MoNJiMaTiC

Macromedia Flash is not a difficult program to learn with a little patience and the right tutorials (the ones included with the program are great to begin with). The results that can be achieved using the software, however, are much greater (exponentially, I'd say) than using swish and/or freehand.Freehand is a simple vector graphics tool, which, while being useful for graphics design, is not ideal for developing flash movies. I believe small animations and roll-over effects can be made in either SWF or GIF form, but it is definitely not the right choice.Swish is good for simple text effects that look DECENT when mixed in with a better flash movie. The text effects, if used alone, look highly amatuer and is not meant for any serious graphics designer.Macromedia Flash MX and even the previous versions of Flash allow for beginners to adapt quickly and effeciently, while providing highly advanced features (ie actionscripting) for the veteran users.I hope that helps.- MoNJiMaTiC Freelance Designer