The disclosure relates to a method and an imaging device for generating a motion-compensated image of a target object. The disclosure further relates to a corresponding computer program and a computer-readable storage medium. In the method, a reference image is generated from projection images of a target object. Furthermore, a motion field which characterizes a motion of the target object shown is determined iteratively. In each case, after a predetermined number of iterative acts, the existing reference image is replaced by a provisional motion-compensated image, which is then used for the further iteration. The initial reference image is generated without using a synchronization or gating-signal that characterizes a motion of the target object.