An image processing apparatus operates to process input signal samples representative of at least part of a color video image to produce legal color signal samples representative of a legal color version of the image. The apparatus comprises an adjustment factor generator, which operates to generate a plurality of adjustment factors which when combined with the input signal samples have an effect of converting illegal color pixels of the color image into legal color pixels, an adjustment factor biasing processor coupled to the adjustment factor generator, which operates to change the adjustment factors by combining each of the adjustment factors with a biasing constant, and a color legalizer coupled to the biasing processor, which operates to combine the biased adjustment factors with the input signal samples to produce the legalized color signal samples. This has an effect of increasing or decreasing the effect of the adjustment factors to increase or decrease a possibility of illegal pixels remaining in the legalized color image. The image processing apparatus may operate with input signal samples in the form having red, green or blue components, or in a form having luminance and chrominance components, or indeed in other forms.