(adj.) A term describing a rendered object that attempts to match the perceptual effects of color, texture, lighting, etc., of a real object. This type of rendering is used by industrial designers, marketing executives, and others interested in gaging the affects of its visual appearance.

Photorealistic computer graphics can be created by taking an original 3D rendering, which resembles a photograph, and morphing the image in photoshop. This creates a life-like 3D model, using a real image, that is a time consuming chore for 3D animators.

as if taken from a physical camera. See also near-photorealistic.