A question about getting Photoshop to load the correct monitor profile or profiles.
I'm using a second monitor attached to a laptop running Windows Vista. Both the laptop screen and the external monitor have been profiled with the ColorVision Spyder2Pro. The ColorVision software applies these two different profiles correctly in Windows at startup.
So for example, in Lightroom, a photo on the external monitor is displayed using the external monitor profile, and the same photo on the laptop monitor is displayed using the laptop monitor profile. So far so good.
However, when Photoshop (CS4) starts up, it loads the profile for the default monitor - the laptop screen. As far as I can gather this is automatic - you can't tell Photoshop which display profile to use.
So if you want to use Photoshop on a second monitor, and the second monitor has a different profile from the default monitor - it seems like you're out of luck. In my case, Photoshop is just about unusable on the external monitor - it displays using the laptop screen profile, and the colors are wildly out - fluorescent grass etc.
A quick check will confirm if this is in fact your problem - drag Photoshop across to the primary screen, and it will display correctly (this is what happens in my case).
So, is there anyway to get Photoshop to use the correct profile to display on a second monitor?
Jeffrey wrote:
I don't believe that PS deals with any monitor profiles. I use two monitors. I calibrate them and assign the profiles to them within my OS. Not in PS.
There is some issue of that sort. After upgrading to Windows 7 and reloading CS3, Photoshop keeps telling me as it starts that the default profile for my primary monitor (the software profile that came with my Samsung) is faulty and can't be used.
The weirdness is that I have Spyder profiles identified as the Windows defaults for each of my monitors. Why in heck is Photoshop even dragging up the Samsung profile? I guess I'll get around to just deleting, renaming, or hiding the Samsung profile elsewhere...but why is Photoshop picking it up at all and complaining about it?
Jeffrey - I believe that for most applications, the OS assigns the profiles, as you mention. However, PS loads a monitor profile when it starts up. You can see which profile is being used by going to Edit>Color Settings, click on the Working Spaces> RGB drop down box, and look near the top of the list to see which profile is listed next to Monitor RGB (you wouldn't want to change the config here - it would change the working space, which is not want you want!).
So just to recap - PS, at least in my case, is using the default monitor profile for BOTH monitors. Anyone else come up against this?
