When you are working in Photoshop or any other app that has a bunch of pallets do you wish for more screen space than you currently have? Reading books about Photoshop I am often envious of the dual displays many people use. I did have an iMac that I connected to a second display. That computer is now in the basement. I use it while I’m shooting with the camera tethered to the computer. It’s an older iMac that does not meet the requirements for the latest OS X. I miss the extra screen space that a second monitor gives.
I guess I should say that I did miss that extra screen area. This morning I read the “Tech Connection” column by Marc Saltzman in February’s Costco Connect magazine. The headline read “Tricking out your new tablet.” My wife pointed it out to me. The fourth item caught my eye, “Use it as a second monitor.” Now there is an idea! I know you might be thinking people have been doing that for a while now and you would be right. I wondered if that was possible but everything I could find online said it was not possible. Be careful what you search for online! If you don’t ask the right question you may never find the answers you need. There is an app for that!
It’s called Air Display. Who knew? Anyway, it seems that I am a bit behind the times, this has been out for a while. Air Display is from Avatron Software, Inc. and is available in both iPad and Android flavors for $9.99. Well worth the price! You install the app and when you run it for the first time it walks you through downloading the Air Display Host app for your PC or Mac. Once that is installed restart your computer and you are ready to go. In just a couple of clicks I was up and running with a second monitor! Now when I’m using Photoshop I can have the computer’s monitor filled with the image that I’m working on and have all my palettes on my tablet. You will see in the app reviews many comments about the lag time moving the cursor around on the tablet. I find the lag time to be a minor irritation but having extra monitor real estate for $10, I can live with it!
Desktop with Galaxy Note 10.1 as second monitor.
Vincent Knaus 
So funny – My husband was just saying last night that I should have bought the bigger imac to have more space to work on, but this is even a better idea. I think I’ll try it today! (actually, I think he just thought I should get the larger imac so he can see the photo I’m calling him over to see, without getting up from his chair) 🙂 Thanks for the info!!