The Digital Matte Painting Handbook

The only how-to guide dedicated to mastering the technique of digital matte painting!

Matte painting affords seamless integration between an artist's painting with live action film footage and allows for greater flexibility and creative input in the appearance of movie settings. This unique book reveals a variety of tools and techniques that are both industry and classroom tested and will enhance your existing skill set. Veteran author and instructor David Mattingly walks you through the process of creating a matte painting, starting with rough concept sketches, working out the perspective drawing, adding light and shadow, and texturing all of the elements in the painting. You'll gradually upgrade to using Adobe After Effects and Autodesk Maya in order to fulfill your matte painting vision.
* Escorts you through the process of creating a matte painting, starting with the initial concept sketch, adding light and shadow, texturing elements, and incorporating motion and depth
* Author is an experienced matte artist and teacher and shares a plethora of unique industry- and classroom-tested tools and techniques
* Features helpful step-by-step instructions accompanied by screen shots and photos to illustrate the process of creating a matte painting

Whether you're creating a background for a studio production, independent film, TV commercial, or YouTube video, The Digital Matte Painting Handbook helps you successfully complete your project.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Create Stunning Backgrounds for Film, Video, Games, and Ads

If you want to create digital matte paintings that blend seamlessly into live–action footage, this is the perfect guide. Author David Mattingly was head of the Disney Studios Matte Department and has been a matte artist on major motion pictures such as The Black Hole, Dick Tracy, and I, Robot. In this unique how–to book and DVD, he teaches you his stellar techniques.

You'll start with rough concept sketches in Photoshop and learn to add perspective, create light and shadow, add texture, and color–correct. Then you'll switch from Photoshop to Adobe After Effects and Autodesk Maya to composite your matte in 3–D and camera–project it. The result? A skill set suitable for Hollywood! Artists of all levels will want this professional handbook on their desks.

• Get up to speed on the Photoshop workspace, tools, and custom brushes

• Master the essentials composition, perspective, drawing, color, and form

• Create a castle and add illumination, dark shadows, and craggy texture

• Change daylight into night or summer into winter

• Prepare your Photoshop files for use in Maya camera projection

• Learn industry– and classroom–tested tools and techniques

Create a futuristic city over a moving plate

Make scenes go from day to night

Set up a vision of Hades in After Effects 3D space

Contains all the files needed to complete the projects in the book as well as companion videos to help drive home concepts.

Foreword.

Introduction.

1 What Is a Matte Painting?

2 Photoshop Workspace, Tools, and Custom Brushes.

3 Composition and Concept.

4 Perspective Basics.

5 Perspective Drawing.

6 Form.

7 Texturing and Color Correction.

8 Preparing your files for Camera Projection in Maya.

9 Building Geometry for Camera Projection in Maya.

10 Projecting Textures in Maya.

11 Lighting Techniques.

12 Changing Seasons.

13 Getting Started in After Effects.

14 Working Over a Moving Plate.

15 Using After Effects' True 3D space.

Appendix About the Companion DVD.

Index.

David B. Mattingly teaches digital matte painting at two of the leading art schools in the United States: School of Visual Arts and Pratt Institute in New York. He was head of the Walt Disney Studios Matte Department and has worked for over three decades as a matte artist on major motion pictures including The Black Hole, Dick Tracy, and I, Robot. He is an internationally known science fiction illustrator with more than 2,000 book covers to his credit, including the New York Times bestselling "Honor Harrington" and "Animorphs" series.