 aspect of the present invention, for coding pixel information which is included in an image signal of an image to be reproduced and forms a design of the image on a pixel frame, on the basis of shape information indicating an arbitrary shape on a shape frame, comprises: a pixel coding process for coding pixel information which forms a design of an area in the image, corresponding to a prescribed shape on the basis of predetermined shape information used as the shape information, which has been previously generated independently of the pixel information included in the image signal and indicates the prescribed shape on a predetermined shape frame; and a multiplexing process for generating coded data which include pixel coded data obtained by the coding of the pixel information and shape coded data corresponding to the predetermined shape information. Therefore, the coding process for the image signal having no shape information obtained by taking a picture of a natural image or the like can be performed, with making the most of the features of MPEG0 principally executing the coding process in object units, i.e., by separating a desired object (an image of a specific area) in the natural image from another area. According to a 0