An image processing apparatus includes an identifier identifying, for each pixel in the frame image, minimum pixel values for each color component from pixel values of surrounding pixels for each color component. The surrounding pixels are positioned around the pixel. The identifier also identifies, as a common pixel value, a minimum value in the minimum pixel values identified for each color component. The apparatus further includes a generator generating a preprocessed image which can be obtained by replacing a pixel value of each pixel in the frame image with the common pixel value identified for the pixel by the identifier, a low pass filter generating a first subframe image by applying a low-pass filter to the preprocessed image, and a subtractor generating, as a second subframe image, a difference image between the frame image and the first subframe image.