A telop character extraction apparatus generates a gray-scale image from a telop region image, and generates an edge region image where an edge is extracted from within the gray-scale image. The apparatus uses the edge region image as a mask image, and creates a luminance histogram of pixels of the gray-scale image. The apparatus divides a luminance of the luminance histogram into luminance classes. The apparatus generates binary images where pixels of luminances belonging to the individual classes are collected for the respective luminance classes, and selects the binary image of the class of maximum area, as a telop character candidate image. The apparatus decides on a character color used in the telop region image, in correspondence with the telop character candidate image, and extracts character pixels corresponding to the character color, from within the telop character candidate image, thereby to eliminate noise pixels and to generate telop character image.