Have you tried keyframing positions for using the View Designer? That sounds like exactly what it's made to do.

Quote Have you tried keyframing positions for using the View Designer? That sounds like exactly what it's made to do.

Thanks for the suggestion, and I explored it (only one Keyframe can be created), however I am starting with a 360 image, not a 360 video.

If you're looking to convert the 360 jpeg into a standard 2D clip as mentioned in the title of your OP, all you need to do is use the PiP Designer to zoom in so you have a small amount of content visible then set a starting position keyframe. Then go to the end of the clip and set the final position keyframe.

I made a quick sample project that you can download from here, and this is what the 360° JPG looks like in the Media Library and then zoomed in on the timeline:



I've also attached the produced clip which is only 5 sec long - but you can change it to any duration you like. You'll need to delete the postion keyframe at 5 seconds so the panning will continue to the actual end of a longer clip, though.

To use your clip in the sample project, simply import it into the Media library then drag it directly onto the sample clip on the timeline and choose Replace from the pop-up menu.

With Photoshop, it’s easy to convert the still images from your 360 views into an MP4 file. This is especially helpful if you’re trying to show your 360 views on Amazon, YouTube, or some other gigantic juggernaut website.

Step 1: Open Photoshop & Choose Your ImageMake sure each set of 360 view images gets put into its own folder. This will not work if you have multiple sets of 360 view images in a single folder. Once Photoshop is open, go to File > Open. Next, select the folder that has your 360-degree images and click on the first image (just the first image–do not select them all). Before clicking “Open”, click the checkbox for “Image Sequence”.

Step 2: Open & Choose Your Video SettingsClick Open. A dialog will open. Select “Custom” for the frame rate and enter a frame rate between 3 and 7. Anything outside of that range is usually too slow or too fast. However, feel free to experiment and set it to a speed that lets people see your product at a comfortable rotation speed.

Step 3: Set the Video LengthTo to increase the length of your video, select the layer and click Layer > Duplicate Layer. The more times you duplicate the latter, the longer the video will be. Shoppers are more inclined to click a short video, so try to keep yours in the range of 30 to 60 seconds.

All done!
If you notice that your video has black bars along the top or sides, then don’t worry – these were going to show up no matter what! However, if you go back and re-crop your images to an aspect ratio of 16:9 (or 1920×1080 pixels) then you can say goodbye to those black bars, and your video will have a perfectly white background.

Quote If you're looking to convert the 360 jpeg into a standard 2D clip as mentioned in the title of your OP, all you need to do is use the PiP Designer to zoom in so you have a small amount of content visible then set a starting position keyframe. Then go to the end of the clip and set the final position keyframe.

I made a quick sample project that you can download from here, and this is what the 360° JPG looks like in the Media Library and then zoomed in on the timeline:



I've also attached the produced clip which is only 5 sec long - but you can change it to any duration you like. You'll need to delete the postion keyframe at 5 seconds so the panning will continue to the actual end of a longer clip, though.

To use your clip in the sample project, simply import it into the Media library then drag it directly onto the sample clip on the timeline and choose Replace from the pop-up menu.

Thank you so much for your sample project, and the result looks great. That is what I want to do.

However I am having difficulty interpreting your comment "... all you need to do is use the PiP Designer to zoom in so you have a small amount of content visible then set a starting position keyframe."

I imported my 360 jpg file (rectilinear), moved it to the Timeline and selected it. Then Tools > PIP Designer to open the PIP Designer window. I zoom in a little. From there I do not comprehend how to proceed. I don't see a way to set the starting or ending position keyframes in PIP Designer.

Quote With Photoshop, it’s easy to convert the still images from your 360 views into an MP4 file. This is especially helpful if you’re trying to show your 360 views on Amazon, YouTube, or some other gigantic juggernaut website.

Step 1: Open Photoshop & Choose Your ImageMake sure each set of 360 view images gets put into its own folder. This will not work if you have multiple sets of 360 view images in a single folder. Once Photoshop is open, go to File > Open. Next, select the folder that has your 360-degree images and click on the first image (just the first image–do not select them all). Before clicking “Open”, click the checkbox for “Image Sequence”.

Step 2: Open & Choose Your Video SettingsClick Open. A dialog will open. Select “Custom” for the frame rate and enter a frame rate between 3 and 7. Anything outside of that range is usually too slow or too fast. However, feel free to experiment and set it to a speed that lets people see your product at a comfortable rotation speed.

Step 3: Set the Video LengthTo to increase the length of your video, select the layer and click Layer > Duplicate Layer. The more times you duplicate the latter, the longer the video will be. Shoppers are more inclined to click a short video, so try to keep yours in the range of 30 to 60 seconds.

All done!
If you notice that your video has black bars along the top or sides, then don’t worry – these were going to show up no matter what! However, if you go back and re-crop your images to an aspect ratio of 16:9 (or 1920×1080 pixels) then you can say goodbye to those black bars, and your video will have a perfectly white background.

Good to know, however I do not use Photoshop. I want to use PowerDirector.

Quote Thank you so much for your sample project, and the result looks great. That is what I want to do.

However I am having difficulty interpreting your comment "... all you need to do is use the PiP Designer to zoom in so you have a small amount of content visible then set a starting position keyframe."

I imported my 360 jpg file (rectilinear), moved it to the Timeline and selected it. Then Tools > PIP Designer to open the PIP Designer window. I zoom in a little. From there I do not comprehend how to proceed. I don't see a way to set the starting or ending position keyframes in PIP Designer.

You may want to watch a tutorial on keyframes to see how they work in PD. Here's one place to start and maybe StevenG can recommend one of his.

Quote

You may want to watch a tutorial on keyframes to see how they work in PD. Here's one place to start and maybe StevenG can recommend one of his.

Thank you. Actually, I have reviewed several tutorials about using keyframes and PIP Designer None, so far, appear to explain your method.

I once worked with a colleague who remarked, on occasion, that "The problem with communication is the assumption that it has happened."

Apparently this is not the place for a newbie to get detailed help, so I will keep using your example until I figure out what is not working on my end. I am using PowerDirector 365. I do appreciate your attempt to assist.

Quote


Thank you. Actually, I have reviewed several tutorials about using keyframes and PIP Designer None, so far, appear to explain your method.

Apparently this is not a forum where a newbie can get detailed help, so I will keep using your example until I figure out what is not working on my end. I am using PowerDirector 365. I do appreciate your attempt to assist.

This did work for me, although I'll need to adjust the time duration to slow the pan:
"To use your clip in the sample project, simply import it into the Media library then drag it directly onto the sample clip on the timeline and choose Replace from the pop-up menu."

However this comment "... all you need to do is use the PiP Designer to zoom in so you have a small amount of content visible then set a starting position keyframe." implies a sequence of steps which I have yet to replicate in PowerDirector 365.

I was running out the door when I wrote my last response about watching some tutorials and had wanted to give you some suggestions for moving forward rather than leave you hanging until I came back.

Quote However I am having difficulty interpreting your comment "... all you need to do is use the PiP Designer to zoom in so you have a small amount of content visible then set a starting position keyframe."

I listed the overview of the steps needed but there were a couple of intermediate steps that I skipped over. Hopefully I've covered everything in this quick tutorial, including 2 different ways to set the scale and clip positions: