Porous anodic alumina membranes (AAMs) were prepared in oxalic acid and then carried on an etch-treatment in phosphoric acid. Using the etch-treatment the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of AAMs increases by a factor of 1/3. The effect of etch-treatment upon the intensity and peak position of photoluminescence (PL) spectra was investigated. It was found that the intensity of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra increased with the etching time increasing. A PL spectrum can be divided into two subbands with the peak at 434 and 460 nm, respectively. As the etching time prolongs, the intensity of the peak of 434 nm subband increases and that of the 460 nm subband rises firstly and then decreases. It can be explained by that two luminescence centers (F and F+ centers) coexist in AAMs. F centers are concentrated in the surface layer and F+ centers are enriched in the depth of pore wall. The increment of the PL intensity comes from the contribution of F+ photoluminescence centers concentrated in the depth of pore wall in AAMs. This work will be beneficial to improving the photoluminescence intensity and understanding the light-emitting mechanisms for related materials.