Breaking graphic into several pieces?

Are you breaking the image for the purpose of animation, or just to create smaller files that download separately?  I assume it's the former, since you mention Flash.

1. Fireworks has some very quick and easy slicing tools that will go right into Flash.  In many ways, the boundary between the two programs is blurred.

2. There are numerous plugins and extensions that create Flash photo albums and slide shows with transitions, some use JAVA, some DHTML, as you know, but the Macromedia Exchange (http://www.macromedia.com/exchange/) has a number that are native Flash, written in ActionScript.  Some of these offer transitions that break apart just as you require.

You could put your image into one of these, then extract just the portion you need.  You can even modulate the speed and direction.

More information is needed to answer this question properly. Exactly, what are you trying to do?

Trace bit mapping will copy a graphic into many different vector images, but without knowing what your doing, I don't know if this is a good suggestion. You find trace bitmapping under "modify" on the tool bar. You need to single left click the graphic first.

If you would like a suggestion that will help, then please provide more information.

Graphic is actually a sporting clay target, which is centered in the movie.  The target explodes into the four corners, and I would like to break it apart as it explodes.

Thanks, that's what I needed to know.