Cutting down file size in my ,swf file - and best importing of pics

Hey everyone,

I have created an swf file that is 4 mb. Everything (MC, pics, actionscripts) are in this one file which I am trying to upload online. Now I’m pretty sure this size is huge. What are some of the ways I can cut down on file size. One thing I was pretty sure that I can do, was the pics. Ok, I use a lot of vector images, and have a couple of photos. What is the file format I should be importing them as. Here are the known ways I know how to do.

  1. in Illustrator, export file as a jpeg (or gif. Which is better?) then import to flash

  2. in Illustrator, export file as swf file then import to flash.

  3. Cut and paste directly from illustrator to the flash document.

And that is about it…

Please let me know what I can do…

Thanks

_psypent