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Digital Matte Painting Tutorials

Digital matte painting brings imaginary worlds to life. If you’ve gaped at cinematic scenes of galactical cities, medieval landscapes, or sweeping panoramas, that is often digital matte painting at work. 2D paintings are blended with 3D elements for present-day matte paintings in movies and virtual games. Image-editing and painting applications like Adobe Photoshop are used, with 3D rendering software like 3DMax, Autodesk Maya, and video editors like Adobe After Effects.

In the days before computer-generated imagery, matte painting masters applied extensive knowledge and research to every detail of a matte painting. They would paint anything a film director required. This involved exquisitely-detailed scenery on large plates of clear glass. These oil paintings on glass had transparent areas on which the real actors would be filmed. The camera would then be able to capture realistic scenes, whether floating across planets in a starlit sky, wrestling with monsters in a stormy sea, or marching triumphantly in ancient Rome.

Browse the tutorials below to explore Adobe Photoshop’s functions and commands for creating digital matte paintings. Even if you don’t have a background in art or CGI, you’ll learn the vast possibilities of reference photos and how to construct composites. You’ll learn to apply correct perspective, horizon line, vanishing point, light and shadow, color harmony, and more:

Basic Principles of Digital Matte Painting, by Daniel Johnson

Basic Principles of Digital Matte Painting, by Daniel Johnson

Create an Earth Shattering Disaster Scene in Photoshop, by Ed Lopez

Create an Earth Shattering Disaster Scene in Photoshop by Ed Lopez

Matte Painting 101: Basic Destruction Techniques, by Ed Lopez

Matte Painting 101: Basic Destruction Techniques, by Ed Lopez

Learning Concept Art and Matte Painting, by Jonah West

Learning Concept Art and Matte Painting, by Jonah West

Create a Fantasy City Using Architectural Photographs, by Jonas De Ro

Create a Fantasy City Using Architectural Photographs by Jonas De Ro

Using Lighting, Atmospherics and Digital Illustration Techniques for Matte Painting, by Stas Lobachev

Using Lighting, Atmospherics and Digital Illustration Techniques for Matte Painting – The Making of Golden Sunrise in a Fairy Land by Stas Lobachev

Painting Futuristic Cities, by Robh Ruppel

Painting Futuristic Cities, by Robh Ruppel

Getting Started With Digital Matte Painting, by Ed Lopez

Getting Started With Digital Matte Painting-Workflow, Techniques and Walkthrough, by Ed Lopez

Matte Painting Tutorial “The Lighthouse in the Glacier” by Antonio Neto

Matte Painting Tutorial "The Lighthouse in the Glacier" by Antonio Neto

Making Of “Hidden Passage”, by Eva Kedves

Making Of 'Hidden Passage', by Eva Kedves

Making of “Urban”, by Pierre Fabre

Making of 'Urban', by Pierre Fabre

Matte Painting Tutorial “Across The Rooftops” by Jan Sarbort

“Across The Rooftops”

Making of “Postapo City” by Banjavor Jakub Javora

Making of “Postapo City” by Banjavor Jakub Javora

Matte Painting Tutorial of “Pandora Afterdark”, by Stas Lobachev

Create an Incredible Avatar Inspired Matte Painting of Pandora, by Stas Lobachev

Sci-fi Environment Concept by Björn Wirtz

Sci-fi Environment Concept by Björn Wirtz

Making Of “Archetype”, by Francesco Corvino

(panorama detail shown)

Making Of 'Archetype', by Francesco Corvino

Making of “The Futuristic City”, by Sourav Dhar

Making of The Futuristic City, by Sourav Dhar

Matte Painting Tutorial – “Cleopatra Queen of Egypt” by Frederic St-Arnaud

Matte Painting Tutorial - “Cleopatra Queen of Egypt” by Frederic St-Arnaud

Making of “City’s Heart” by Fabio Barretta

Making of City's Heart by Fabio Barretta

The Making of “Barbarossa” by Daniele Scerra

The Making of “Barbarossa” by Daniele Scerra

Matte Painting Tutorial “Cities Around The World” by Szabolcs Menyhei

Matte Painting Tutorial "Cities Around The World" by Szabolcs Menyhei

Matte Painting Tutorial “The Alien Civilization” by Eric Dima-ala

Matte Painting Tutorial "The Alien Civilization" by Eric Dima-ala

Simple Matte Painting Tutorial by ~KokoZhang

Simple Matte Painting Tutorial by ~KokoZhang

“Fable of the Night” – Matte Painting Tutorial, by Andrew Teng

Fable of the Night - Matte Painting by Andrew Teng

 Making of “By the Sea” by Adrian Baluta

Making of 'By the Sea' by Adrian Baluta

Matte Painting Tutorial “Meteor Strike Scene” by Irene Navarro

Matte Painting Tutorial "Meteor Strike Scene" by Irene Navarro

 Making of “The Votussoloum” Matte Painting, by Lincoln Renall

Making of The Votussoloum Matte Painting, by Lincoln Renall

Create an Epic Storm at Sea Scene, by Vik Aadi

Create an Epic Storm at Sea Scene in Photoshop, by Vik Aadi

Use Photography to Create a Scenic Matte Painting From a Sketch in Photoshop, by Nat Monney

Use Photography to Create a Scenic Matte Painting From a Sketch in Photoshop by Nat Monney

Create a Devastating Tidal Wave in Photoshop, by Ed Lopez

Create a Devastating Tidal Wave in Photoshop, by Ed Lopez

 Matte Painting Tutorial by Der-Reiko

http://der-reiko.deviantart.com/art/matte-painting-tutorial-160617489

How to Create a Period Matte Painting

How To Create A Period Matte Painting

Making Of “Hot House” by Kenichiro Tomiyasu

hot-house-Kenichiro-Tomiyasu

 

Written by Henry Has

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