Well, the best program I've found to do panoramics (and practically almost anything else) is Microsoft Digital Image 2006 (
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=F3BA983B-8C10-44F6-9044-2BB1464937DC&displaylang=en). Yes I know it's four years old and it's from Microsoft, but it really is a great program for those who aren't very efficient with most other art programs. It's not a powerhouse like Adobe stuff, but it's still worth using. I love the program so much that I actually bought it ^__^ It's a little temperamental though. It's best to keep the open pictures you're working with to a minimum. It tends to start to stall out if you have more than 10 pics open, or pics that you're layering bog it down if you put on too much so it's wise to save often.
This is all assuming you use a pc and not a mac, I don't know if the program works on a mac :p
That free trial there allows you to use the program without any restrictions, but after the trial period, you can still use the program but only its basic functions.
If you want to try doing something like this for yourself, I'll recount the process I used to make the Misu piece I made from the clean ending of Sorcerer Hunters.
Making Panoramas From Video
1. Make sure the video you have is from a clean source to start with, it will help the overall look of the finished piece. I used my dvd to get the shots I used. Make sure there is no text or any varying colors (ie strobe light fx or things of the like).
2. Play the video on the computer. If the player you are using has a snapshot function, you can use that. I preferred the method of letting the video play at fullscreen and taking screen caps, it gets larger pics to work with.
3. If you want to do the screen cap method...
1. When you have the video paused make sure all the player buttons have faded from sight or move it out of the way if you are able to.
2. Press down the ctrl button and the prt sc button both at the same time.
3. For time and convenience sake, open MS Paint. In the tool bar go to Edit > Paste. After your image pops in then save it.
4. If your toolbar on the bottom of the screen is in the way, then open MDI and use the cropping tool to trim it out.
4. Get to the area of the video you want to make a panorama of. If you see my Misu piece and watch the video up there, you'll see the time frame I took it from. Pause the video where you want to start and take a pic of it.
5. Now this part takes a while and the key is to overlap the pics you take. You need to know how to slowly skip through frames in your player. Slowly skip a little ways until the pan moves a little ways, snap a pic. Slowly skip and do it again. Repeat the process until you are at the end of the pan.
I still have all the shots I used to make it, so I'll show you what it should look like. There has to be a good amount of overlap for the program to be able to attach it. (I reduced the size of each one for net demonstration, spoilered for length).
6. Open MDI, and go to your tool bar to Tools > Panoramic Stitching. Follow the instructions and make your panoramic piece. If you want to practice first and see how it all works, just save all these pics and run them through the panoramic feature of the program. I'm pretty positive these were the final sets of pics that worked. The overlapping is extremely important.
Oh ya I almost forgot the last step.......
7. After the piece is made, it may be curved in an awkward manner. But that's ok, accept it and save it, and just use the cropping tool to trim it into an acceptable rectangle :)
I hope this is helpful :)
