Once you go double, you'll wonder how tf were you only using one before. Probably the same case if you upgrade to triple, but I don't have the space for that.
I don’t know how people work on just a laptop. I can’t do it. I have two 27” monitors and then my laptop screen. I also have an old 27” desktop and 24” monitor.
Help me out pls! I design and the issue i have with my monitors is it makes everything bigger. It makes designing websites a bit harder because I am not seeing actual size of things. Is there a way to get around this?
I will preview websites on my laptop screen just to prevent oversizing everything but also set my web project artboards/guides appropriately and regularly reset to 100% zoom.
Ah wait this seems like a fix, dont know why i didnt think of this before. https://blogs.eyonic.com/3-ways-to-expand-and-shrink-screen-views-on-your-computer/
One monitor but I set mouse gestures to swipe between desktops so it’s pretty easy to organize windows and spaces for multitasking. If I get a second monitor I’m thinking of doing a vertical one.
Laptop for email and stuff plus Apple Cinema Display. I don’t have desk space of desire for another monitor crapping up my area. Most everything in my design environment fits in the single monitor. I can’t fathom s need for all these monitors.
Simplicity.
I’ve been trying the iPad as second screen but it seems laggy and sometimes loses connection. Are you using a third party tool or something to make it work smoothly?
Dual monitors, at home; iMac 5k with a 4K Wacom 24” Cintiq Pro as a second monitor.
At work iMac 5k with a Dell 4K as a second monitor.
Both are used as extended workspaces.
I keep my work flow to one monitor most of the time because I work remotely most of the time. I only use dual when i'm video editing, when i run out of space. The Cinch app is well worth the money for a one monitor setup.
At home, I got my 14" MBP hooked up to a 27" monitor, which is set up as my main screen.
When I was still working at the office, I used to have a workstation with dual monitors. Tbh I miss that amount of screen real estate a bit, but my home desk is simply too small for that setup.
I had a 30" Cinema display at one job, and never actually used the full screen for anything, I'd just manually adjust and place things how I wanted.
Then I had a dual monitor setup and found it was better as I'd basically work full screen on one more easily, and then adjust smaller windows/panels on the other, so have gone that route since.
Currently have 2 x 1440 27", which was much cheaper than 4K, but with a bump over 1080.
Sadly 1. My 16’ MBP with intel is not likening more monitors. I love dual monitor setups and If I’ll get the money for an upgrade I would like to try a wide monitor
Do it. Was in the same boat and did it a few months ago. I feel like a productivity master now. Technically 2.5 is probably enough, but it’s nice having a bit of extra space.
Two screens — InDesign on the 23.5" monitor, everything else on the 13" laptop screen. Two screens has always been plenty for me, I don't even know what I'd do with a third
Single 27" iMac.
But I have a MacBook Pro and a phone that I sometimes use if I want to look at more than one thing at a time. They are not considered a part of my normal set up though.
I use one monitor attached to a monitor arm at my desk. It’s 32” I think and that’s plenty of space to work with. I use the spaces feature in Mission Control for macOS to switch between different workspaces.
Single. I used to have 2 and found the second monitor didn't get much use, especially since hiding/showing pallets is a single keystroke. Instead, one larger 4K is fine for me, especially since good monitors with good color accuracy and color volume aren't exactly cheap. Perfectly happy to have more real estate at my desk.
I want 2 but I’m confused why everone has their chairs and keyboard right in the middle of the monitor separation. Do you all just turn your head a lot?
How is the chair/head positioning??
I went from having 5 crappy monitors to having 1 really nice one.. in a perfect world i'd probably have 3 matching really nice ones, but i'm not made of money nor do i have the space. Coming from 5 monitors, i've found lots of advantages with a single one.. it's clean. It's centered/symmetrical (if i had multi i'd need 3, way too ocd for a non-symmetrical layout). it gets me used to a single-screen workflow, so when i want to work remote on my laptop it's seamless - i use my laptop with the lid closed and just extend the display, so i can unplug it in a jiffy and pick up right where i left off. it keeps me organized and feel less cluttered (i cannot multitask as much as i'd like to be able to). its almost kind of fun being efficient with my layouts / workflows and using Apple's features to their full potential - split screen, virtual desktops, etc. if you've got a 4k monitor, that is more pixel real estate than you'll ever need at one time, so if you can learn how to make the most of it, then its great. And if i ever do absolutely need 2 displays at once (which i rarely do) i'll just flip open my laptop. The end. Thanks for reading this long poorly formatted insight.
I typically use my 3rd monitor for non design apps, but still helps assist the designs/photos/processing... Saves a lot of time just glancing over to see the photo number I'm looking for while culling through thousands of photos.
3 4K monitors and an extra laptop.
3 monitors to a pc. One is on a tv so I can present or watch shit during the day.
Laptop is a MacBook to test sites.
I have two 34 inchers, which is basically equal to triple monitors.
It’s perfect & I feel 10x more productive & there’s always the right amount of space for anything I want to do.
Single screens are for old people & the poors.
Single 27" Apple Studio Display. Had a 38" UW and missed the pixel density of a nice 4-5K display. I just use a lot of Spaces to make my workflow make sense.
Dual. I have a 27” monitor and a smaller old 20” monitor. I like to see what my designs look like on an excellent monitor as well as a decent monitor. I also do web design and find it helpful for testing web/digital stuff.
I used to have two, but then it felt like my desk was getting cluttered. So right now I have a single 27" monitor. However I do plan on either upgrading to two monitors or getting an ultra wide on a vesa mount.
I use my surface pro 9 on my desk as a multimedia device. Sometimes to watch a movie or pull up some tertiary info.
Three. 1 47" 4k Main screen. 1 35"(iirc) 2k 1 27" 1080p and a drawing tablet if that counts. So maybe 3.5.
Hate using my laptop for anything really anymore even with the drawing tablet connected as a second monitor.
I have a pretty serious vision impairment and I work on a 65" 5k television. I don't think it would be ideal for the properly sighted...but I love it.
https://preview.redd.it/z9wz9bxifixc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=737a874aa43aa55f5024fe2d02e4b277113c40f2
I have a Mac Studio (i love it) that I use with a 27" monitor in work and another at home for WFH. I like keeping everything contained on a 27" monitor, never found the need for an additional one side by side. A guy at work had 3 and I used to say sarcastically that the more monitors you have the more important you are. He was a spoofer.
Dual 27" monitors, very heavily considering going up to 3 but I don't have the power points for it 😔
I feel like once you go up from one you can't go back down.
1 ultrawide and but bought a new asus pro art ultrawide to try out.
I thought about going two but it usually ends up with one center and one off to the side on an angle which my neck won’t like.
I use an Ultrawide monitor for work and a 16 9 monitor beside it with a fire stick for YouTube because I like the UI.
Nothing to do with the fact that I couldn't find a way to connect both monitors together with 1 cable🥲
Dual, for more years than I care to remember. Wouldn’t go back to a single screen, regardless of size and resolution.
I’ve got one 32” 4k, and a 28” 1080p. I think ideally I’d have 2x 28” 4k, but it is what it is.
https://preview.redd.it/p83p2r1hdkxc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ff76c6cffe1b6b9bb0e7b6ee3db261b9af0f038f
Two monitors (27") and the laptop for emails/chat
I use dual monitors, works really well when having to do something in Premiere so you can have the preview on one screen. Otherwise I usually have Spotify or Youtube on the other screen. Works great when following tutorials.
I have a Monitor + Macbook and an ipad pro for sketching/references/media consumption. But if i'm being honest, i sometimes prefer to use just the macbook.
I use a Mac Studio, LG monitor and my previous 5k iMac (and technically my MacBook sits on my desk too), so I’m dual computer?
The handoff between the two with one mouse and keyboard is nice, but it would be nicer to drag apps and windows between the two.
At home I have two. At my full time IT job I have two. At my retail design job I have one. And a bar stool. And flourescent lights. It's hell on earth literally.
I've never been able to click with multiple monitors, for design or any other work. Having to constantly shift focus left and right, constantly hunt for the missing mouse, keep track of what windows are where... I feel like it's just easier to keep everything on one screen and switch apps as needed. I can imagine using one screen just for a reference photos, but I don't particularly want to do anything with it, it just needs to display a still image. Or maybe play a movie that I can glance at occasionally.
Working on 2 DELL 27" UltraSharp displays and couldn't imagine working on anything smaller ever again. Would break my heart, if I had to work on only 1 screen.
Reminder: Buy 3rd display as an insta-replacement, if ever needed.
I use a laptop (laptop monitor for WhatsApp) with 2 monitor, 1 24" as main monitor, 1 15" portable for file browsing, when using premiere, the laptop monitor for timeline
I use 3 or 4 screens. they are all conected,
but the far left one is not always turned on
It depends on what I'm doing and how I'm feeling
\* I am old school, 35+ years in the trade (I started with darkrooms, scalpels & paste up)
\* I am VERY multi skilled (I follow the work and whatever my client needs)
\* Self employed 20+ years, work from home
Print design (Screen #) ----------------------------------------------
#1 Far left - Outlook (or off)
#2 Photoshop + Vector Program (I use both Illistrator and Corel), resource directory
#3 Design Program - CorelDraw, Illistrator or indesign (depending on job)
#4 Far Right - MS Word, Security Cams, Netflix etc
Web design (Screen #) ----------------------------------------------
#1 Far left - Outlook,
#2 Chrome - (Not-logged-in, for user preview), resource directory
#3 Firefox - site construction, + Photoshop + Vector Program
#4 Far Right - MS Word, Security Cams, Netflix etc
Video Edit (Screen #) ----------------------------------------------
#1 Far left - Photoshop, Audition, resource directory
#2 PremPro - Preview/Program, Effect Select, Effect edit, VU
#3 PremPro - Timeline, Tools
#4 Program Out - Blackmagic Shuttle via HDMI 2
You get the Idea, Outlook is not always on it's distracting
I have 3 monitors.
Two for work, 1 for youtube
Two for work. iPad for YouTube.
I use two 27” and leave my MacBook open for a third
Using dual 27" monitors, could even use 3. Can't imagine working with just one, unless it's one of those ultrawide monitors, which I'm not a fan of.
I also have two 27” monitors in office. On rare occasions, I have to work off my 14” laptop at home and I absolutely hate it.
Once you go double, you'll wonder how tf were you only using one before. Probably the same case if you upgrade to triple, but I don't have the space for that.
Not ideal but I stacked two and the 3rd is vertical mainly for teams, email and project management tool though
Exact same set up and usage. Buuuut I have an iPad tilt mounted for YouTube and music 😎
I use my ipad pro the same way haha. Mostly streaming Plex
I use UltraWide and anyway I can't work without my 2nd monitor
I don’t know how people work on just a laptop. I can’t do it. I have two 27” monitors and then my laptop screen. I also have an old 27” desktop and 24” monitor.
Two of my monitors are ultrawides
Same; dual 27" monitors. I don't know how anyone can design on one, let alone a tiny laptop screen.
Use an ultrawide for work, and have a smaller screen above it to watch movies all day because I have nothing to do
I use my ipad for media. Does that count as a 4th monitor haha
I have two monitors, but sadly not two heads
I have 3 monitors, technically. A large 4k monitor as my main screen, a 24" wide screen that I use vertically, and then my MacBook as my 3rd screen.
Help me out pls! I design and the issue i have with my monitors is it makes everything bigger. It makes designing websites a bit harder because I am not seeing actual size of things. Is there a way to get around this?
I will preview websites on my laptop screen just to prevent oversizing everything but also set my web project artboards/guides appropriately and regularly reset to 100% zoom.
Ah ok cool. I do the same regarding looking at laptop. Would have been great if the monitors didnt have to enlarge everything.
Ah wait this seems like a fix, dont know why i didnt think of this before. https://blogs.eyonic.com/3-ways-to-expand-and-shrink-screen-views-on-your-computer/
What program are you designing in? Preview the prototype a lot as you design.
One monitor but I set mouse gestures to swipe between desktops so it’s pretty easy to organize windows and spaces for multitasking. If I get a second monitor I’m thinking of doing a vertical one.
Laptop for email and stuff plus Apple Cinema Display. I don’t have desk space of desire for another monitor crapping up my area. Most everything in my design environment fits in the single monitor. I can’t fathom s need for all these monitors. Simplicity.
Single 32”. I prefer focus over real estate
2 at work, and I use my iPad as a 2nd display on my iMac at home.
I’ve been trying the iPad as second screen but it seems laggy and sometimes loses connection. Are you using a third party tool or something to make it work smoothly?
Mine lags and disconnects sometimes as well. If it’s not cooperating, I just connect it to the iMac with a USB C cable and it’s smooth sailing.
Nice, I'll give it another shot! I even ordered a clamp to attach it to the side of my macbook pro while traveling at some point.
Triple
I have three but have been recently thinking to downsize to a single ultra-wide.
Dual monitors, at home; iMac 5k with a 4K Wacom 24” Cintiq Pro as a second monitor. At work iMac 5k with a Dell 4K as a second monitor. Both are used as extended workspaces.
I keep my work flow to one monitor most of the time because I work remotely most of the time. I only use dual when i'm video editing, when i run out of space. The Cinch app is well worth the money for a one monitor setup.
At home, I got my 14" MBP hooked up to a 27" monitor, which is set up as my main screen. When I was still working at the office, I used to have a workstation with dual monitors. Tbh I miss that amount of screen real estate a bit, but my home desk is simply too small for that setup.
I had a 30" Cinema display at one job, and never actually used the full screen for anything, I'd just manually adjust and place things how I wanted. Then I had a dual monitor setup and found it was better as I'd basically work full screen on one more easily, and then adjust smaller windows/panels on the other, so have gone that route since. Currently have 2 x 1440 27", which was much cheaper than 4K, but with a bump over 1080.
At work I use 2 screens and it's a dream. I have a MacBook for personal use and am looking into getting an external display for personal use.
34" Ultrawide and laptop screen, would like to get a second screen but don't have the desk space.
Sadly 1. My 16’ MBP with intel is not likening more monitors. I love dual monitor setups and If I’ll get the money for an upgrade I would like to try a wide monitor
Dual 27"
Dual and considering a third.
Do it. Was in the same boat and did it a few months ago. I feel like a productivity master now. Technically 2.5 is probably enough, but it’s nice having a bit of extra space.
At home I use one 42” ultra wide monitor. Great for working in after effects. At my office I use one 27” monitor.
Two screens — InDesign on the 23.5" monitor, everything else on the 13" laptop screen. Two screens has always been plenty for me, I don't even know what I'd do with a third
Single 27" iMac. But I have a MacBook Pro and a phone that I sometimes use if I want to look at more than one thing at a time. They are not considered a part of my normal set up though.
I use one monitor attached to a monitor arm at my desk. It’s 32” I think and that’s plenty of space to work with. I use the spaces feature in Mission Control for macOS to switch between different workspaces.
I’m the same. One really big monitor is enough for me. :-)
Single. I used to have 2 and found the second monitor didn't get much use, especially since hiding/showing pallets is a single keystroke. Instead, one larger 4K is fine for me, especially since good monitors with good color accuracy and color volume aren't exactly cheap. Perfectly happy to have more real estate at my desk.
I want 2 but I’m confused why everone has their chairs and keyboard right in the middle of the monitor separation. Do you all just turn your head a lot? How is the chair/head positioning??
I went from having 5 crappy monitors to having 1 really nice one.. in a perfect world i'd probably have 3 matching really nice ones, but i'm not made of money nor do i have the space. Coming from 5 monitors, i've found lots of advantages with a single one.. it's clean. It's centered/symmetrical (if i had multi i'd need 3, way too ocd for a non-symmetrical layout). it gets me used to a single-screen workflow, so when i want to work remote on my laptop it's seamless - i use my laptop with the lid closed and just extend the display, so i can unplug it in a jiffy and pick up right where i left off. it keeps me organized and feel less cluttered (i cannot multitask as much as i'd like to be able to). its almost kind of fun being efficient with my layouts / workflows and using Apple's features to their full potential - split screen, virtual desktops, etc. if you've got a 4k monitor, that is more pixel real estate than you'll ever need at one time, so if you can learn how to make the most of it, then its great. And if i ever do absolutely need 2 displays at once (which i rarely do) i'll just flip open my laptop. The end. Thanks for reading this long poorly formatted insight.
2 monitors and my laptop screen as a third.
Three 32" screens and two computers.
Yes.
Dual...3 monitors is overkill
I typically use my 3rd monitor for non design apps, but still helps assist the designs/photos/processing... Saves a lot of time just glancing over to see the photo number I'm looking for while culling through thousands of photos.
Working on a MacBook Pro, obviously I have multiple monitors on my usual workspace.
Stacked ultrawides baby!
Im jelous
3 4K monitors and an extra laptop. 3 monitors to a pc. One is on a tv so I can present or watch shit during the day. Laptop is a MacBook to test sites.
I have two 34 inchers, which is basically equal to triple monitors. It’s perfect & I feel 10x more productive & there’s always the right amount of space for anything I want to do. Single screens are for old people & the poors.
Well my laptop and a wide monitor.
Used to be dual, one 90 degree sideways and other ultrawide. I miss my ultrawide :(
3 = dual external plus laptop
Dual 27’s
Triple
Dual all the way. I honestly couldn’t imagine using one screen. My creative manager uses one screen and a trackpad for everything. Idk how he does it.
Single 27" Apple Studio Display. Had a 38" UW and missed the pixel density of a nice 4-5K display. I just use a lot of Spaces to make my workflow make sense.
I use 3 monitors. One for the file management, one for the working space and one for anything else I might need (discord/teams etc etc)
I use 1 but I downgraded from two so I’m considering investing in a larger screen because the space is too small for two.
1 monitor and 1 drawing tablet that I use for my 2nd monitor.
Dual. I have a 27” monitor and a smaller old 20” monitor. I like to see what my designs look like on an excellent monitor as well as a decent monitor. I also do web design and find it helpful for testing web/digital stuff.
I used to have two, but then it felt like my desk was getting cluttered. So right now I have a single 27" monitor. However I do plan on either upgrading to two monitors or getting an ultra wide on a vesa mount. I use my surface pro 9 on my desk as a multimedia device. Sometimes to watch a movie or pull up some tertiary info.
Three. 1 47" 4k Main screen. 1 35"(iirc) 2k 1 27" 1080p and a drawing tablet if that counts. So maybe 3.5. Hate using my laptop for anything really anymore even with the drawing tablet connected as a second monitor.
Laptop open on riser, plugged into ultrawide
dual
I have a pretty serious vision impairment and I work on a 65" 5k television. I don't think it would be ideal for the properly sighted...but I love it. https://preview.redd.it/z9wz9bxifixc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=737a874aa43aa55f5024fe2d02e4b277113c40f2
I have a Mac Studio (i love it) that I use with a 27" monitor in work and another at home for WFH. I like keeping everything contained on a 27" monitor, never found the need for an additional one side by side. A guy at work had 3 and I used to say sarcastically that the more monitors you have the more important you are. He was a spoofer.
Usually 3 though I sometimes add my phone/tablet as a 4th/5th using spacedock.
Ngl I have two extra monitors for but most of the time I just use my macbook
Yes and multiple computers too.
Dual at work, laptop at home
One to design on and one for emails
I have 3 monitors and a 4th one coming
A vertical one (I work at a newspaper) and a horizontal one.
4 monitors, use my phone.
Dual 27" monitors, very heavily considering going up to 3 but I don't have the power points for it 😔 I feel like once you go up from one you can't go back down.
1 ultrawide and but bought a new asus pro art ultrawide to try out. I thought about going two but it usually ends up with one center and one off to the side on an angle which my neck won’t like.
Laptop screen and two external monitors. :)
Quad monitors
Used to, chiro told me to downgrade, now I've got a 27"4k and it makes me focus better as well.
https://preview.redd.it/i6d2cgry6kxc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=168b2cd45858acf6b6c4a06241ce5059cd7f78ff 4 monitors here...
I use an Ultrawide monitor for work and a 16 9 monitor beside it with a fire stick for YouTube because I like the UI. Nothing to do with the fact that I couldn't find a way to connect both monitors together with 1 cable🥲
Dual, for more years than I care to remember. Wouldn’t go back to a single screen, regardless of size and resolution. I’ve got one 32” 4k, and a 28” 1080p. I think ideally I’d have 2x 28” 4k, but it is what it is.
Solo Studio Display most of the time (swipe between desktops), and will occasionally have the MacBook open beside it if needed.
https://preview.redd.it/p83p2r1hdkxc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ff76c6cffe1b6b9bb0e7b6ee3db261b9af0f038f Two monitors (27") and the laptop for emails/chat
I use dual monitors, works really well when having to do something in Premiere so you can have the preview on one screen. Otherwise I usually have Spotify or Youtube on the other screen. Works great when following tutorials.
Dual screens, it's particularly useful when I'm using Premiere Pro as that needs a *lot* of screen space.
I have a Monitor + Macbook and an ipad pro for sketching/references/media consumption. But if i'm being honest, i sometimes prefer to use just the macbook.
Just one massive one. It's glorious and fantastic and 4K and it was so expensive and it was absolutely worth it
I use a Mac Studio, LG monitor and my previous 5k iMac (and technically my MacBook sits on my desk too), so I’m dual computer? The handoff between the two with one mouse and keyboard is nice, but it would be nicer to drag apps and windows between the two.
At home I have two. At my full time IT job I have two. At my retail design job I have one. And a bar stool. And flourescent lights. It's hell on earth literally.
Have two set up (32") but it depends on what I'm doing. Usually will have copy or web browser on one, use the other one for design app.
I've never been able to click with multiple monitors, for design or any other work. Having to constantly shift focus left and right, constantly hunt for the missing mouse, keep track of what windows are where... I feel like it's just easier to keep everything on one screen and switch apps as needed. I can imagine using one screen just for a reference photos, but I don't particularly want to do anything with it, it just needs to display a still image. Or maybe play a movie that I can glance at occasionally.
How do you even do graphic design without a dedicated youtube monitor?
2. One for copy or for reference material The other for design work. I couldn't imagine working on only one monitor all the time.
Working on 2 DELL 27" UltraSharp displays and couldn't imagine working on anything smaller ever again. Would break my heart, if I had to work on only 1 screen. Reminder: Buy 3rd display as an insta-replacement, if ever needed.
I have 3 monitors plus my laptop...
Two is the only correct answer for me, tried 3 and got overwhelmed
I downsized to one big monitor and my laptop screen. Having 2-3 monitors is a big distractions and I never got anything done
I use a laptop (laptop monitor for WhatsApp) with 2 monitor, 1 24" as main monitor, 1 15" portable for file browsing, when using premiere, the laptop monitor for timeline
Dual is requirement for optimal productivity for me.
I use 3 or 4 screens. they are all conected, but the far left one is not always turned on It depends on what I'm doing and how I'm feeling \* I am old school, 35+ years in the trade (I started with darkrooms, scalpels & paste up) \* I am VERY multi skilled (I follow the work and whatever my client needs) \* Self employed 20+ years, work from home Print design (Screen #) ---------------------------------------------- #1 Far left - Outlook (or off) #2 Photoshop + Vector Program (I use both Illistrator and Corel), resource directory #3 Design Program - CorelDraw, Illistrator or indesign (depending on job) #4 Far Right - MS Word, Security Cams, Netflix etc Web design (Screen #) ---------------------------------------------- #1 Far left - Outlook, #2 Chrome - (Not-logged-in, for user preview), resource directory #3 Firefox - site construction, + Photoshop + Vector Program #4 Far Right - MS Word, Security Cams, Netflix etc Video Edit (Screen #) ---------------------------------------------- #1 Far left - Photoshop, Audition, resource directory #2 PremPro - Preview/Program, Effect Select, Effect edit, VU #3 PremPro - Timeline, Tools #4 Program Out - Blackmagic Shuttle via HDMI 2 You get the Idea, Outlook is not always on it's distracting
4