A method for encoding a square 4D light field image divided into nxn blocks comprising: - encoding a first block located in a geometrically central region of the 4D light field image compared to other blocks of the 4D light field image without spatial prediction with a reference block in said 4D light field image; and - predictively encoding blocks immediately surrounding said first block by spatially interleaving spatial unidirectional prediction and spatial bidirectional prediction with a reference block in said 4D light field image, wherein the reference block is either the first block itself or a block in said 4D light field image that has been encoded with the first block as a reference block, and wherein - in the case of an odd number of blocks is comprised in said 4D light field image, predictively encoding blocks immediately surrounding the first block by spatially interleaving spatial unidirectional prediction and spatial bidirectional prediction comprises firstly encoding by spatial unidirectional prediction all the immediately surrounding blocks neighboring vertically or horizontally the first block followed by encoding by spatial bi-directional prediction the other immediately surrounding blocks diagonally neighboring the first block with reference to said firstly encoded neighboring blocks, or - in the case of an even number of blocks is comprised in said 4D light field image, predictively encoding blocks immediately surrounding the first block by spatially interleaving spatial unidirectional prediction and spatial bidirectional prediction comprises firstly encoding one immediately surrounding block neighboring vertically the first block and one immediately surrounding block neighboring horizontally the first block by spatial unidirectional prediction followed by encoding by bi-directional prediction the immediately diagonally surrounding block positioned between and with reference to the two previously encoded immediately surrounding blocks; encoding, by unidirectional prediction, the immediately surrounding blocks neighboring vertically or horizontally one of the previously encoded blocks and encoding the remaining immediately surrounding blocks by bi-directional prediction. - encoding a first block located in a geometrically central region of the 4D light field image compared to other blocks of the 4D light field image without spatial prediction with a reference block in said 4D light field image; and - predictively encoding blocks immediately surrounding said first block by spatially interleaving spatial unidirectional prediction and spatial bidirectional prediction with a reference block in said 4D light field image, wherein the reference block is either the first block itself or a block in said 4D light field image that has been encoded with the first block as a reference block, and wherein - in the case of an odd number of blocks is comprised in said 4D light field image, predictively encoding blocks immediately surrounding the first block by spatially interleaving spatial unidirectional prediction and spatial bidirectional prediction comprises firstly encoding by spatial unidirectional prediction all the immediately surrounding blocks neighboring vertically or horizontally the first block followed by encoding by spatial bi-directional prediction the other immediately surrounding blocks diagonally neighboring the first block with reference to said firstly encoded neighboring blocks, or - in the case of an even number of blocks is comprised in said 4D light field image, predictively encoding blocks immediately surrounding the first block by spatially interleaving spatial unidirectional prediction and spatial bidirectional prediction comprises firstly encoding one immediately surrounding block neighboring vertically the first block and one immediately surrounding block neighboring horizontally the first block by spatial unidirectional prediction followed by encoding by bi-directional prediction the immediately diagonally surrounding block positioned between and with reference to the two previously encoded immediately surrounding blocks; encoding, by unidirectional prediction, the immediately surrounding blocks neighboring vertically or horizontally one of the previously encoded blocks and encoding the remaining immediately surrounding blocks by bi-directional prediction.