Master Cinematic Matte Painting for Production
The Gnomon Workshop has released Cinematic Matte Painting for Production, a guide to workflows for VFX and game cinematics recorded by Senior Matte Painter Kevin Decatoire.
The intermediate-level workshop provides over two hours of video training using Blender for 3D work, Photoshop for matte painting and image editing, and Nuke for compositing and animation.
Master 3D, matte painting and compositing workflows to create cinematic environments
In the workshop, Decatoire demonstrates how to create a sci-fi environment centered on a portal hidden within a mountain landscape, combining 3D, matte painting and compositing.
Begins with reference gathering and concept development, exploring how to establish a strong composition, define mood, and create a clear visual direction.
He then builds a flexible 3D foundation for the environment in Blender, creating procedural terrain and integrating 3D scans, texturing and lighting the scene, and adding clouds and fog.
Once the 3D environment is complete, Decatoire moves into Photoshop to transform the render into a polished matte painting.
Using photobashing techniques, digital painting and color grading, he demonstrates how to enhance textures, replace the sky, refine lighting, and strengthen the focal point of the image.
Finally, Decatoire moves to Nuke to produce a cinematic animated sequence, compositing the render passes and animating individual elements like the portal, clouds and spaceship, before adding the final touches through color grading, glow, lens effects and post-processing.
Viewers of the workshop can download project files including Decatoire’s Blender scene, matte painting PSD file and Nuke script, plus resources like reference images and HDRIs.
About the artist
Kevin Decatoire is a Senior Matte Painter and Concept Artist with over a decade of experience in film, games, and cinematics.
He has worked with studios including Framestore, Blur Studio, and Quantic Dream, on projects including Avengers: Infinity War, God of War, Halo: Infinite, and Star Wars: Eclipse.
Price and availability
Cinematic Matte Painting for Production is available via a subscription to The Gnomon Workshop, which provides access to over 300 tutorials.
Subscriptions cost $57/month or $499/year. Free trials are available.
Read more about Cinematic Matte Painting for Production on The Gnomon Workshop’s website
Have your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we don’t post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.
Full disclosure: CG Channel is owned by Gnomon.