An apparatus for editing color image capable, by having a desired color in an original designated and an editing mode selected, of image editing for an image in the designated color in such an editing mode as trimming, masking, erasing, and conversion to another color. A desired color in an original image is designated by a designated color input portion and thereby designated color data for separated colors are obtained. Thereafter, the original image is scanned and image data for separated colors are obtained. The thus input image data are electrically edited in the selected edit mode based on the designated color data and the edited image data are output to an image forming unit and thereby an edited color image is obtained.