If I take a photo and then use GIMP to edit it, then did I take a photo or just direct my camera at something and then steer my computer to make changes to it? After all, it's not me drawing each pixel manually. It's vibe-photoed!

No. It's vibe-photoed when you use AI models which are trained on countless hours of actual human work. Otherwise you apply deterministic tools at your will and according to your skill level.