If the image is out of focus, no amount of post is going to save it.

"Plain to amazing" is probably an individual assessment that will differ by each individual. To achieve these results, a file with the maximum available data is needed as input to the processing along with computer / software power, and the vision of the potential, and the knowledge / skills to harvest an amazing result from the input file.

And still, all that processing starts with the best input. The subject needs to be interesting / potentially interesting. The image needs to maximize the possibilities for editing, typically RAW. These are skills of the photographer using the camera equipment.

Amen. Even that word “cropped” wouldn’t be nearly as troublesome if it weren’t for its evil fraternal twin “crop factor”.

In third grade students are forced to do more than add and subtract and develop phobia of numbers. A few years later the word “factor” is foisted upon them leading to toadall mental lockup. So we now have quite normal adults asking getting rather dumbassed ideas about how the numbers in the crop factor apply to various other imaging parameters. It’s a lot like the “super moon” or “1:1 macro” nonsense.

“ The only dumb question is the one you refrain from asking “ ?!?!?!?!?!?
That is sooooo clearly not true :-(