PD Howler 11

About

"PD Howler 11 - Axehead" is a digital painting and visual effects program for Windows, offering new tools for animation, 3D, and FX. It includes raytracing improvements, adjustable gradient tools, numeric entry, callouts, vector objects, and enhanced image scaling. Suitable for home designers and game developers, it provides many features of professional applications at a lower cost.

Genres & Tags

Educational

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 22 reviews

stability2 negative mentions

Howler offers powerful animated filters and rendering features, making it a great tool for creating complex visual effects and animations quickly.
The program has a wide range of tools and options, allowing for creative experimentation and unique artistic techniques that can rival higher-tier software.
The user interface has improved over time, making it easier to access features, and there are numerous tutorials available to help users learn the software.

The lack of a comprehensive manual and poorly constructed tutorials make it difficult for new users to understand and utilize the software effectively.
Howler suffers from stability issues, including frequent crashes and bugs, particularly when using certain tools or attempting to create longer animations.
The layering system is confusing and can lead to unexpected results, such as global effects being applied instead of layer-specific adjustments.

graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The graphics in Howler are described as unconventional and somewhat chaotic, making it more of a complementary tool to traditional graphic design software like Photoshop rather than a direct alternative. Users appreciate its ability to generate unique texture maps and terrains, though they note that its filtering capabilities are less powerful than those found in more established programs. Overall, the graphics evoke a nostalgic, experimental feel, appealing to those looking for creative exploration.
- “I could see it not as an alternative to Photoshop, but a complement to any traditional graphic design tool for the sake of generating lots of really alien texture maps and terrains.”
- “Howler utilizes green, pink, or blue in some old school magic, utilizing the opposite wall. If your painting is in greens and blues, you can use a red-like color to create some magic because it won't match anything in your artwork consisting of greens and blues.”
- “There are also many kinds of filters that can adjust your artwork, though it may be less powerful than what Photoshop has.”
- “This is a graphic designer's nightmare.”
- “There are also many kinds of filters that can adjust your artwork, though it may be less powerful than Photoshop.”
- “Howler utilizes green, pink, or blue in some old school magic, but it doesn't match anything in your artwork consisting of greens and blues.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music aspect of the game is well-integrated, allowing users to listen to their own music while engaging in various creative tasks, such as digital art and programming. This feature enhances the overall experience by providing a customizable and immersive environment.
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is marked by occasional bugs, such as graphical glitches when moving images and minor loading issues. Users also report the need for manual updates due to outdated technology, alongside a user interface that lacks consistency, though improvements have been noted.
- “Quirky stuff includes slightly buggy drawing of the picture on the right-hand side when moving it, sometimes missing a pixel width of info when loading pictures, having to update the program somewhat manually rather than Steam handling it (because of some ancient Windows tech that is being used), and a user interface that is not always consistent (although it's a lot better than it used to be).”