P: Better Multi-Monitor Support, to include Full Screen Editing

Report · May 11, 2011

I want to be able to use one monitor just for the image under development, or otherwise being viewed, full-screen, and the other monitor(s) for the other stuff, especially library + develop panels.

Report · May 12, 2011

I am doing that right now with LR 3. You just put the second monitor into normal loupe mode and close its panels, and you have just your image up on one screen and whatever module you like open on the other. You can even drag the main screen to the opposite monitor if you want to switch which one is on which monitor.

What do you want to enhance about that functionality?

Report · May 12, 2011

I'd like to be able to put the whole Library module on one screen and the whole of Develop on the other. I regularly work with the second window on Grid view and main on Develop, but I miss having access particularly to the Folders and Quick Develop panels when working like that.

I'd agree with Lee Jay, I can't see how your request is different to the current dual monitor setup though.

_______________________________________________
Victoria - The Lightroom Queen - Author of the Lightroom Missing FAQ & Edit on the Go books.

Report · May 12, 2011

If there's a way to have an image under development occupy the entire screen edge-to-edge in one monitor, with the library + develop panels open in another, I've yet to discover it.

Report · May 12, 2011

The only difference is the "edge-to-edge" part. You lose 8 pixels on the top and 8 pixels on the bottom from the disclosure triangles in the second monitor view. Otherwise, do what I said and you'll have it.

Report · May 12, 2011

Are you suggesting you want all of the Library & Develop panels open all at the same time?

_______________________________________________
Victoria - The Lightroom Queen - Author of the Lightroom Missing FAQ & Edit on the Go books.

Report · May 12, 2011

Lee Jay - you can't select a brush from the toolbar in one monitor, and brush on the (nearly) full-screen image in the other monitor.

Victoria - Yes: I'd prefer both sets of panels be open at the same time. The idea being: full-screen image for applying local adjustments on one monitor, and everything else on the other monitor. Everything else to include lib+dev panels, menus, lib filters, folders, thumbnails, lib T-bar, ...

Report · May 12, 2011

In a nutshell, present design does not change anything about how the main monitor behaves (which was designed for single monitor use) when a second monitor is being used. It would be far better, in my opinion, if one monitor was used for development image (not loupe view), and other used for tools and info...

Note: this would go great with a reworking of the UI to be more flexible, so one could have whichever major items one wanted on whichever monitor, to accommodate configurations with more than 2 monitors as well, or if one wanted just one strip of frequently used tools on the same monitor as the developing image.

If one had 3 monitors, they may want just the thumbnails on one monitor and all tools and info on another, plus dev image on another. I can imagine some power users with 4 monitors even... I'm not saying the majority of users would, but if the UI were modified in this fashion, nothing extra would be required to support customization of a single monitor, dual, triple, or more...

Personally, I have no desire to rearrange the tools in a single panel, so that's not what I'm talking about here, although some folks would like that as well. I'm just talking about distributing the "big" pieces across more than one monitor.

Report · May 12, 2011

"Lee Jay - you can't select a brush from the toolbar in one monitor, and brush on the (nearly) full-screen image in the other monitor. "

Yes, that's one detail. That's why I asked what I asked above, "What do you want to enhance about that functionality? "

There are several other things I can think of to enhance besides this one.

Report · May 12, 2011

The simplest incarnation of this FR/Idea might be worded:

- when in development mode, move everything except the image to the other monitor.

The downside of doing *only* that much is that without the image on the other monitor, there is now a hole where the image used to be. I can imagine that being filled by thumbnails or lib panels, as examples.

The most complex incarnation of this FR/Idea might be worded:
Divide the UI up into chunks:
- Image under development
- Panels
- T-bar
- thumbnails
And allow those pieces to reside on monitor of user's choice.

I'm not sure how to answer more clearly. Its not about a list of details, its about UI chunk location. My main requirement being image chunk on one, by itself, occupying full screen, development-ready, for local + global adjustment. I can't help but think it would also be a good thing to be able to have lib panels open along with the dev panels, along with any other chunks that would fit.

Report · May 12, 2011

I think the simplest incarnation would be an additional second-monitor option, "Working Image", which would be exactly what's in the Develop module right now. Perhaps what you said is the same thing, but with a monitor switch as well.

Report · May 12, 2011

Uh, yes - this would be the same thing as I was saying for simplest incarnation, for all practical purposes.

Report · Jul 20, 2011

Agreed. I want my Image to fill my expensive monitor from edge to edge and I want my Develop tools right over there on the cheap monitor. Having my "right side panel" of Develop tools and the whole library module on that second monitor together would be nirvana.

Report · Jul 20, 2011

Well said. And if I may say so, its good to see some more support for this idea :-), and if I may also say, I'm particularly fond of that "left side panel" of develop tools too ;-}.

Report · Aug 23, 2011

I agree with you! It would be great to be able to work in develop module with the image in one monitor and the panels in another one.

Good suggestion!

Report · Jan 11, 2012

Similar or duplicate topic: http://feedback.photoshop.com/photosh...

Report · Jun 11, 2025

Just keeping this thread alive, as this functionality is still not implemented 🙂 Idea valid since May 11, 2011. That is 5146 days or 14 years, 1 month, 1 day. We celebrated 14 years of this ticket few days ago. Let's play a game. There is a date: Friday, 11 May 2029. At this day, two things gonna happen. Kids born 18 years ago will become adult in most countries and this ticket will probably still be opened.