Brushes are one of the most misunderstood tools of Photoshop Elements: I feel as if they never get enough love and appreciation. They’re a pretty amazing, untapped resource, but I also know that they can be irritating and difficult to use.

Since I’m a newer contributor to the blog, you wonderful readers don’t know about my obsession with Photoshop Elements. It leans towards the unhealthy side, I’m fully aware of this, but I’m just fascinated with all the outstandingly beautiful results you can achieve with just one single program. Every tool on the left-hand side of your screen has a distinct purpose and I absolutely love it when I figure out what it does and how I can use it. A problem photograph, you say? No problem at all! There’s always a way and I have so much fun figuring out what way it is.

So back to brushes. Many users are aware of how to use them on layer masks (black conceals, white reveals!), but past that … well, even I’m a bit lost. I’m not a painter, and isn’t that was brushes are for in the first place?

To me, the best part of this website is the truly enormous amount of information it has stored away. When I was pondering my issues with using the brush tool, I went on a search through the site. I was thrilled to find such wonderful resources and just had to share!

• The Brush Tool, by Diana Day — An amazingly comprehensive article about what the Brush tool is and multiple different uses for it, no matter what your project is.
• Intro To Brushes, Part 1 & Intro To Brushes, Part 2, both by Mike Rodriguez — Two quick, down and dirty videos on using the Brush tool and its applications when editing photographs.
• Where to Find Great Brushes Online, also by Diana — If you’re interested in trying out some unique brushes, Diana has complied a wonderful list of cool brushes from all over the web.
• Defining Custom Brushes, by Corey Barker — If downloading brushes online isn’t your thing, you can make your own with Corey’s fantastic and extremely easy tutorial.

Last but by no means least, don’t forget the ‘brush‘ tag, which will show you a list of everything we’ve ever done on the subject. Have fun, and happy brushing!