1. A computer-implemented method that uses a processor for video image compression using direct mode prediction, the computer-implemented method including: accessing a sequence of predicted and bi-directionally predicted frames each comprising pixel values arranged in picture areas, wherein at least one of the picture areas in at least one of the bi-directionally predicted frames is predicted from picture areas in one or more reference frames using direct mode prediction; and determining a predicted motion vector with a frame-distance method, wherein, given a predicted picture area in a first reference frame, a predicted frame of the predicted picture area, and a motion vector that corresponds to a co-locating picture area in a second reference frame, the predicted motion vector is linearly proportional to the motion vector and a distance between the predicted frame of the predicted picture area and at least one of the first or second reference frames.