The library is now open
Matte Paint is a new stock image library created specifically for artists. Founder Conrad Allan explains how it could make your life a whole lot easier
Matte Paint is a new stock image library created specifically for artists. Founder Conrad Allan explains how it could make your life easier
Originally from New Zealand, Conrad Allan has been working as a 3D artist for over 10 years, and is currently a matte painter at Image Engine in Vancouver. With credits including Game
of Thrones, Logan, and Assassin’s Creed, his career has not been without its challenges. But one particular problem has really stuck in his craw… “I was lucky, I started out in a matte painting role rather than going through the normal generalist rite of passage,” he explains. “And the first thing I realised was: finding references just sucks.
“As a junior matte painter, especially, you’re looking at a lot of reference for other artists and gathering stuff for shots, but there’s very little available.”
So in the last few years, he’s decided to do something about it. And the result is the Matte Paint service. It’s basically an image library for artists working in matte painting, concept art and game environments. At the time of press, it was being tested in closed beta by a number of CG Society students and a small selection of artists, and was due to launch in open beta on 4 September.
With Matte Paint, there’s no need to wade through thousands of images. Here, you’ll find only images that are useful to 2D artists, from panoramic landscapes to smaller details, such as rooftop components, all free from typical issues found online like copyright or poor image quality.
Categories listed on the homepage include Aerial, Skies, Castles and Beach/ Ocean, and there’s all the usual search functionality you’d expect.
Each image has also been carefully tagged with the kind of keywords artists would need. “We’re using two machine learning systems, which we reinforce with user and admin refinement, so keywords will be continually refined for artists,” Conrad explains. “Everything here is also tagged with a perspective: ‘looking up’, ‘looking straight’ or ‘looking down’, which you wouldn’t get on a normal site.”
Subscriptions start at $9 a month for individual artists on a yearly account, and there are custom plans for studios. However, if you don’t want to subscribe, you can just buy a credit pack, which you’ll then have three years to use.
Either way, with all images being supplied copyright-free, the service promises to be cheaper than using a traditional stock image library.
Conrad has been surprised to find how many types of artists seem interested. “There’s a huge following of guys from Brazil who are creative retouchers; I didn’t even think of that field,” he says. “There’s also been a lot of architectural interest.”
It’s still very early days, though, and once the site has bedded in, Conrad is keen to broaden the range of images on the site.
“At the moment we have a lot of coverage of Africa, and urban Europe, plus I’ve just gone through Nepal,” he explains. “But I’m looking for more references that are Game
of Thrones-y and from remote locations, for instance. right now, we do have some from Croatia, including Dubrovnik, which is known as one of the King’s landing references, but that’s only around 100 images at present.”
More images will be added though, partly as result of dedicated photography trips taken by Conrad and his collaborators. But the long-term aim is for users to be able to upload their own images.
“The idea is that you’ll send your photos to us, and we’ll process them in the same way we process our own,” Conrad explains. “Then you’ll be able to download those photos for free, forever; you’ll basically have a lifetime, personal online library. you’ll also be given benefits, such as a free account or free credit pack, depending on how many images you’ve uploaded.”
“we’re using two machine learning systems, which we reinforce… so keywords will be refined for artists” Conrad Allan, Matte Paint founder