Rescaping do's and dont's

Hey guys

Having set up a tank with a few plants and gaining more by the way i find myself wanting to do a total rescape of my tank

Are there any do's and dont's regarding this?
like for istance is it better to take out the fish?
any steps in replanting all current plants in tank regarding roots?
and little tips and tricks regarding getting a nice scape?

thanks in advance

ill post a pic of the current scape if needed

 

this is the current scape and as you can see its got no real layout to speak of

 

I think @Vis posted a very detailed thread a while back on aquascaping.


Edit:
Here it is: Aquascaping: Natures art class.

 

Thanks @DCWarHound