There are many different programs that people use for editing. The chances that your computer has, at the very least, a program that allows you to manipulate the brightness or color of a photo are pretty high. What is the purpose of enhancing a photograph? Sometimes a photo looks good but when you've uploaded it to your computer, the colors seem a bit off or are not as vivid as you had seen them. Every display unit has its own settings, whether they are able to be changed manually or if they are 'system standard' with no option to change them. Enhancing a photograph can allow for you to make a seemingly dull photo more vivid and eye-catching. Take, for instance, the photograph above. The brightness was atrocious (via my laptop display, that is). I manipulated the brightness and color saturation to make for a rich, deep blue and an overall (in my opinion, anyways) more appealing picture.
I stated in a previous post that I do not like to edit photographs - with the ability to manipulate colors and brightness, I find that my opinion has changed. I think that enhancing pictures can make for a more appealing final product...but a word of advice: consider your audience - especially if you are working toward establishing a professional repertoire. With advanced photo manipulation software, the ability to add and remove items (along with a very wide array of other options) are endless, making for a flawless approach or a more refined image. I do not believe in adding things to photographs - I consider it cheating, in a sense, as photography takes a good eye and can often be strenuous to obtain the photo one wants.
I would use discretion in editing if you are trying to establish yourself - you don't want to go overboard or to take credit for something a computer program manifested.
