Cheese
What Cheese is
Cheese is a free GNOME Desktop program for taking photos and videos with a webcam on Linux. It can apply multiple effects to photos, and the page says those effects and photo-sharing options are available for videos too. Before taking a photo, users can enable a visual three-second countdown. Burst mode captures a configured number of photos with a configured delay between them.
The program lets users select among installed webcams, set camera resolution, and adjust settings such as brightness and contrast. A fullscreen mode is described for kiosk settings such as an office lobby or party. Sharing options include saving files to disk, emailing, uploading to Flickr, exporting to F-Spot, and using a photo as a GNOME account picture. Installing nautilus-sendto adds more ways to share photos and videos.
Cheese has packages listed for Arch Linux, Debian, Fedora, openSUSE, and Ubuntu. The project links stable release tarballs and a GitLab repository for development code. Help resources include documentation in the app and online, community chat, a mailing list, and an issue tracker. Cheese began as part of Google's 2007 Summer of Code, led by Daniel G. Siegel and mentored by Raphaël Slinckx.
Who it suits
Cheese suits Linux users on the GNOME desktop who want a free webcam program for photos and videos, with effects, burst capture, and camera controls. Its fullscreen mode may suit kiosk setups, while its listed sharing options serve people who want to save or send captured media.
What it does well
- Free webcam photo and video capture for Linux.
- Applies effects to photos and videos.
- Burst mode captures a configured number of photos at a configured delay.
- Lets users choose webcams, set resolution, and adjust brightness and contrast.
- Offers fullscreen mode for kiosk settings.
- Project lists packages for five Linux distributions.
What to know first
- Available on Linux only.
- No virtual camera is available.
- Background tools are not included.
Limits
The plan is free. The listed product has no virtual camera and no background tools.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Cheese | Webcam app for taking photos and videos | Free |
As apps.gnome.org lists them, read 5 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open the Cheese page on the GNOME applications website.
- Install Cheese using the package for Arch Linux, Debian, Fedora, openSUSE, or Ubuntu.
- Select an installed webcam and set its resolution if needed.
- Adjust camera settings such as brightness and contrast.
- Take photos or videos, then choose an available sharing or saving option.
Verdict
Choose Cheese if you use Linux with GNOME and want a free webcam app with effects, burst mode, and basic camera controls. It also provides fullscreen use and several sharing routes. Look elsewhere if you need a virtual camera or background tools.
Questions
Is Cheese free?
Yes. Cheese has a free plan priced at $0.
Which platforms does Cheese support?
Cheese supports Linux, with packages listed for Arch Linux, Debian, Fedora, openSUSE, and Ubuntu.
Can Cheese record webcam video?
Yes. Cheese takes photos and videos with a webcam, and the page says photo effects and sharing options are also available for videos.
Is Cheese open source?
The project links stable release tarballs and a GitLab repository for development code.
Who created Cheese?
Cheese was written as part of Google's 2007 Summer of Code, led by Daniel G. Siegel and mentored by Raphaël Slinckx.
Facts from Cheese's own pages
- Additional sharing
- With nautilus-sendto installed, the page says users have further options to share photos and videos. · wiki.gnome.org, 5 Oct 2026
- Burst mode
- Burst mode takes a configured number of photos with a configured time delay. · wiki.gnome.org, 5 Oct 2026
- Camera controls
- Users can choose among installed webcams, set webcam resolution, and configure settings such as brightness and contrast. · wiki.gnome.org, 5 Oct 2026
- Countdown
- A three-second visual countdown gives users time to get ready before taking a photo. · wiki.gnome.org, 5 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 2007 · apps.gnome.org, 28 Sept 2026
- Fullscreen
- Cheese has a fullscreen mode described for kiosk use, such as an office lobby or party. · wiki.gnome.org, 5 Oct 2026
- Help and support
- The project lists in-app and online user documentation, a community chat, a mailing list, and an issue tracker. · wiki.gnome.org, 5 Oct 2026
- Linux distribution packages
- The project resources page lists packages for Arch Linux, Debian, Fedora, openSUSE, and Ubuntu. · wiki.gnome.org, 5 Oct 2026
- Origins
- The page says Cheese was written as part of Google's 2007 Summer of Code, led by Daniel G. Siegel and mentored by Raphaël Slinckx. · wiki.gnome.org, 5 Oct 2026
- Photo effects
- It can apply multiple effects to photos. · wiki.gnome.org, 5 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Cheese is a GNOME Desktop program for taking photos and videos with a webcam. · wiki.gnome.org, 5 Oct 2026
- Sharing
- The page lists exporting to F-Spot, uploading to Flickr, emailing, using a photo as a GNOME account photo, and saving files to disk. · wiki.gnome.org, 5 Oct 2026
- Source availability
- The resources page links to stable release tarballs and gives the GitLab repository clone URL for development code. · wiki.gnome.org, 5 Oct 2026
- Video effects
- The page says effects and sharing available for photos are also available for videos. · wiki.gnome.org, 5 Oct 2026
Where Cheese stands on Freedom251
- Camera Apps#2 of 18
- Webcam Software#14 of 41