitor on the left). The wacom settings are set as:

Mapping: Display1
Aspect: Proportional

since the graphire�s proportions are wider than that of a normal screen you will, with these settings, get the whole of the working screen and a slice (just enough to reach the most common tools) off the second display.

The wacom settings utility isn�t very hard to use and customizing your settings becomes easy after a few tries.

horstenpeter · Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2002 3:43 am

Novacaptain, that's quite a good idea, thanks a lot, I think that'll do fine

.

edraket · Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2002 2:40 am

Pops:

quote:
I asked them to add a programmable button in there software where i can switch to another mapping accessing the second monitor. That way i should just click the button on the tablet and have the mapping over to the second monitor.

So wouldn't that come down to the same thing as hitting Tab and having your tools appear on top of your painting?

Thats the way I work on my single screen setup and it works ok.

Blind · Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2002 2:45 pm

I have a question for you dual monitor guys: Don't you use the keyboard shortcuts? Being a single monitor person (for now - $$) I need to efficiently use as much of the screen real estate I can muster on my little 19" tube. I HATE seeing toolbars and palettes all over my screen, so I try and use the shortcuts as much as possible. Of course, sometimes you absolutely need to see your panels (working with layers, etc.), but not having to even get to those buttons sorta speeds things along, no? Then you can just have reference photo and colors, etc?

eyewoo · Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2002 2:55 pm

quote

Quote:

I have a question for you dual monitor guys: Don't you use the keyboard shortcuts?

Why use keyboard shortcuts on a dual monitor system??? I sure used them before dual... but little need afterward. One thing I discovered, which was unexpected, was a new way to use the "NAVIGATOR" window. Take a look at the photo of my setup a few posts above. On the top monitor, in a very big navigator window, I can always see the whole picture I'm working on, no matter how much I've zoomed in. That was a very cool discovery!!!

Novacaptain · Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2002 3:07 pm

heck, I wouldn't have gotten 2 monitors if i hadn't read Loki's page about hardware setup. I thought 17 inches single monitor was more than enough...

Now I'm a happy claustrophobic PS user

Thanks loki!

eyewoo · Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2002 1:55 pm

Blind... my misunderstanding... I thought you were refering to keyboard shortcuts specifically related to different palettes.

[ February 14, 2002: Message edited by: fleabrain ]

Blind · Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2002 12:57 am

Why use keyboard shortcuts? For selecting tools? I'm constantly switching between Zoom & Brush, and my palettes are usually turned off. So all I need do is reach over with my left hand and hit Z or B or whatever other tool I need. IMO, mousing over to the button is a bit of a pain on one monitor, much less over on another one. Why not just hit the shortcut and not have to move from where you were working?

eyewoo · Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2002 1:38 pm

Blind...

Trucking compnay near Phily... no, don't think so. She was a bicycle courier in Phila for several years.. She is my daughter, currently working as the Development Executive for Kevin Spacey's production company, Trigger Street Productions.

Re: stacking monitors... I've had no problems with any apps using that configuration...

Blind · Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2002 12:37 am

Flea: I always wondered whether or not a dual monitor setup would work vertically for me. My desk is of the corner variety, and my single monitor is wedged in the corner, so the space savings would be really nice. I see you've licked the problem as far as Photoshop is concerned by spinning your tablet (very neat trick, BTW). But how is it working with the rest of your apps like that? I do a lot of development work (gotta give the left-side of my brain something to do after all). Do you find it awkward working with the vertical setup in other apps? Does Windows (I'm assuming that's your OS) allow vertical stacking like that across monitors? Or are you mousing off the one side of the top monitor only to have the cursor appear on the opposite side of the bottom one?

On a comletely unrelated note: the woman in the picture with the yellow flowers/trees behind her looks very familiar to me. Did she ever work in a trucking company near Philly? First initial D?

[ February 15, 2002: Message edited by: Blind ]