Where does a photo end and a different form of art begin?
Good question, maybe a comparison to analog photography may apply to digital. IMO anything done to a film photo beyond burning and dodging would put it in the different art form category. So if your using Lightroom you wouldn’t be doing anything else other than basic develop module stuff that would be similar to darkroom printing.
We each have preferences, how do those dictate what we see and how we perceive it?
I have no idea!
One is though closer to the original photo while the other has gone into a filter program. Does that make one more valuable than the other?
I believe the more original work that goes into a piece should hold more value than a few clicks and manipulations of software programming. I’m sure this is not always the case, and not sure if I care, as long as the result looks like an original concept and I’m attracted to it.