Patent ID: 8452085

Claim:
An image processing apparatus comprising: a processor; and a memory containing instructions adapted to cause the processor to act as: a color extracting section that extracts colors contained in processing image data, each of the colors being extracted as a flat color or a characteristic color where the extracted flat colors represent colors used in a large number of pixels in the processing image data and the extracted characteristic colors represent colors characteristic in the processing image data; a first evaluation value calculating section that calculates a flat color evaluation value with respect to a combination of colors extracted as the flat colors based on a color difference therebetween, and that calculates a characteristic color evaluation value with respect to a combination of colors extracted as the characteristic colors based on a color difference therebetween; a second evaluation value calculating section that calculates a combination evaluation value with respect to combinations of colors extracted as the characteristic colors and colors extracted as the flat colors based on a color difference therebetween; and a deleting section that reduces a number of colors to a preset number by deleting at least one color extracted by the color extracting section in accordance with the characteristic color evaluation value, flat color evaluation value and the combination evaluation value.