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Use Premiere Pro in a dual-monitor setup

You can use Premiere Pro in a dual-monitor setup where you can set up Premiere Pro in the following ways:

Before you begin

Connect your monitor to your computer and check the display is working. Most computers have DVI or HDMI connection ports with some laptops coming with thunderbolt, USB ports and an HDMI adapter only. So, for example, if your monitor has a HDMI connection, and so does your computer, then use a HDMI cable to connect the two. 

For more information on connecting your monitor to your computer, see this article.

Display video on a second monitor

You can choose to display only the video output to a second monitor. This is particularly useful in color grading if you want to see how your colors look in a different color space, or see the video playback in full screen.

To display the output of the Program Monitor to a second computer monitor, you need to change the Playback preference setting in Premiere Pro.

Enabling preferences to display video on a second monitor
Enabling preferences to display video on a second monitor

  1. Go to Premiere Pro > Preferences > Playback (macOS), or Edit > Preferences > Playback (Win).
  2. Select Enable Mercury Transmit.
    This enables sending video to a second monitor. Then, check the  monitor on which you want the video to appear. 
    • Adobe DV: This is the FireWire option.
    • Adobe Monitor x: These are your attached computer monitors that can receive video preview data through the graphics card.
    • Third-party video hardware: These entries differ depending on what third-party hardware you have connected. AJA Kona 3G, Blackmagic Playback, and Matrox Player are typical examples.
  3. (Optional) Select Disable video output when in the background. When you switch out of Premiere Pro into another application, the second monitor reverts back to displaying the computer screen.

Now, when you playback a project, the second monitor automatically switches to video playback, allowing you to watch program video on a separate monitor.

Display the Premiere Pro interface to a second monitor

You can choose to display elements of the Premiere Pro interface to a second monitor

  1. Hover over the panel that you want to move to the second monitor.

  2. Click and drag the panel wherever you want on the second monitor.

    Moving a panel from one monitor to another
    Moving a panel from one monitor to another

  3. Take whatever panels you want and move them over to the second monitor creating a larger workspace for you to fit all your tools.

  4. (Optional) After you are done with the set up, you can choose to save it as a custom workspace . Click Window > Workspaces > Save as New Workspace. Once you have it saved, you can quickly pull it back up whenever you want.

 You can make multiple different configurations, say one for editing and one for grading, and quickly switch between them when you want.

Tips and tricks

 Consider making multiple different configurations. For example, consider making a workspace for editing, and one for color grading. You can then quickly switch between them when you want. 

Troubleshooting common issues

Are you unable to move your Premiere Pro panels to the second monitor?

This could be because of a number of issues. Check:

  • Make sure the panel is undocked first before you drag.
  • Sometimes Premiere Pro "overhangs" by a pixel or two in the second monitor preventing it from using it as a second display. 
  • Your GPU drivers may not be up to date. Update GPU drivers and check if it is compatible or is detected in File > Project Settings > General > Render. For more information, see Hardware recommendations.

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