diff --git a/_pytest/terminal.py b/_pytest/terminal.py
index 23fc10794..a75fce4c7 100644
--- a/_pytest/terminal.py
+++ b/_pytest/terminal.py
@@ -44,8 +44,9 @@ def pytest_addoption(parser):
                      help="traceback print mode (auto/long/short/line/native/no).")
     group._addoption('--show-capture',
                      action="store", dest="showcapture",
-                     choices=['no', 'stdout', 'stderr'],
-                     help="Print only stdout/stderr on not print both.")
+                     choices=['no', 'stdout', 'stderr', 'both'], default='both',
+                     help="Controls how captured stdout/stderr is shown on failed tests. "
+                          "Default is 'both'.")
     group._addoption('--fulltrace', '--full-trace',
                      action="store_true", default=False,
                      help="don't cut any tracebacks (default is to cut).")
@@ -629,8 +630,10 @@ class TerminalReporter:
         if self.config.option.showcapture == 'no':
             return
         for secname, content in rep.sections:
-            if self.config.option.showcapture and not (self.config.option.showcapture in secname):
-                continue
+            print(self.config.option.showcapture)
+            if self.config.option.showcapture != 'both':
+                if not (self.config.option.showcapture in secname):
+                    continue
             self._tw.sep("-", secname)
             if content[-1:] == "\n":
                 content = content[:-1]
diff --git a/changelog/1478.feature b/changelog/1478.feature
index 316943e78..de6bd3118 100644
--- a/changelog/1478.feature
+++ b/changelog/1478.feature
@@ -1,4 +1 @@
-Added `--show-capture` feature. You can choose 'no', 'stdout' or 'stderr' option.
-'no': stdout and stderr will now shown
-'stdout': stdout will shown in terminal if you use this option but stderr will not shown.
-'stderr': stderr will shown in terminal if you use this option but stdout will not shown.
\ No newline at end of file
+New ``--show-capture`` command-line option that allows to specify how to display captured output when tests fail: ``no``, ``stdout``, ``stderr`` or ``both`` (the default).
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/testing/test_terminal.py b/testing/test_terminal.py
index b2dcf84a6..26739165d 100644
--- a/testing/test_terminal.py
+++ b/testing/test_terminal.py
@@ -836,6 +836,10 @@ def pytest_report_header(config, startdir):
         result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["!This is stdout!"])
         result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["!This is stderr!"])
 
+        result = testdir.runpytest("--show-capture=both", "--tb=short")
+        result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["!This is stdout!"])
+        result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["!This is stderr!"])
+
         result = testdir.runpytest("--show-capture=stdout", "--tb=short")
         assert "!This is stderr!" not in result.stdout.str()
         assert "!This is stdout!" in result.stdout.str()
@@ -844,6 +848,10 @@ def pytest_report_header(config, startdir):
         assert "!This is stdout!" not in result.stdout.str()
         assert "!This is stderr!" in result.stdout.str()
 
+        result = testdir.runpytest("--show-capture=no", "--tb=short")
+        assert "!This is stdout!" not in result.stdout.str()
+        assert "!This is stderr!" not in result.stdout.str()
+
 
 @pytest.mark.xfail("not hasattr(os, 'dup')")
 def test_fdopen_kept_alive_issue124(testdir):