In a decent crosswind, you need to line the nose of the aircraft with what appears to be the upwind side of the runway. When you kick out the crab, (I use right at 10 feet), The nose swings right around to the center of the runway. Its kinda wierd, but you have to trust this. Stay in a crab until 10-20 feet off the ground. You will still have to use a little bit of aileron to keep the wings level, but it does work well.
Doing the forward slip/cross control is a bit risky on a 747. You just don't have much bank angle to play with.
Clear as mud??