PROJECT 2 - Invisible Set Extension (Production)
PROJECT 2: Invisible Set Extension (Production)
NAME: Miao Xinjun
STUDENT I.D: 0379525
MOUDLE: Digital Matte Painting DST 60904
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2. Progress Recording
1. INSTRUCTION
2. PROGRESS RECORDING
2.0 Selected drafts
In Project 2, we needed to choose three of the five scene sketches from different angles that we completed in Project 1 and continue developing them through Photo Manipulation. The aim was to turn our scene sketches into realistic environments. To do this, we needed to download several photos from resource websites and use Photoshop to cut, arrange, and combine them to build the scenes shown in our sketches.
Below are the three scene sketches I selected for Photo Bashing：
2.1 Photo Bashing 1
Based on the sketches I selected, making the Photo Bashing scenes required me to take parts from many different images and combine them together. To make these parts create a harmonious visual effect in my scene, I needed to keep adjusting their perspective, brightness, contrast, saturation, hue, and other elements. This also allowed me to use what I had learned in the first seven weeks of this module.
The following are the main image materials I used to create the Photo Bashing for the first sketch, as well as the production process of my first Photo Bashing work in Photoshop.
In creating the first Photo Bashing image, I started with the castle corridor, which is one of the key elements of the scene. I searched for various images of European-style buildings and corridors, then separated and recombined different parts of them. To make the corridor look like a real image, I not only adjusted values such as contrast, but also used brushes to do some simple painting and refinement.
After mostly completing the corridor, I began working on the foreground.
To make the final visual result match my sketch as closely as possible, I tried different combinations of images. When I found that an image did not fit the scene, I replaced it with a more suitable one.
The main subject and visual focus of this scene is clearly the monster tree coiling around the stone pillars of the corridor in the centre of the image. To create the Photo Manipulation of this tree, I collected many images of trees and combined different parts of them. Each time I added a new part, I adjusted values such as contrast and hue, and also used Photoshop’s brush tools to make sure the parts from different images blended together smoothly.
Finally, I completed the background using the methods mentioned earlier. The main difference was that I added more hand-painted details to achieve the effect I wanted.
To make the painting process easier, I temporarily hid the Photo Manipulation layers of the tree.
And with that, my first Photo Bashing work was complete!
2.2 Photo Bashing 2
Next, I used the same method as I did in my first Photo Bashing work to create the two large twisted trees that form the entrance of the forest in this scene. I did not completely reuse the same image materials from the previous scene. Instead, I searched for some new image materials based on the shape and features of the trees in the second sketch and used them as additional resources.
While creating these two trees, I also used painting techniques. This helped me adjust the lighting on the trees and blend them more naturally into my Photo Bashing scene.
After completing the two trees, I also added some skeleton details that were not clearly shown in the sketch. Some were embedded in the trees, and some were placed on the grass. These details matched my idea of the “man-eating forest” scene.
I created a castle behind them, just as shown in my sketch. This castle was also made from parts taken from other real scene photos. Because the background was dark, I reduced the brightness and contrast of the castle image to create the effect of the castle appearing faintly inside the forest entrance.
Since the middle ground and background of this scene already contain enough details, I only added a simple thick branch to the foreground to create a stronger sense of depth. As shown in the image below, the branch is placed in the lower right corner of the scene.
Next, I used Photo Manipulation to create the two distant trees shown behind the two entrance trees that I had already completed. I also reduced their brightness and contrast with the background to create a stronger sense of depth in the scene.
Next, following the sketch, I added some vines behind the middle ground, and the second Photo Bashing was almost finished.
2.3 Photo Bashing 3
Next is the Photo Bashing process for my final sketch. As shown in the image below, I first imported my scene sketch into Photoshop as a reference to support the later production process.
I started by creating the foreground. The foreground plays an important role in this scene because it acts like a frame and is also a key part of the overall composition.
After completing the main parts of the foreground, I began creating the background for the distant view.
Next, I began working on the middle ground of the scene, which is the castle at the visual centre. Since the castle is an important element in the image, I searched for many images of castle buildings. These also included some 3D-rendered images with visual effects close to real photographs.
After placing the first corridor model image that I selected from many castle reference images, I felt that it was not very suitable. This was because the scene already had a clear foreground frame, and inside that frame there should be a building that could work well as the main subject. However, the model image I showed above looked a little too plain.
So after making some changes, I chose two more castle photos with similar architectural styles and combined them together, which led to the screenshot below. The visual result was clearly improved, and there was now a building inside the frame that worked better as the main subject of the image.
Finally, I continued to enrich the details in the foreground by adding some vines and skeleton elements, and then completed the third Photo Bashing.
3. SUBMISSION
4. REFLECTION
Project 2 was our first formal task in image compositing and scene building. Some students used 3D models, while I chose to create my Digital Matte Painting in Adobe After Effects using 2D images and moving footage. This project also became the first step toward the Final Project, Thematic Matte Painting (VFX). It allowed me to combine the skills I had learned from the lectures and earlier exercises.
At first, I found the first Photo Bashing scene very difficult. The castle corridor alone took me an entire afternoon, while the large twisted tree required even more time. I needed to search for suitable materials, cut out useful parts, and combine them according to my sketch. I also had to adjust the brightness, saturation, hue, contrast, scale, and perspective of each element.For example, the twisted tree was created from several different tree images. After combining them, I noticed that the lighting was not consistent. I therefore used digital painting to add shadows and highlights, making the tree look more natural and connected.
As I continued practising, my speed and confidence improved. The second Photo Bashing was much easier, and I completed the third one more smoothly. I was very happy to see my progress and felt that I had learned a completely new skill from the beginning. This project gave me a stronger foundation for the final VFX project.
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