Creating widescreen panoramas

Everyone likes a panorama, which is why smartphones and compact cameras have an automated panorama feature. These usually work well—I find myself using my iPhone for this all the time because it's so convenient. The following is a photo I took in Ait Ben Haddhu, Morocco:

This was a five-frame panorama, complete with a black border and Arabic style text. We all visit beautiful places on our travels, many of which are too large or too majestic to warrant just one snap. A panorama is the perfect answer. The following is a photo I shot of Himeji, Japan's best-preserved castle:

I still create panoramas using a DSLR camera and Photoshop Elements because the image quality is far better than one that's produced with a smartphone—plus, if Elements makes a mistake stitching the different sections, I can usually fix it. Smartphone panoramas are convenient, but their tiny image sensors...