plugging a screen into a notebook?

[wideangle]

Anyone know if plugging a monitor into a notebook screen is workable for photo editing, even with VGA connection? Will the results from a screen that is plugged into a notebook and hardware calibrated be alright to edit photos with?

[GoldZilla]

Hi,

yeah, absolutely. Any screen that is properly calibrated will be an advantage. It might even give you more "real estate" to work with, so you can have your image on one side and your editing software on the other.

[ricktas]

Depends on the video card in the laptop. Some video cards can only have one calibration profile loaded to them, even though they can run two monitors, so in that instance you could either have the laptop monitor calibrated or the external one, but not both.

[wideangle]

thanks guys for your help. I don't really care if the notebook screen isn't calibrated, just the larger screen for working on would be an advantage.

[kiwi]

Yip, works fine. I have a spyder2 that only allows one screen to be calibrated and I chose the external monitor

[davidd]

Hi

I have a Dell laptop connected to a Dell 20" monitor. I just bought a Xrite Eye-one calibrator. I calibrated that laptop screen first, then when I plugged the external screen in, a box poppoed up and said 'Do you want to calibrate this monitor as well?'

I clicked yes and it ran the calibration on the external screen as well, so now both are calibrated.

[maccaroneski]

Further to the video card issue, depending on the age of the notebook, you might want to check what it's maximum display resolution as well, before selecting a monitor to attach to it.

[ving]

yup, should be fine!

[wideangle]

Further to the video card issue, depending on the age of the notebook, you might want to check what it's maximum display resolution as well, before selecting a monitor to attach to it.

Yes, this is what I have been thinking about. How do you check to see the notebooks maximum display resolution? I don't think just going to the display properties without an external monitor would be able to tell, because the maximum dimensions of the notebook screen are 15"

[maccaroneski]

I think it is in fact that simple, or otherwise, google the notebook and check out the specs. Basically have a look in those display properties and see how high you can take it.

It's all about resolutions rather than screen sizes. Most LCD displays have a "recommended" resolution - if the notebook can't match that then the display quality might suffer. Google the monitor model as well, and see what the specs of the monitor say about the recommended resolution as well, and hopefull the twain shall meet, as it were.

[peterb666]

Works fine. I use an external monitor with my Toshiba L500 which is a low-end machine but it does have an ATI graphics section with a dedicated 512mb of memory. I use the dual workspace settings and run my photo-editing on the main screen and may have a browser window or windows explorer window open on the smaller laptop screen.

While my laptop is only 1366 x 768 but the laptop will drive monitors with resolutions over 2000 x whatever. On my shopping list is a 24" HD monitor to replace my current 19" 1440 x 900 external monitor. Always run your LCD/LED at its native resolution. Certainly my laptop has no problems with running 2 screens with different resolutions.

P.S. the maximum resolution that my laptop could drive was not in the specs. It was only revealed after clearing the restrict to attached monitor resolution settings.

Cheers

PeterB666

[wideangle]

thanks for your help. Yes i tend to think that the resolution will only be available once a screen is plugged in.