An information processing apparatus includes circuitry to derive, referring to a dictionary in which a target color having brightness and gloss is associated with a combination of amounts of color materials including one or more process color materials and a color material having brightness and gloss, amounts of the one or more process color materials and another amount of another color material, such that an amount corresponding to at least a part of the one or more process color materials corresponding to the target color in the dictionary is replaced with the another amount of the another color material. The combination of the amounts of color materials is for reproducing the target color included in an image formed by an image forming apparatus. The circuitry further updates the dictionary with the amounts of the one or more process color materials and the another amount of the another color material.