How Do I Build a dual monitor rig for Photoshop?

[Hank]

Gentlemen,
I am a semi-professional photographer and its time that I build a dual monitor system that is suitable for my needs. I use Photoshop extensively and I must have the ability to calibrate my monitors. Monitor 1 is an Eizo Flex Scan for editing photos. Monitor 2 is for general web surfing, playing video board games and MS Office applications.
From what I’ve read, the only true way of calibrating monitors separately is having two graphics cards-one for each monitor. I’m also confused on a suitable motherboard, hardrive(S), RAM, etc. I would be eternally grateful if you could recommend a good, quiet and reliable set-up for my purposes. Thank you! Hank

[RickyTick]

Wish I could offer some help. I can only refer you to Google to search around. Maybe someone else here will have some advice.
Best of luck.

[zburns]

Hello Hank and welcome to the forums.

Your computer components are easy to specify. I will have to do a some research on the monitor calibration. Below are some webpages on the subject. The first URL is the 'google' page for the remainder of the list. The last one with Cambridge in the name is familiar for some reason. I will look thru these tomorrow and get back to you. There are some additional questions (or talking points) after the list.

http://www.google.com/search?q=LCD+monitor+calibration&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb
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http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/
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http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-online-tools-calibrate-monitor/
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http://www.wikihow.com/Calibrate-Your-Monitor
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http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/monitor-calibration.htm
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Other questions. Do you plan to use both monitors at the same time for Photoshop, same client, same set of photos, etc.. If so, I assume you will have on both monitors images from the same 'client' or the same set of photos. That being the case, not only is it mandatory to calibrate both monitors for all necessary parameters, but I would think you would want to be able to use 'a light meter type instrument' to verify that both monitors are putting out the same primary colors as well as the same brightness, contrast, etc..

Assuming the above is true, it would probably be best for both monitors to be the same model and manufacturer so that (theoretically) there would not be any differences in the individual monitor LCD screen. If this is not possible, you probably can get very close to the same calibration with two different monitors, however, this possibility needs to be 'ruled in' or 'ruled out'.

Give me the model number of the Eizo Flex Scan monitor, also, how long you have had it, etc.. Give me any comments on the above last two paras and anything else you can think of. I do have experience in your field and other related fields.

[Hank]

zburns,

I don't intend to use both monitors for Photoshop editing at the same time. I have an Eizo FlexScan SX2262W that I bought recently and this monitor will be used exclusively for Photoshop. My objective is to match colors as closely as possible between monitor, printer and camera. In other words, what you see is what you print. Eizo monitors do this particularly well. My 'everything else' monitor is currently a wide-screen Dell and that is subject to change. I'm told that setting-up a monitor specifically for viewing/editing photographs would be set-up differently for typical web surfing and viewing MS Office applications. I also have a Spyder III monitor calibration device. The trouble is that with lower priced monitors, you can't actually make the calibration changes that are sometimes necessary. My Dell has this limitation and that is why I bought the Eizo. Also, I think that these high-end Eizo monitors are too expensive for general computer use. This brings me to video cards...If you have one card and two monitors, you cannot calibrate each one separately. Let's say you changed the video card settings at the computer, the changes would affect both monitors, A & B, so, if you have two different brands of monitors as I do, this would be a problem. As best I can tell, the only way around this issue is to have two video cards controlling each monitor independently. Either that, or build a computer just for Photoshop. What do you think?

Thanks for your help on this! Hank

[zburns]

Good morning Hank,

I am going to give you comments, for a good reason I hope, as I move thru 'studying' your Eizo Flex Scan monitor.

1.
High Resolution Screen: The FlexScan SX2262W features a 1920 x 1200 native resolution. Compared to the 1680 x 1050 native resolution of most 22" monitors, this is approximately 24% to 30% (this is a guess) more information in the same amount of screen space I have a Samsung 24" monitor about 4 yrs old, the standard resolution for this size monitor is 1920 x 1200, same as your Eizo 22". The reason I point this out has to do with the relative pixel size between the two monitors. Your monitor is 22" on the diagonal, mine 24 ". If the monitors were side by side, your images would look a little better than mine. Either your pixels are 'smaller' and the distance between pixels for these two monitors is apx the same OR, the pixels are the same size and the distance between pixels is less on your monitor -- and if this is the case, your images would look 'sharper' by a small margin and this would be a benefit for 'photo editing'. I would think your spacing between monitor pixels is less because this would have the effect of 'improving the image sharpness' (increasing the spacing would have the opposite effect by making the images 'less sharp').

2. I checked the prices of the FlexScan monitor ($ 930 on Amazon) and the 'Color Edge 22" monitor ($ 5,000 apx on Amazon). Based on the short Eizo Color Edge description, it appears to be a 'professional broadcast highly accurate' color monitor. But the FlexScan is also touted to be a good monitor for photography. I counted about 17 specific features for the Flex Scan that were specific to 'increased color quality' for photo work (Photoshop).

3. The difference in price between the two monitors in the previous comment is important relative to the 'complexity' of 'calibration'. I would imagine that the Flex Scan is far easier to calibrate (number of steps required) than the Color Edge. However, I also would imagine or guess that the Flex Scan is more precise -- color calibration wise -- than your Dell or my Samsung.

4. I am just going to throw this comment in, sort of has a 'peripheral' impact. The more precise the manufacturing process for an electronic product is, the higher or more rapid the price curve grows because of the added complexity to make the features more precise or increase the number of 'technological features'. This means, perhaps, the difference visually between the Flex Scan and the Color Edge is not huge from a practical viewpoint.

5. Please take a look at the manual that came with your Eizo monitor and get an idea of the number of steps in the 'calibration process' or the number of 'controls' on the monitor for the purpose of calibration. Look at your Dell for the same controls.

6. It does appear that I can download your Eizo 'operator or setup' manual, so I will do that today. I have a manual on my Samsung but I it is not that many pages. Basically what is on my front view panel in the way of controls tells me what I can do or not do -- the one thing I can say about the Samsung 'calibrate controls' is that they are all variable with no indication of precision for 'repeatability purposes'. I imagine the Dell is about the same.

7. I just looked up Samsung 22 inch on Amazon for a price of $ 289, also saw ACER and Viewsonic both in the $ 170 range. This tells me that the 'control' circuits for calibration are essentially front panel 'variable' controls with relatively 'poor' resolution for 'precise calibration method'. I am comparing the price for these low end, low cost monitors to the price for you Eizo. Trying to be precise on 'repeatable calibration' with these low cost monitors compared to your Eizo will be difficult and frustrating, I imagine. I imagine you can get 'close' but not in a repeatable manner (finger on a front panel push button that you have to guess when to remove the finger and 'expect to hit a precise setting' -- difficult, again close but not precise)

8. Now to the video cards. A single video card can have two identical monitor outputs that have the same signal ( I will double check this but I think I am correct). Even if it is possible to have two video cards, each with the same signal out, each signal to a separate monitor, there is no guarantee that each signal is identical from a 'equal calibration viewpoint'.

One video card with two identical signals to two monitors gives you a known 'calibration start point for each monitor'. It should be possible to 'flip' or reverse the output signals to the monitors which would allow you a method of 'confirming' that the signals are 'equal'.

9.
I'm told that setting-up a monitor specifically for viewing/editing photographs would be set-up differently for typical web surfing and viewing MS Office applications. Not sure why this would be so. You would match the extra monitor to the Eizo in all respects to the best possible 'matched condition'. The only difference would be the brightness of the monitor screen. When you set up for photoshop, you could use a light meter on both monitors to set the 'brightness level' -- and otherwise leave the other controls the same -- however, I still want to point out that your Eizo may have more 'set up' controls than are available on the lower cost monitors.

You would be better off with two Eizos but you obviously do not want to go that route. All of my comments above are aimed at the 'possibility' or relatively 'impossibility' of using the Eizo and a much lower cost 22" monitor with the same resolution (as the Eizo).
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Got to stop here and regroup. Want to look at your manual on the Eizo. More later today.

[zburns]

Okay, here is where I am at!! Your Quote as follows:
I use Photoshop extensively and I must have the ability to calibrate my monitors. Monitor 1 is an Eizo Flex Scan for editing photos. Monitor 2 is for general web surfing, playing video board games and MS Office applications.

I took your quote to mean that you wanted to use both monitors for Photoshop but your wording in the first post does contradict my interpretation and your second post seems like it goes both ways. Anyhow, I think my long post above was worthwhile in that it tends to prove that you cannot effectively use the low cost monitors for your purposes if you insist on calibration of both monitors to the point that they are matched as best possible. I looked at your on line manual for the Eizo monitor, and, the process for calibration seems detailed and well defined -- meaning that you truly can calibrate the monitor in a relatively simple way. Take my Samsung for example with a few controls on the bottom of the front panel -- it is NOT user friendly for precise calibration purposes. I doubt that any $ 200 to $ 300 monitor is acceptable when compared to the Eizo.

Assuming that is the case, I assume you would do client work with Photoshop only on the Eizo monitor, and use the other monitor for gaming, business, web surfing, etc.. If you wanted two monitors with 'matched calibration capability', I would suggest a second Eizo even tho it cost a lot. I am very familiar with using various electrical test instruments for precision measurements in manufacturing, including meeting and maintaining UL calibration standards at specific intervals. I can clearly state that I like my Samsung very much but there is 'nothing' that would convince me or allow me to 'guarantee' the calibration accuracy from day to day.

You want to please customers via consistent accurate photographs to the customer. If maintaining monitor calibration accuracy is required (and I easily see why you would feel that it is), then trying to calibrate a low cost monitor not specifically made for such precision calibration is just not practical. So my recommendation is to not to try to calibrate the second monitor and depend on that calibration day to day.

I assume your Eizo can be easily calibrated and checked for correct calibration with a degree of ease and confidence. The lower cost monitors that perform well for years can be calibrated but I do not think with consistency over time. The age of the LCD screens is also a factor.
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Regarding the single video card or two video cards: I think you can do this either way. A single video card with multiple monitor outputs will handle multiple input signals via the cpu or, alternatively, two video cards can be used. Using just one card for multiple monitors may or may not require some of the operating features of the two monitors be the same -- just have to be careful in choosing a single card. This entire statement on the video cards should be treated as a 'work in progress'. I will give you some links to verify what I am saying later.

My comments on trying to use the low cost 22 inch monitors that cost about $ 150 to $ 200, and, assume that you can easily maintain a good consistent calibration to match the Eizo is not a route that I would recommend; I think I am firm on this comment.

[zburns]

Here is a one page article very complimentary to the Eizo line of monitors. It says a lot in a few words (unlike my posts above).

Here is the page URL: http://www.imagescience.com.au/kb/questions/2/Buying+Guide+to+Eizo+Monitors

Here is summary headlines of the content of the page: Title of Page: ImageScience.com.au

Subject matter of the page: Buying Guide to Eizo Monitors

Date of page (the date is prominently displayed): Article Details, Last Updated, 31st of January, 2012

(This is a valid article because of the very recent date)
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My comments: Your Eizo has a VA panel. The very best LCD panel but very expensive type panel is the IPS panel. The cheapest LCD panel is the TN panel such as my Samsung 24 inch monitor and the Dell monitors (I presume).

The article above explains why the IPS panel is the best followed closely by the VA panel. The biggest drawback to the TN panel is the rapid change in contrast of the image as the viewer's eyes move from a position perpendicular to the panel to a position that is right or left of the panel center, or, top to bottom of the panel center. The change is dramatic on my Samsung and I would expect the same change on the Dell. Your VA panel should change only a small amount as you move from 'perpendicular' center.
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Comments regards my two long posts above: I leave my Samsung monitor alone and do not alter settings; I have no bad pixels. The monitor has been superb. As a consequence of the way I use the monitor, I did forget that many of the calibration modes of the monitor have 'specific numbers' associated with each 'individual monitor setting' -- the availability of the numbers goes to 'repeatability' of the image consistency -- all one has to do is make sure all the settings are set to a particular 'set of numbers'. The 'numbers settings' make it easy to 'theoretically' maintain a particular 'set of values' for the monitor, provided the user has 'written down the calibration numbers'.

The other feature that is a negative for TN screens is the fact that the user must always be 'looking at the perpendicular center' of the screen or else one will see a 'change in contrast'. Evidently this is not true with VA (your Eizo) and the more expensive IPS panels (also Eizo). I am used to looking at the perpendicular center of my Samsung so I am not sure that is the huge negative from a 'reality of use viewpoint'.
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Later today I will post photos of my Samsung settings requirements which should somewhat 'mimic' other low cost monitor settings for TN panels, and, you can get an 'idea' of the order of difficulty, or, lack thereof, of 'calibrating" a Dell TN monitor.