Digital Matte Painting: Exercises

01/05/2025 - 05/07/2025
Ameera Rihana binti Remy Ansara
DMP / Bachelor of (hons) in creative media
Exercises: Fundamentals of Matte Painting

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INSTRUCTIONS

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Exercises: Fundamentals of Matte Painting

Recap
Students will complete a series of exercises to enhance their digital matte painting skills and design sensibilities, improving technical proficiency and knowledge. Using concept briefs covering various environments, moods, eras, genres, and target markets, they will build artworks from scratch, following the process taught in class. This includes research, sketches, and exploring diverse conceptual ideas through digitization with appropriate software.
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Tutorials & Research
To start off with the exercises, I looked up for some videos to get an idea of the concept and the basics of matte painting. I tried to applied these techniques through the exercises.

Fig 1.0 Sky Replacements

Fig 1.1 Value Studies

Fig 1.2 Set Extensions

Fig 1.2.5 Perspective learning

Fig 1.3 Framed Ink (Values and Set Extension)

Weekly Exercises

Sky Replacements

Masking Tool
For sky replacements, we were tasked to create a set of pictures with different weather based on the requirement. (after rain, night, afternoon, overcast, morning, sunset, sunrise).

To change the sky itself, I chose a picture of my preference and cut out the mountain using a quick selection tool and applied mask to isolate it from the original sky. After that, I disabled the layer mask by right clicking.

Fig 1.4 Original Picture

Fig 1.5 Applying mask

Fig 1.6 Disable mask

Sky Replacement Selection

After that, I proceed to the edit panel and clicked on the sky replacement. It appeared to have different selections of weathers and I chose them accordingly to the requirement and adjusted the settings. For this one I decided to choose the sunrise. Once I have selected the weather, it will popped up a group of layers that had been set up in the layers panel.

Fig 1.7 Sky Replacement

Fig 1.8 Layers

Adding Color Tints

After I have acquired the weather, I tried to add some red tint into the mountain to add lighting and ensure that the picture felt more connected to the new sky. I used a brush tool (soft round pressure opacity) and reduced its opacity. Then, I changed the blending mode into soft light.

Fig 1.9 Adding tint (before & after); sunrise

 

Sky Replacement for different weathers

Once I have executed the first weather, I applied the same technique to the others and making minor adjustments that are needed to make it look more realistic.

Fig 2.0 Sunset (progression)

Fig 2.1 Morning (progression)

Fig 2.2 Overcast sky (progression)

Fig 2.3 Afternoon (progression)

Fig 2.4 Night (progression)

Fig 2.4 After Rain (progression)

Perspective Drawing

From what we learnt, we are tasked to draw three different kinds of perspective and used the vanishing point concept. I took a few references for each kind of perspective and determined the vanishing point before I drew the layout. (1 point, 2 point, 3 point perspective)

Fig 2.5 Drawing Perspective

Practicing Values

For this exercise, we were to determine where the light and shadows appeared based on the direction of the light. My first attempt of drawing looked a bit flat and did not have depth to it. I tried again by adding more shadows and different shades of grey to make it more rounded and to add more depth. Brighter shades indicate that the light is closer to the ball whereas slightly darker ones appear to be further.

Fig 2.6 First Attempt (values)

Fig 2.6 Second attempt (values)

Virtual Plane

In this exercise, we had to take a reference image and drew it as realistic as possible to train our eyes and intuition by choosing the right color and shades without using an eyedropper tool. I decided to try my attempt at painting a mountain.

Fig 2.7 Virtual Plane studies

Invisible Set Extensions

To train ourselves with the next project, I attempted to sketch a set extension by ensuring the proportions and the composition is correct by using grayscale.

Fig 2.8 Set extension

Final Outcome

Final Exercises Compilation, PDF

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REFLECTION

Experiences: While working on my matte paintings, I got to try out a mix of techniques from replacing skies to building virtual planes, doing value studies, and applying perspective drawing. Sky replacements were especially fun because I could instantly change the mood of a scene just by swapping the sky. Virtual planes helped me map out where things should sit in space, value studies trained my eye to see light and shadow more clearly, and perspective drawing gave everything a solid, believable structure.

Observation: I noticed that even small changes in the sky like shifting the clouds or adjusting the light could completely change the feel of the piece. Virtual planes made it way easier to keep depth and scale consistent. With value studies, I saw how important contrast is for guiding the viewer’s eye.

Findings: Putting these skills together really showed me how much they support each other. Perspective builds the space, values make it readable, virtual planes keep things organized, and the sky sets the mood. When they all work hand in hand, the final matte painting feels not just realistic, but also full of atmosphere and story.