This was somewhat my point in the "plug-in wars" thread.
An amazing collection of tools is available to the photographer--and new iterations are appearing weekly. Many promise to fix less than optimal images. Some promise to change the mundane to the spectacular. Still others transform the image to something quite different.
A question that emerges is what the intent of the photographer is, and where they see the intersection of recordation and art. I suppose art can be and is a random thing. "Artists" have put paint on the paws of their cat, and allows it to interact with the canvas. Another, a favorite of shock star Gaga--drinks watercolor paints and vomits on the canvas. Both of these producers have commanded high prices for their "work." But all of this seems very arbitrary and lacking a vision outside of the method used to create the final image.
So I see it with image editing. Some simply do things with an image--rather randomly--until something vaguely artistic or startlingly schizoid emerges on the screen. I have played around quite a bit myself--just to see what the effect of different techniques could be. And yes, actually one of them arrived at quite unintentionally--has proven to be a popular print.