There is definitely a benefit to using Flash (swf) files on your web page. You can create some neat transitional effects, but mostly I use it because it consolidates several images into one spot. I don't recommend using flash for the majority of your site, or embedding too much text in your flash files. Reason being, you want to rank with with search engines and search engines can't extract text from your flash to read it properly.

I use Corel R.A.V.E. to create my flash files. It's not my specialty, but I know enough to get the job done. The problem I have is that the files I create are just absolutely MASSIVE. I'm all about gratis software to solve most problems, but this particular problem did not possess a freebie fix.

I tried the demo versions of several SWF Optimizers, and the one that I actually liked the most ended up being the least expensive. Sparkle SWF Optimizer comes affordable at $24.95 and this program really shaves the size down, up to 70%!

Find it here:

http://www.flashkeeper.com/

You can try the free trial, which is fully functional for 30 days. It really makes flash file optimization a quick and easy job. There aren't a lot of options to set, you just open the file and optimize. And with each optimization, it backs up your original swf file so no worries!