Embodiments of the invention disclose a method and an apparatus for determining a portrait contour in an image. The method comprises the steps of horizontally moving a preset detection window from one side to the other side of the image, and recording color values of regions passed by a color detection region on the image; and in the process of moving the detection window, if a difference value between the color value of the first region and a first mean value exceeds a first preset range, stopping moving the detection window, judging whether a difference value between the first mean value and a second mean value exceeds a second preset range or not, if the second preset range is exceeded, judging that a difference value between the color value of each unit length in the second region and the first mean value exceeds the number of second preset ranges, and if a preset ratio is not exceeded, determining the first region as a part of the portrait contour in the image. In the way of collecting the color values by horizontal movement from one side to the other side of the image, the change of the color values, in the same row, of the image can be analyzed more accurately and effectively.