Hi,
Yeah Parallax maps are used in 2D games as well, googling "scrolling parallax" should bring up some good examples. You can drop me a PM from this link; https://www.moddb.com/members/ketxxx and I'll give you my email so you can send me anything you'd like testing out.
EDIT: Quick example link for 2D parallaxing http://enhousestudios.tumblr.com/post/141217170559/2d-rpg-parallax-collision I don't know if the concept is the same in a 2D game for parallax as it is for a 3D game but parallaxing in your utility would certainly be awesome as its very intelligently laid out making it fast to use. I've used a lot of software for parallax maps and their all a pain in the arse except for njob but njob is a VERY simple piece of software and doesn't even support batch processing so making parallax maps with it is torture :p