People

Mark Ferrari

Palette cycling master

American pixel artist whose work at Lucasfilm Games pioneered palette cycling techniques, creating stunning animated scenes that appeared to move without any sprite animation.

Amigapc artistpixel-artlucasfilmpalette-cyclinganimation 1962–present

Overview

Mark Ferrari is an American pixel artist best known for his work at Lucasfilm Games, where he pioneered colour cycling techniques to create animated scenes. By carefully arranging palette entries and rotating colours, Ferrari made waterfalls flow, fires flicker, and lights shimmer—all without moving a single pixel.

Fast Facts

AspectDetail
Born1962
StudioLucasfilm Games (1987-1996)
InnovationAdvanced palette cycling
Notable gamesLoom, Zak McKracken, Secret of Monkey Island
Modern workTutorials, GDC talks

Palette Cycling Explained

Traditional AnimationPalette Cycling
Move pixels each framePixels stay fixed
Memory for each frameSingle image
CPU-intensiveColour rotation only
Limited by hardwareSmooth, continuous

How It Works

StepMethod
1Draw scene with colours in sequence (1,2,3,4…)
2Place sequential colours where motion needed
3Rotate palette entries each frame
4Colours shift positions, creating motion illusion

Notable Techniques

EffectImplementation
WaterfallsVertical colour gradients, rotated
FireOrange/yellow sequences
ReflectionsMirror cycling in water
Day/nightFull palette transitions
Neon signsBlinking through cycle

Lucasfilm Games Work

GameYearContribution
Zak McKracken1988Background art
Loom1990Environments
Secret of Monkey Island1990Background scenes
Indiana Jones: Fate of Atlantis1992Environments

Modern Recognition

Ferrari’s work gained renewed attention when his palette cycling demonstrations went viral, showing modern audiences the ingenuity of limited-palette animation. His GDC talks teach these techniques to new generations.

Legacy

Mark Ferrari demonstrated that technical constraints inspire creativity. His palette cycling work remains relevant—indie developers still use these techniques, and understanding them illuminates how clever artists solved hardware limitations.

See Also