# How do you calibrate an external monitor with a Macbook Pro?



## abih (Feb 2, 2010)

I have a Macbook Pro and have recently bought a Samsung P2370 monitor so that I have a larger monitor to work on photos in Photoshop.  I've got the monitor working, the problem is I can't calibrate it.  I have a Huey MEU101 calibrator and it's allowing me to calibrate the macbook monitor, but not the external monitor, I assume because the computer sees the 2 monitors as one combined one.  As I specifically got it to work with images on the larger monitor, this is a problem.

Does anyone know how to solve this?  I don't mind if it involves temporarily disabling the macbook monitor and only working with the external monitor in Photoshop (though the dual monitors are pretty useful).  I've read various forums that seem to suggest that I might need 2 graphics cards, or that it might be that the software on the Huey doesn't support dual monitors and I need the pro version.

Please could you make any suggestions in easy to understand layman's terms - I'm not a technical wizz!

Thanks


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## simbalala (Feb 2, 2010)

Don't use mirroring. When you set the system up as two displays you get two calibration windows.

I use the external (large) monitor as the main monitor and the portable as an auxiliary monitor.


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## abih (Feb 6, 2010)

Thanks for this, but when I spoke to Apple support they told me I couldn't set up the external monitor as the main display, that the only way to disable the laptop monitor would be to use an external keyboard and close down the laptop so it uses the external monitor as the main monitor.

Can you tell me how you set up the system with 2 displays?


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## simbalala (Feb 6, 2010)

Could be the MacBook Pro doesn't work like the older machines but I'd be surprised.

You don't get an option screen like the attached one in Display Prefs?


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## abih (Feb 6, 2010)

Actually just realised I haven't got the displays set up as mirroring, but as 2 displays as you suggested.  it's this set up that's not allowing me to calibrate the external monitor and I'm not sure how to designate the external monitor as the main one.  Any suggestions?  You can see how flummoxed and new I am to the whole dual display thing.


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## simbalala (Feb 6, 2010)

In the display prefs panel (the window I made the snap of) drag the little mock menu bar to the other display. That makes it the main display.


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## abih (Feb 6, 2010)

Thank you so much - very simple and it works!  I've just managed to calibrate the external monitor.  Not sure why the guy on the mac helpline couldn't tell me that, but you've just saved from days of frustration.


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