The subject of this paper is the use of conventional and advanced metallographic techniques for the development and characterization of high-performance materials. It provides the author's personal retrospective, spanning the years from 1980 until the present day and ranging from functional to structural materials. The metallographic techniques discussed in this article include light optical as well as scanning electron microscopy, conventional and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, microprobe and atom probe tomography. Furthermore, additional and complementary procedures such synchrotron radiation and neutrons will be outlined.