Cheese
apps.gnome.org
What it is
Cheese is a free GNOME Desktop program for taking webcam photos and videos on Linux. It applies multiple effects to photos, and those effects and sharing choices also work with videos. A three-second visual countdown helps prepare for a shot, while burst mode captures a configured number of photos at a configured delay. Users can select an installed webcam, set its resolution, and adjust brightness and contrast. Fullscreen mode supports kiosk-style setups such as an office lobby or party. Photos can be saved to disk, emailed, uploaded to Flickr, exported to F-Spot, or used as a GNOME account photo. Installing nautilus-sendto adds more sharing options. Packages are listed for Arch Linux, Debian, Fedora, openSUSE, and Ubuntu, with stable tarballs and a GitLab repository also available. Documentation, chat, mailing-list, and issue-tracker support are listed. Cheese costs nothing.
Spec sheet
- Purpose
- Cheese is a GNOME Desktop program for taking photos and videos with a webcam.Read 5 Oct 2026 · wiki.gnome.org
- Founded
- 2007Read 28 Sep 2026 · apps.gnome.org
- Additional sharing
- With nautilus-sendto installed, the page says users have further options to share photos and videos.Read 5 Oct 2026 · wiki.gnome.org
- Burst mode
- Burst mode takes a configured number of photos with a configured time delay.Read 5 Oct 2026 · wiki.gnome.org
- Camera controls
- Users can choose among installed webcams, set webcam resolution, and configure settings such as brightness and contrast.Read 5 Oct 2026 · wiki.gnome.org
- Countdown
- A three-second visual countdown gives users time to get ready before taking a photo.Read 5 Oct 2026 · wiki.gnome.org
- Fullscreen
- Cheese has a fullscreen mode described for kiosk use, such as an office lobby or party.Read 5 Oct 2026 · wiki.gnome.org
- Help and support
- The project lists in-app and online user documentation, a community chat, a mailing list, and an issue tracker.Read 5 Oct 2026 · wiki.gnome.org
- Linux distribution packages
- The project resources page lists packages for Arch Linux, Debian, Fedora, openSUSE, and Ubuntu.Read 5 Oct 2026 · wiki.gnome.org
- 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.Read 5 Oct 2026 · wiki.gnome.org
- Photo effects
- It can apply multiple effects to photos.Read 5 Oct 2026 · wiki.gnome.org
- 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.Read 5 Oct 2026 · wiki.gnome.org
- Source availability
- The resources page links to stable release tarballs and gives the GitLab repository clone URL for development code.Read 5 Oct 2026 · wiki.gnome.org
- Video effects
- The page says effects and sharing available for photos are also available for videos.Read 5 Oct 2026 · wiki.gnome.org
Plans and prices
Cheese Free Webcam app for taking photos and videos Read 5 Oct 2026 · wiki.gnome.org
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Free Linux webcam capture
- Photo and video effects
- Configurable burst mode
- Adjustable webcam resolution and controls
- Multiple sharing destinations
Limits
- Linux only
- No virtual camera
- No background tools
- Requires nautilus-sendto for additional sharing options
Who it suits
It suits Linux and GNOME users who need straightforward webcam capture, effects, burst shots, and sharing. Kiosk operators can use its fullscreen mode.
Verdict
Cheese covers webcam photos and videos with configurable capture, effects, and sharing. Its usefulness is centered on Linux desktops and GNOME-oriented workflows.
Where Specifiction places it
- Camera Apps#2 of 187.9
- Webcam Software#16 of 417.8
