Filmmaking Basics/Matte Painting/Compositing


This school is:
Wikiversity Film School – Narrative film production
This course is:
The basics of narrative filmmaking
This lesson is:
Lesson: Creating a matte painting
Pages of this Lesson:
Introduction to Matte Painting

Assignment #1 – using Art Rage Free or Adobe Photoshop or the free GIMP or Corel Painter:

1A – Matte Painting for "Seduced by the Dark Side!"
1B – Building your own starter pages (optional)

Assignment #2 – using Tux Paint:

2A – Matte Painting for "Out For A Walk"
2B – Starter page sets for Tux Paint
2C – Building your own starter page set for Tux Paint (optional)


How to compostite movies onto matte paintings

More instructions later

Under construction
This section will be expanded shortly.


Things to remember

Lock the camera
The concept of matte painting is based on a locked camera.
No matte painting where the actors roam.
Nothing must cover up where the actors are.
Additional layers are needed
Anything which is in front of the actors must be on a separate layer.
Coming together
All this comes together in Adobe AfterEffects.

A sample frame



A still frame from the movie.

Other layers

More than just a matte painting
You can also add many other layers to a composite of a matte painting.

Place the picture



The frame is on the blank page.


Send me your finished matte painting

When you are finished with your matte painting, please email a copy to me.

Contact Your Instructor