One of the first things most people learn to work with is graphics. There are a few tools to modify existing .nes files so you can play around with your favorite games. The Graphic Tools section of http://nesdev.parodius.com has 2 that I use.
Tile Layer Pro is great because it lets you import bitmaps that you have created in Paint or Photoshop. There are a couple of problems I have with this software. The first is the lack of saving your palette selections or graphic format. By default it's set to 1 bit graphics and took me forever to figure out why they looked so wrong. I also save and load my palette from a binary file, which I can't figure out how to load and/or save with Tile Layer Pro. I also don't like to edit only 1 sprite at a time (8x8 pixels). I really only use this app for importing bitmaps anymore. That's the only thing the next app can't do.
YY-Chr is my favorite graphics program. You can zoom in to a single sprite, or zoom out to the whole screen of characters. I created my palette by hand and this program allows me to load that file and make changes, and then save it back. There are some basic drawing tools like line, circle, rectangle, and fill that just make editing and creating new graphics so easy. I don't really understand all of the options available, but that's fine with me. I don't feel like I need those things I don't get just yet.
Both of these programs load everything from Gameboy, NES, SNES, and Genesis ROMS, so there are most likely some features that I will never use when just working with the NES. With these at your disposal, you can play around and replace Mario with Link or anything else you may want to try.
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