diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 538d4ca6c..889e4adc0 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@ Released: YYYY XX, 2015
 
 (Packaged from xxxx)
 
+#### Summary
+
+- Visual tests: new command line arguments `--agg`, `--cairo`, `--svg`, `--grid` for selecting renderers (https://github.com/mapnik/mapnik/pull/3074)
+
 ## 3.0.5
 
 Released: September 16, 2015
diff --git a/test/visual/renderer.hpp b/test/visual/renderer.hpp
index 6ad979165..6b033f99c 100644
--- a/test/visual/renderer.hpp
+++ b/test/visual/renderer.hpp
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 #include <mapnik/map.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/image_util.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/image_reader.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/variant.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/agg_renderer.hpp>
 #if defined(GRID_RENDERER)
 #include <mapnik/grid/grid_renderer.hpp>
@@ -326,11 +327,23 @@ private:
     }
 
     const Renderer ren;
-    boost::filesystem::path const & output_dir;
-    boost::filesystem::path const & reference_dir;
+    const boost::filesystem::path output_dir;
+    const boost::filesystem::path reference_dir;
     const bool overwrite;
 };
 
+using renderer_type = mapnik::util::variant<renderer<agg_renderer>
+#if defined(HAVE_CAIRO)
+                                            ,renderer<cairo_renderer>
+#endif
+#if defined(SVG_RENDERER)
+                                            ,renderer<svg_renderer>
+#endif
+#if defined(GRID_RENDERER)
+                                            ,renderer<grid_renderer>
+#endif
+                                            >;
+
 }
 
 #endif
diff --git a/test/visual/run.cpp b/test/visual/run.cpp
index 833f97b60..e00ae0ae1 100644
--- a/test/visual/run.cpp
+++ b/test/visual/run.cpp
@@ -43,11 +43,50 @@ log_levels_map log_levels
 };
 #endif
 
+using namespace visual_tests;
+namespace po = boost::program_options;
+
+runner::renderer_container create_renderers(po::variables_map const & args,
+                                            boost::filesystem::path const & output_dir,
+                                            bool append_all = false)
+{
+    boost::filesystem::path reference_dir(args["images-dir"].as<std::string>());
+    bool overwrite = args.count("overwrite");
+    runner::renderer_container renderers;
+
+    if (append_all || args.count(agg_renderer::name))
+    {
+        renderers.emplace_back(renderer<agg_renderer>(output_dir, reference_dir, overwrite));
+    }
+#if defined(HAVE_CAIRO)
+    if (append_all || args.count(cairo_renderer::name))
+    {
+        renderers.emplace_back(renderer<cairo_renderer>(output_dir, reference_dir, overwrite));
+    }
+#endif
+#if defined(SVG_RENDERER)
+    if (append_all || args.count(svg_renderer::name))
+    {
+        renderers.emplace_back(renderer<svg_renderer>(output_dir, reference_dir, overwrite));
+    }
+#endif
+#if defined(GRID_RENDERER)
+    if (append_all || args.count(grid_renderer::name))
+    {
+        renderers.emplace_back(renderer<grid_renderer>(output_dir, reference_dir, overwrite));
+    }
+#endif
+
+    if (renderers.empty())
+    {
+        return create_renderers(args, output_dir, true);
+    }
+
+    return renderers;
+}
+
 int main(int argc, char** argv)
 {
-    using namespace visual_tests;
-    namespace po = boost::program_options;
-
     po::options_description desc("visual test runner");
     desc.add_options()
         ("help,h", "produce usage message")
@@ -68,6 +107,16 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv)
         ("log", po::value<std::string>()->default_value(std::find_if(log_levels.begin(), log_levels.end(),
              [](log_levels_map::value_type const & level) { return level.second == mapnik::logger::get_severity(); } )->first),
              "log level (debug, warn, error, none)")
+#endif
+        (agg_renderer::name, "render with AGG renderer")
+#if defined(HAVE_CAIRO)
+        (cairo_renderer::name, "render with Cairo renderer")
+#endif
+#if defined(SVG_RENDERER)
+        (svg_renderer::name, "render with SVG renderer")
+#endif
+#if defined(GRID_RENDERER)
+        (grid_renderer::name, "render with Grid renderer")
 #endif
         ;
 
@@ -108,12 +157,10 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv)
     }
 
     runner run(vm["styles-dir"].as<std::string>(),
-               output_dir,
-               vm["images-dir"].as<std::string>(),
-               vm.count("overwrite"),
                vm["iterations"].as<std::size_t>(),
                vm["limit"].as<std::size_t>(),
-               vm["jobs"].as<std::size_t>());
+               vm["jobs"].as<std::size_t>(),
+               create_renderers(vm, output_dir));
     bool show_duration = vm.count("duration");
     report_type report(vm.count("verbose") ? report_type((console_report(show_duration))) : report_type((console_short_report(show_duration))));
     result_list results;
diff --git a/test/visual/runner.cpp b/test/visual/runner.cpp
index a987d05d9..f8e8e4e1c 100644
--- a/test/visual/runner.cpp
+++ b/test/visual/runner.cpp
@@ -126,29 +126,15 @@ private:
 };
 
 runner::runner(runner::path_type const & styles_dir,
-               runner::path_type const & output_dir,
-               runner::path_type const & reference_dir,
-               bool overwrite,
                std::size_t iterations,
                std::size_t fail_limit,
-               std::size_t jobs)
+               std::size_t jobs,
+               runner::renderer_container const & renderers)
     : styles_dir_(styles_dir),
-      output_dir_(output_dir),
-      reference_dir_(reference_dir),
       jobs_(jobs),
       iterations_(iterations),
       fail_limit_(fail_limit),
-      renderers_{ renderer<agg_renderer>(output_dir_, reference_dir_, overwrite)
-#if defined(HAVE_CAIRO)
-                  ,renderer<cairo_renderer>(output_dir_, reference_dir_, overwrite)
-#endif
-#if defined(SVG_RENDERER)
-                  ,renderer<svg_renderer>(output_dir_, reference_dir_, overwrite)
-#endif
-#if defined(GRID_RENDERER)
-                  ,renderer<grid_renderer>(output_dir_, reference_dir_, overwrite)
-#endif
-                }
+      renderers_(renderers)
 {
 }
 
diff --git a/test/visual/runner.hpp b/test/visual/runner.hpp
index 65b19bb45..0461c03af 100644
--- a/test/visual/runner.hpp
+++ b/test/visual/runner.hpp
@@ -23,8 +23,6 @@
 #ifndef VISUAL_TEST_RUNNER_HPP
 #define VISUAL_TEST_RUNNER_HPP
 
-#include <mapnik/util/variant.hpp>
-
 #include "config.hpp"
 #include "report.hpp"
 #include "renderer.hpp"
@@ -35,28 +33,17 @@ namespace visual_tests
 
 class runner
 {
-    using renderer_type = mapnik::util::variant<renderer<agg_renderer>
-#if defined(HAVE_CAIRO)
-                                                ,renderer<cairo_renderer>
-#endif
-#if defined(SVG_RENDERER)
-                                                ,renderer<svg_renderer>
-#endif
-#if defined(GRID_RENDERER)
-                                                ,renderer<grid_renderer>
-#endif
-                                                >;
     using path_type = boost::filesystem::path;
     using files_iterator = std::vector<path_type>::const_iterator;
 
 public:
+    using renderer_container = std::vector<renderer_type>;
+
     runner(path_type const & styles_dir,
-           path_type const & output_dir,
-           path_type const & reference_dir,
-           bool overwrite,
            std::size_t iterations,
            std::size_t fail_limit,
-           std::size_t jobs);
+           std::size_t jobs,
+           renderer_container const & renderers);
 
     result_list test_all(report_type & report) const;
     result_list test(std::vector<std::string> const & style_names, report_type & report) const;
@@ -74,12 +61,10 @@ private:
 
     const map_sizes_grammar<std::string::const_iterator> map_sizes_parser_;
     const path_type styles_dir_;
-    const path_type output_dir_;
-    const path_type reference_dir_;
     const std::size_t jobs_;
     const std::size_t iterations_;
     const std::size_t fail_limit_;
-    const renderer_type renderers_[boost::mpl::size<renderer_type::types>::value];
+    const renderer_container renderers_;
 };
 
 }