An image processing apparatus includes an elimination processing unit that eliminates a specific color in image information. The elimination processing unit does not consider a pixel having a saturation that exceeds a saturation threshold and a lightness that is lower than a lightness threshold, which corresponds to a hue of the pixel, as an elimination target and considers a pixel having a saturation that exceeds the saturation threshold and a lightness that is higher than a lightness threshold, which corresponds a hue of the pixel, as the elimination target.