1.
photogenic quality; how good something looks in photos or on screen
The quality of looking good or impressive when photographed or filmed. Describes how well a subject's appearance translates to photographs, video, or television.
この料理は写り映えがいい。
This dish is very photogenic.
写り映えを意識して盛り付けた。
I plated the food with photogenic appeal in mind.
SNSでは写り映えのする写真が多くの「いいね」を集める。
On social media, photogenic pictures collect many 'likes.'
Composed of 写り (how something appears in a photo/on screen) and 映え (shining, looking impressive — the same 映え as in the popular word インスタ映え). The reading changes to ばえ through rendaku.
This word predates the social media era but has gained renewed relevance with Instagram culture. While インスタ映え specifically refers to looking good on Instagram, 写り映え is a more general term for photogenic quality that applies to any photography or filming context.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 写り映えがいい: to be photogenic; to look good in photos
- 写り映えがする: to be visually striking in photos
- 写り映えを気にする: to care about how one looks in photos
- 写り映えを意識する: to be conscious of photogenic appeal
SIMILAR WORDS:
- インスタ映え: Instagrammable — specifically for social media
- 見栄え: visual appearance; outward show — how something looks in general, not limited to photos
- 写り具合: how something comes out in a photo — more neutral, describing the result rather than the appeal