An image processing method to reduce access pressure of each image in an image set, where the image processing method includes obtaining a quantity of times each image layer in an image set is accessed, determining one or more first image layers, where a quantity of times the first image layer in the image set is accessed is greater than a first threshold, and the first image layer has at least two child image layers, generating a copy of the first image layer, and modifying some child image layers of the first image layer to child image layers of the copy of the first image layer.