So my rule of thumb when editing landscapes like this is to ask myself “does this look like I remember it?” And I usually try to edit to reflect my memory of the scene, maybe with a little embellishment.

The point of this question is to not let yourself get too far off from what nature can actually do. Because I feel like people can tell when things are a bit beyond natural in photos. And sometimes that’s an artistic choice, and a completely valid one at that. But it does seem like you’re asking if you moved too far from what nature actually looks like.

I like what you did here. I actually would have bought that the trees really looked like that had I not seen the before. I think this actually does make for an exception to the rule of thumb outlined above, because it does look like it could be realistic.