How to Record Videos on Ubuntu with Cheese

Cheese is a free webcam app for Ubuntu that lets you record videos and snap photos using your laptop camera or a USB webcam. Fresh installations of Ubuntu often leave the program off your computer, but you can add it in seconds by opening the Ubuntu Software Center or typing sudo apt install cheese into the terminal.

The program saves all your recordings as .webm video files by default inside the Videos/Webcam folder of your Home directory. You can jump straight into recording short clips or fun photo booths without digging through complicated settings or editing menus.

How to record video with Cheese in Ubuntu Linux

Opening Cheese from the applications menu gets the recording process started. Click the grid icon at the bottom of the dock, type ‘Cheese’ into the search 🔍 bar, and select the application icon.

Launching the application brings up the primary interface window. Access the menu by clicking the ‘Show Applications’ icon at the bottom of the screen, typing ‘Cheese’ into the search 🔍 field, and clicking the resulting program icon.

Look at the side of the window. Confirm that Video mode is active by checking for a highlighted Video button.

Changing the default save location requires opening the menu through the three-line button in the top right corner and selecting Preferences. Adjustments to the directory path occur within that menu.

Triggering a recording session happens by clicking the large Record a video button at the bottom of the screen. Pressing the Space key on the keyboard achieves the same result.

Ending a recording requires clicking the capture button a second time or pressing the Space or Esc key.

Finished recordings appear in the thumbnail bar at the bottom of the window. Double-click a thumbnail to play the clip, or right-click it to delete unwanted footage.

That covers the entire capture workflow.

Summary

• Record Fun Moments: Use your webcam to capture quick clips easily.
• Automatic Saving: Your videos save automatically to your chosen folder.
• Special Effects: Use the Effects menu in Cheese to add filters to your video.