The process for transmission of images enables various classes of source-coded image data to be channel-coded and transmitted at various class code rates. For this purpose, source-coded image data to be transmitted are divided into classes of different sensitivity with respect to transmission errors and the classes are provided with different error protection and are channel-coded for transmission. Information words are provided at the beginning of each class containing information regarding the class type, code rate, number of data bits belonging to a particular class and regarding the error protection employed. In addition, a synchronizing word is added to the image data for each image. In the receiver the first information words are channel-decoded according to a fixed code rate and the information stored in the first information words including code rate is used for the channel-decoding of the received coded image data. The image data are subsequently subjected to an image source decoding and read out.