Photoshop Tips
Creating Movie Matte Paintings with Photoshop
By Thibaut Granier
Adapted from Photo Retouching with Photoshop O'Reilly
Dateline: February 21, 2005
Version: Photoshop CS
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Before the development of digital
technologies, matte painting was a
technique that was reserved for glass
artists. Today, Photoshop, which
skillfully combines both retouching
and photomontage techniques, occupies
an essential place in the field.
  
The original image at left is transformed into the final image at right.
Among the many special effects techniques that are used
in the film industry, matte painting is the cheapest
solution. It is also the most commonly used when it is necessary
to put in a decor that does not exist.
For Julien Tycoon’s film Bloody Mallory, Mikros Image, a
Parisian postproduction company, carried out special effects on
over one hundred shots. I was entrusted with the creation of
three matte paintings, one of which was to represent a night
vision of an abandoned church, with a cemetery in the foreground.
The atmosphere had to be eerie and haunted . . .
Stage 1: The Photograph
Thanks to the Internet picture library, we found the Church of
Gouzangrez, in the Oise Valley. It caught our attention for two
reasons. Its massive architecture met the producer’s wishes and
it had some badly damaged tombs—which corresponded perfectly
with the “eerie” atmosphere that he was seeking.
The problem we faced was that the most interesting shot of
the building covered the most recent part of the cemetery. It
looked too “clean.” It was thus necessary to photograph the
tombs that were damaged separately, and then resort to a
montage. Shots of the tombs were much more delicate to handle
than those of the building. Indeed, right from the beginning,
we had to keep in mind where each one would fit in the
final montage. Their position and perspective were crucial. The
fewer errors we would make during the shooting, the easier
the montage would be.
If the majority of photographers express the subtlety
of their talent thanks to the way they master
lighting, it is much more difficult to assemble, in a
realistic manner, images which do not have the
same light directions. Since none of the tombs
could be shot in the same ambient light, I resorted
to a rather simple trick: the sky had to be overcast.
Indeed, clouds serve as a huge light box which diffuses
the sunshine and blends it. No shadows, no
depths: it would be for us to recreate them whenever
we needed them.
Stage 2: Creating the Sky
Bloody Mallory was a fantastic action
film inspired by low-budget films and
mangas. As a consequence, some caricatures
or inconsistencies were allowed,
such as an extremely overcast and cloudy
sky, which, nevertheless, was lit by a
strong source of light.
The initial elements that were used to
create the backdrop of the image consisted
of two photographs of the sky that
came from earlier shots. We placed the
first photograph underneath a copy of
the outlined church, in order to cover the
entire horizon with clouds.
The second sky was interesting because
of the clouds that were located in the
top part of the frame. Once placed over
the first sky, in Darken blend mode, it
was possible to mix the clouds together
and thus create a new sky, entirely covered
with clouds. The Darken mode enabled us to mix both images without having to resort to outlining which, considering the subject, would have been very difficult to perform properly.
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