PD Howler
PD Howler: A Windows painting tool with unusually broad animation, effects, and terrain capabilities. Ranked #21 of 46 in Digital Painting Software by our editors (7.3/10); pricing: Paid; best for windows artists needing animation and effects.
At a glance
- Editor score7.3 / 10
- PricingPaid
- Best forWindows artists needing animation and effects
- Layer supportYes
- Facts checked21 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Natural-media, bristle, particle, foliage, custom, and animated brushes
- Frame-by-frame animation, video editing, rotoscoping, and compositing
- 3D terrain generation with lighting, ray tracing, and GPU processing
Where it doesn't
- Windows desktop support limits platform flexibility
- The product is paid rather than open source
- The 2025 upgrade requires Howler 2024 first
Our verdict on PD Howler
PD Howler is a Windows desktop application for digital painting, sketching, illustration, animation, video work, and 3D landscape rendering. It is aimed at digital artists and creators who want natural-media brush work alongside motion, visual effects, or terrain-generation tools. Brush customization includes natural-media, bristle, particle, foliage, custom, and animated brushes, while tablet pressure support can control brush size and opacity. Layer management, layer modes, image stabilization, and canvas stabilization support illustration workflows.
Its main distinction is breadth. In addition to painting, PD Howler includes frame-by-frame animation and video editing, plus rotoscoping, tracking, and chroma-key compositing. The software also covers 3D terrain generation, lighting, ray tracing, and GPU-supported processing and rendering. That combination suits creators whose work moves between painted imagery, animation, effects, and generated landscapes. Artists focused only on still-image painting may not need the broader toolset, while users seeking these capabilities in one Windows application have a more relevant fit.
The published plans show a paid product plan named PD Howler, along with site-license options for larger installations: $150 for 3–10 licenses, $250 for 11–20, and $350 for 21–30. The site-license plans highlight site licensing and computer-lab pricing. The 2025 release page describes the current 2025 version as an upgrade package requiring Howler 2024 first. Support channels include documentation and email. PD Howler should appeal to solo, small, and mid-market Windows teams that value a wide creative feature set; artists who require another platform or a narrowly focused painting application should look elsewhere.
Your product? Our editors can test PD Howler in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
PD Howler pricing
All 4 PD Howler plans and prices →
PD Howler fact sheet
| Free plan | Not verified |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Not verified |
| Brush customization | Yes |
| Layer support | Yes |
| Pressure sensitivity | Yes |
| Supported platforms | Windows |
| Color management | Not verified |
| Stroke stabilization | Yes |
| Deployment | Desktop |
| Platforms | Windows |
| Support | Docs, Email |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market (editorial estimate) |
| Pricing | Paid (source) |
| Website | thebest3d.com |
| Facts checked | 21 Sep 2026 |
Alternatives to PD Howler
- KritaA broad, professional-grade painting toolkit with no paid plan and wide platform coverage.9.4
- Clip Studio PaintA broad digital art workspace spanning illustration, comics, 3D, animation, and cloud tools.9.3
- ProcreateA polished iPad painting workflow with broad creative tools and limited platform coverage.9.1
See all PD Howler alternatives →
Used PD Howler? Be the first to review it
The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used PD Howler for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.
Write a reviewTwo minutes · verified accounts only · read by an editor before it appears
Featured on iTechGuides
PD Howler is listed in our Digital Painting Software directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.
<a href="https://www.itechguides.com/products/pd-howler/"><img src="https://www.itechguides.com/best/badge/pd-howler.svg" alt="Featured on iTechGuides" width="230" height="46"></a>
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update