The present technology relates to an image processing apparatus and a method capable of performing a quantization process or an inverse quantization process more suitable for contents of an image. A lossless decoding unit 202 decodes coded data read from an accumulation buffer 201 at a predetermined timing. A sub macroblock inverse quantization unit 221 obtains a quantization value for each sub macroblock by using a quantization parameter supplied from an inverse quantization unit 203 and returns the same to the inverse quantization unit 203. The inverse quantization unit 203 inversely quantizes a quantization coefficient obtained by decoding by the lossless decoding unit 202 by using the quantization value for each sub macroblock supplied from the sub macroblock inverse quantization unit 221. The present technology may be applied to the image processing apparatus, for example.