What is the emotional stopping power of an image called?

The emotional stopping power of an image is referred to as "impact." This term encompasses the ability of an image to capture attention and evoke a strong emotional response from the viewer. Images that possess high emotional impact are often memorable and can strongly influence the audience’s perceptions, feelings, and actions.

This impact can come from various elements within the image, such as composition, color, subject matter, and the context in which the image is presented. A powerful image with significant emotional resonance can communicate complex ideas or sentiments quickly and effectively, making it a critical component in fields like advertising, journalism, and social media.

In contrast, aspects like depth, clarity, and focus may contribute to an image's effectiveness and overall appeal, but they do not specifically address the emotional response that the image elicits. Depth might refer to the dimensionality or layering in an image, clarity pertains to the sharpness and understanding of details, and focus indicates the central subject's prominence and sharpness compared to the background. However, none of these terms specifically encapsulates the broader emotional effect that an image can have on an audience as effectively as "impact" does.