Matte Painting is the creation of backgrounds and environments – originally painted, today created digitally or composed from photographic elements.
Technical Details
Traditional glass matte paintings were created on glass plates ranging from 60x90 cm to 120x180 cm and positioned 30-90 cm in front of the camera. Modern digital matte paintings are created in resolutions of at least 4K (4096x2160 pixels) up to 8K (8192x4320 pixels) for IMAX productions. The working depth is standardly 16-bit or 32-bit float per color channel in a linear color space. Projection mapping enables the projection of 2D paintings onto 3D geometry for parallax effects during camera movements.
Two main variants exist: Static matte paintings for fixed camera settings and projection mattes for moving cameras, where the painting is projected onto simplified 3D geometry.
History & Development
Norman Dawn developed the first matte painting in 1907 for the film "Missions of California" by holding parts of a glass painting in front of the camera. Albert Whitlock perfected the glass matte technique in the 1960s-70s for Hitchcock films and Universal productions. In 1985, George Lucas introduced the first fully computer-generated matte painting with "Young Sherlock Holmes."
The transition to digital matte paintings occurred in the 1990s, accelerated by "Jurassic Park" (1993) and "Forrest Gump" (1994). Software like Photoshop, Maya, and specialized tools like Nuke revolutionized workflows from 2000 onwards.
Practical Application in Film
"Blade Runner" (1982) used over 40 matte paintings for the dystopian Los Angeles skyline. "Lord of the Rings" combined digital matte paintings with miniatures for Middle-earth landscapes, with individual paintings encompassing up to 16,000x8,000 pixels. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014) utilized the technique for all exterior shots of the hotel.
The typical workflow includes concept art, 3D layout for camera tracking, photopainting in Photoshop, and integration into compositing software like Nuke or After Effects. Render times are 2-8 hours per frame for complex projections.
Comparison & Alternatives
Matte paintings differ from set extensions by their complete artistic creation without photographic base plates. Virtual sets are increasingly replacing matte paintings with fully 3D-modeled environments with real-time rendering. Environment projections extend the classic technique with 360-degree projections for VR applications.
LED volumes (StageCraft) are displacing matte paintings in productions with moving cameras, while static shots continue to be realized cost-effectively through traditional matte paintings.