Printing and framing your best photographs is a great way decorate a home or office and present thoughtful gifts to family members and friends. Today’s tutorial from an expert shares his time-proven technique while debunking what says are “the most common photo printing myths.”

Instructor Adam Karnacz is an accomplished British pro who specializes in landscape, nature, and macro photography and insists that “printing is the final most-exciting step in photography even though many photographers either avoid it or don’t see the value of this practice at all.” In the next 15 minutes you’ll learn his list of best practices for getting the job done to perfection.

Karnacz begins with a bold claim that may appear controversial until you hear him out; namely that when it comes to printing “megapixels are a lie.” In other words, you don’t really need big resolution to make excellent prints. He’s owned and used camera’s with mammoth resolution and medium-format sensors, and he says there’s only one practical reason for this “insane” capability; namely, “if you want to make huge prints that maintain high detail when viewed very closely.”

There’s no doubt that prints like this are amazing, but here’s the rub: Under normal circumstances there’s no need for massive resolution, because as you step back to an appropriate viewing distance a gigantic level of detail is no longer required. And your expensive high-capacity hard drive will fill up more quickly.

Another misguided complaint is that printing is far too expensive when you factor is the cost of consumables; namely ink and high-quality paper. Here’s how Karnacz responds to this familiar refrain: “While printing is certainly not cheap, I think what people mean when they say this is that printing their photos isn’t valuable enough to justify the cost.”

He quickly debunks this silly claim by discussing the value and satisfaction that occurs “when we bring our photos into the physical world.” Karnacz then provides several tips for keeping your costs under control.

The other myths described in this lesson are equally unfounded, like the claim that ordering prints from lab is preferable to outputting images at home. He also addresses  the notion that glossy prints are always more appealing than those made on other types of media.

And if you’re interested in monetizing the love of photography, forget what you’ve heard from those who say, “prints don’t sell.” There’s also the fact that one of the best ways to elevate your shooting skills is by carefully scrutinizing good-sized prints of your best work. There’s much more of interest to photographers on Karnacz’ instructional YouTube channel.

Of course you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, just like you can’t make great prints from lousy photos. So be sure to check out the earlier tutorial we posted, explaining four methods for banishing ugly color casts during post-processing to achieve perfectly balanced and realistic tones.

Skillful composition is an essential attribute of all amazing photographs; especially when shooting complicated scenes in the field. Do things right and you’re headed for success, but thoughtless framing will ruin an otherwise great scene.

Today’s tutorial from pro Steve Arnold explains what he says are “five huge composition mistakes that that are easy to fix.” And it only takes him eight minutes to demonstrate his remedial steps. Arnold is an Australian landscape photographer and post-processing expert who specializes in quick-and-easy tutorials for inexperienced shooters.

Arnold begins with a stark warning that these unfortunate errors “can lead to a devasting feeling of disappointment and regret.” Got your attention? He explains what they are, illustrates how each one can spoil different types of photos, and provides his recommendations for taking a more thoughtful approach.

At the top of Arnold’s list is a problem that’s most likely to rear it’s ugly head during stunning sunrise and sunset conditions, although it may crop up when there’s dramatic light of any kind. Arnold admits that he was guilty of this faux pas earlier in his career, until he realized the importance of using the foreground of a scene to advantage when framing up a shot.

The last thing you want to do when coming upon a spectacular golden-hour scene is waste even a second “scurrying around trying to find a solid composition” before the fleeting magic disappears. Thus, you need to understand how to skillfully frame the scene quickly. And that’s the secret to fixing the four remaining composition mistakes on Arnold’s list.

Tip number two involves a familiar composition problem that may occur when photographing expansive vistas with a wide-angle lens, and sometimes the remedy is as simple as switching your camera angle and perspective or the vantage point from which you shoot.

The other composition tools you’ll learn in the remainder of the video are equally destructive and avoidable. Best yet, Arnold’s recommendations are easily achieved with whatever gear you own and don’t require any advanced skills. The key is a difference in the way you perceive the natural world.

There’s much to learn, especially for inexperienced shooters, on Arnold’s very popular and informative YouTube channel, so make it a point to pay a visit and explore.

And on a related note, be sure to watch the tutorial we featured with a post-processing expert who demonstrates seven common Lightroom mistakes that will compromise the quality of photographs and slow down your workflow.