First of all, I would change the custom image to natural.
There is no exif data, but the image looks underexposed to me. The camera's meter will do a good job for a scene that averages 18% gray, but you should learn when and how to override the camera meter. Here is a useful link for learning how to do that:
Ultimate Exposure Computer
As for tweaking photos, in my opinion any photo you take that is worth keeping should undergo post-processing, even if only a minimal amount. It's not cheating, it's making a photograph as opposed to taking a snapshot. P&S cameras do a good job of taking snapshots but DSLRs are capable of much more than snapshots. But to achieve more requires more work on your part. You start with a good, properly exposed photo, and post-processing enhances the final photo.