A color image processing apparatus that prevents counterfeiting by detecting specific originals with high precision. Although general banknotes have graphic patterns drawn on uniform density portions, the tonality percepted by human eye is the mixture of the tonality of a graphic portion and the tonality of a uniform density portion. In consideration of the mixed tonality sensed by human eye, the apparatus smoothes a read image signal to generate mixed tonality for judgment, thus improves judgment precision. The total judgment of existence/absence of specific original is made by performing m judgments on m (m>n) judging conditions using the tonality data of pre-registered n (n: positive integer) specific originals.