Painting techniques???

**perineum** · April 25th, 2006, 10:40 PM

What is "matte painting"?

**Elwell** · April 25th, 2006, 11:05 PM

It's not a technique, it's a catagory.
Matte paintings were originally paintings done to extend the set in a filmed scene. The environment would be painted on glass, with an area left clear to film the actors and set through. Later various in and out of camera compositing techniques were used to combine the painted and live elements. Practically every long shot you see in studio-era Hollywood films like Gone With the Wind was done with matte paintings.
These days, of course, that sort of work is done digitally, but the old term survives. Because matte paintings have to be convincing enough to blend with filmed elements, people tend to call any realistic digital environment, especially one that incorporates modified/overpainted photographic elements, a "matt painting," whether it was actually done for film or not.