Environment Art · Matte Painting · 2026

The Last of Us
Recreation

A post-apocalyptic environment study built through photo compositing, texture work, environmental storytelling, and atmospheric color grading.

← Back to Visual Effects

Project film

See the world
come together.

The finished project brings together the environment, mood, custom decals, and overgrown details in one cinematic presentation.

Final image

Nature reclaims the city.

I created the final matte painting in Adobe Photoshop, combining damaged architecture, distant mountain forms, layered foliage, debris, and a muted cinematic grade. The goal was to make the environment feel abandoned, believable, and quietly alive.

Completed matte painting of an abandoned overgrown city — Final matte painting · Created in Adobe Photoshop

Visual development

From references
to atmosphere.

The visual direction started with real architecture, vegetation, mountain photography, and the grounded color palette of The Last of Us.

Mood board of overgrown abandoned environments

Mood and palette

Muted greens, worn brick, cloudy light, and human traces shaped the emotional direction.

Reference photographs used to create the matte painting

Photo sourcing

Architecture and mountain references were selected for perspective, scale, and texture.

The Last of Us environment inspiration image

World reference

The original environment established the balance between destruction and regrowth.

Building the shot

Layers of story
and detail.

Each pass added depth and history, from the first architectural composite to vegetation, surface damage, and handmade story decals.

Early matte painting composite — **Early composite**Architecture, perspective, and atmosphere composited in Adobe Photoshop

Foliage cutout used in the matte painting — **Vegetation pass**Layered growth for natural breakup

Maya building modeling and material process — **3D asset work**I created the building geometry and material work in Autodesk Maya.

Environmental storytelling

Decals, warnings,
and impact marks.

Weathered signs, handwritten warnings, and bullet damage add evidence of the people who occupied this world before it was abandoned.

**01 · Quarantine warning sign**Source image supplied by a teammate; I added dirt, scratches, and worn surface marks in Photoshop.

**02 · Bullets are the only cure graffiti**Freehanded by me, then prepared as a decal in Photoshop.

**03 · Environmental callout graffiti**Freehanded by me, then prepared as a decal in Photoshop.

**04 · Cordyceps infection warning**Source image supplied by a teammate; I removed the background and prepared it for use in Photoshop.

**05 · Weathered dead end sign**Source image supplied by a teammate; I removed the background and prepared it for use in Photoshop.

**06 · FEDRA infection stages poster**Source image supplied by a teammate; I added dirt, scratches, and worn surface marks in Photoshop.

**07 · Weathered public safety notice**Source image supplied by a teammate; I added dirt, scratches, and worn surface marks in Photoshop.

**08 · Single bullet impact texture**Source image supplied by a teammate; I removed the background and prepared it for use in Photoshop.

**09 · Bullet impact texture set**Source images supplied by a teammate; I removed the backgrounds and prepared them for use in Photoshop.

Collaboration

The team

Project lead Federica, texture artist Maygen, and cinematographer Spencer combined their specialties to shape one cohesive environment.

The Last of Us recreation team: Federica, Maygen, and Spencer

See the worldcome together.