Photography
In reply to the discussion: About Hello Kitty, the Eyes on You photo contest winner . . . [View all]Pobeka
(4,999 posts)I am all the time altering shadows and highlights. Anything Ansel Adams could've done in a darkroom seems fair game. And using a portion of the image with various sophisticated copy/paste algorithms to hide a distraction.
Turning the kitten lips upside down to make a smile I would say has crossed over a line into "photo shopping", by that I mean altering the main content of the image in a way that is no longer representative of the original.
In terms of DU contests -- my only rule would be -- do whatever you like, even combine different parts of different images. But the source images you use must be from images taken (or scans) that you are the original photographer. Have a ball. Fool me with cleverness, or amaze me with a simple photo taken at the right time and place. Ultimately if the image is entertaining, or intriguing, or beautiful, that's all I care about.