| Marching ant effect is an animated technique in | | | | from a Hamm's Beer Sign board at an old beer and |
| Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro or GIMP that is identified | | | | hamburger joint in Los Gatos. The signboard featured |
| by a moving dotted line border along a selected | | | | an animated waterfall and Bill realized that an |
| image. Marching ant technique is also known as | | | | animated border similar to this technique could solve |
| marquee selection. Since the moving dotted line looks | | | | the problem, as it would be easier to identify the |
| like a number of ants marching along the border, | | | | selected image with the animated border no matter |
| hence, the name marching ants was given. The | | | | what the background was. Bill Atkinson then |
| marching ant effect helps the user identify the | | | | developed an animation by using alternating sequence |
| selected image by animating the border. | | | | of patterns of black and white, which looked like ants |
| The marching ant technique was developed by Bill | | | | marching around the selected image. |
| Atkinson and was first implemented on Mac Paint | | | | Marching ant technique is very useful when the user |
| formerly known as Mac Sketch. Bill Atkinson | | | | has to change or provide a different effect to one |
| developed this technique in the year 1983 when he | | | | or more images in the picture. It identifies this image |
| was trying to add more tools to the palette of Mac | | | | and with the help of other tools the user can change |
| Sketch, the graphic application software of Macintosh. | | | | or alter the appearance of a selected image without |
| He was successful in adding a lot of tools to the | | | | disturbing the background of the original image. With |
| software like, a rectangular selection tool and paint | | | | the help of the marching ant technique one can alter, |
| bucket tool. He wanted to develop a selection | | | | create, manipulate and enhance digital image files |
| program. Bill Atkinson got his inspiration of developing | | | | including photographs, computer generated images |
| the selection program of the marching ant technique | | | | and scanned images. |