A method of initially estimating a front view portion of a photographed image and separating the photographed image into a front view and a background without user interaction and apparatus performing the method are provided. The method of separating a front view and a background of an image includes dividing one or more pixels included in a photographed image into pixel groups according to color similarity between the pixels, estimating the position of the front view in the image divided into the pixel groups, and separating the front view and the background based on the estimated position of the front view. The method automatically separates the front view and the background of the image without a user input.