Help with creating web background!

Okay, I am a beginner to all of this Flash/Web Design stuff so I hope that my question doesn’t sound too dumb. I am interested in creating my background in Photoshop and then importing it into Flash or possibly even Dreamweaver. How big should I make my image size so that my image doesn’t “tile” across the screen? I want my image to stretch across the entire background without repeating. Should I make my background image very large (1280x960) or what? That seems like that would make a large file and I know that there must be an easier way…is there? Somebody please help me. Either post a reply or email me at : [email protected]. Thanks!!!

wait a sec. if i were you i wouldnt use a backround. The world of Flash web design is much different than the static kind.