Progs for flash

[HwaRang777]

Hey, guys.

I was able to get a legal copy of Flash and Dreamweaver MX (Apparently one of my teachers is really rich and want's to support me in flash design) anyway, a friend of mine suggested that if I wanted to make really good backgrounds and drawings and stuff, I would need Adobe Illustrator. I checked the price for it for mac and it's *GASP* nearly $500!!! (b/c I can only by Adobe Illustrator CS2 for Mac) another friend of mine suggested adobe photoshop (i'm not sure if she ment element or what not) but it still costs at least $100!!! Now, I know that for me to get better with flash, I should learn by reading books, get tips from flash artists and pratice and work with it. But if there is a better program or if you know which one is better between the two, let me know. THanx