A color image processing method comprising: detecting an object area based on an input image; obtaining color information of a pixel in the object area of the input image and 3D information of an object represented in the object area of the input image; restoring geometrical information of the lighting by using the 3D information; restoring a specular component in the object area of the input image and a body reflection component containing shading information in the object area of the input image based on the color information of a pixel in the object area, the geometrical information of the lighting, and the 3D information; calculating an albedo component of the object represented in the object area of the input image by removing the specular component and the shading information in the body reflection component from the color information; restoring a surface reflectance of the object related to each pixel in the object area by using the color information and the albedo component; calculating a corrected albedo component by correcting the albedo component by using the restored surface reflectance; and calculating a reproduced color of the object area by adding the shading information in the body reflection component and the specular component to the corrected albedo component, and thereby generating an output image, wherein in the restoration of the surface reflectance, a lighting spectral power distribution is restored by using the color information, and the surface reflectance of the object area is restored by using the lighting spectral power distribution and the albedo component, wherein the calculation of the corrected albedo component, a reproduced surface reflectance is calculated by correcting the restored surface reflectance by using a reference surface reflectance that is defined in advance according to the object area and stored in a reference surface reflectance storage memory, and the albedo component is corrected by using the reproduced surface reflectance. detecting an object area based on an input image; obtaining color information of a pixel in the object area of the input image and 3D information of an object represented in the object area of the input image; restoring geometrical information of the lighting by using the 3D information; restoring a specular component in the object area of the input image and a body reflection component containing shading information in the object area of the input image based on the color information of a pixel in the object area, the geometrical information of the lighting, and the 3D information; calculating an albedo component of the object represented in the object area of the input image by removing the specular component and the shading information in the body reflection component from the color information; restoring a surface reflectance of the object related to each pixel in the object area by using the color information and the albedo component; calculating a corrected albedo component by correcting the albedo component by using the restored surface reflectance; and calculating a reproduced color of the object area by adding the shading information in the body reflection component and the specular component to the corrected albedo component, and thereby generating an output image, wherein in the restoration of the surface reflectance, a lighting spectral power distribution is restored by using the color information, and the surface reflectance of the object area is restored by using the lighting spectral power distribution and the albedo component, wherein the calculation of the corrected albedo component, a reproduced surface reflectance is calculated by correcting the restored surface reflectance by using a reference surface reflectance that is defined in advance according to the object area and stored in a reference surface reflectance storage memory, and the albedo component is corrected by using the reproduced surface reflectance.