diff --git a/color.go b/color.go
index da41997..a1e6b63 100644
--- a/color.go
+++ b/color.go
@@ -1,36 +1,85 @@
 package main
 
-import "github.com/fatih/color"
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/fatih/color"
+)
 
 var colorCache = map[string]*color.Color{}
 
-func makeColor(name string) (c *color.Color) {
+func makeColor(colorSpec string) (c *color.Color) {
 	// caching
-	if c, ok := colorCache[name]; ok {
+	if c, ok := colorCache[colorSpec]; ok {
 		return c
 	}
-	defer func() { colorCache[name] = c }()
+	defer func() { colorCache[colorSpec] = c }()
+
+	splits := strings.Split(colorSpec, ",")
+	name := strings.TrimSpace(splits[0])
+
+	c = color.New()
 
 	switch name {
 	case "black":
-		return color.New(color.FgBlack)
+		c.Add(color.FgBlack)
 	case "red":
-		return color.New(color.FgRed)
+		c.Add(color.FgRed)
 	case "green":
-		return color.New(color.FgGreen)
+		c.Add(color.FgGreen)
 	case "yellow":
-		return color.New(color.FgYellow)
+		c.Add(color.FgYellow)
 	case "blue":
-		return color.New(color.FgBlue)
+		c.Add(color.FgBlue)
 	case "magenta":
-		return color.New(color.FgMagenta)
+		c.Add(color.FgMagenta)
 	case "cyan":
-		return color.New(color.FgCyan)
+		c.Add(color.FgCyan)
 	case "white":
-		return color.New(color.FgWhite)
+		c.Add(color.FgWhite)
 	case "":
-		return color.New()
 	default:
 		panic("unknown color name. valid color names: black, red, green, yellow, blue, magenta, cyan, white")
 	}
+
+	if len(splits) >= 2 {
+		attr := splits[1]
+
+		switch attr {
+		case "bold":
+			fmt.Println("bold")
+			c.Add(color.Bold)
+		case "faint":
+			fmt.Println("faint")
+			c.Add(color.Faint)
+		case "italic":
+			fmt.Println("italic")
+			c.Add(color.Italic)
+		case "underline":
+			fmt.Println("underline")
+			c.Add(color.Underline)
+		case "blink_slow":
+			fmt.Println("blink_slow")
+			c.Add(color.BlinkSlow)
+		case "blink_rapid":
+			fmt.Println("blink_rapid")
+			c.Add(color.BlinkRapid)
+		case "reverse_video":
+			fmt.Println("reverse_video")
+			c.Add(color.ReverseVideo)
+		case "concealed":
+			fmt.Println("concealed")
+			c.Add(color.Concealed)
+		case "crossed_out":
+			fmt.Println("crossed_out")
+			c.Add(color.CrossedOut)
+		case "":
+			fmt.Println("")
+		default:
+			panic("unknown attribute. valid attributes: bold, faint, italic, underline, blink_slow, blink_rapid, reverse_video, concealed, crossed_out")
+		}
+	}
+
+	return c
 }
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index d4855dd..8c237a0 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ import (
 	"github.com/fatih/color"
 )
 
+const (
+	DefaultOutput = "{0}"
+)
+
 var (
 	// regex with sub groups
 	input = flag.String("i", `^(.|\n)*?$`, "input pattern")
@@ -36,7 +40,7 @@ var (
 	//
 	// The following number mutators (integers and floats) are allowed:
 	// + - * / ^ %
-	output = flag.String("o", "{0}", "output pattern")
+	output = flag.String("o", DefaultOutput, "output pattern")
 
 	// don't ignore lines which do not match against input.
 	// they will be copied without any changes
@@ -60,19 +64,19 @@ func main() {
 		panic(err)
 	}
 
-	matchesWholeLine := strings.HasPrefix(*input, "^") && strings.HasSuffix(*input, "$")
+	reformatting := strings.HasPrefix(*input, "^") && strings.HasSuffix(*input, "$") && *output != DefaultOutput
 
-	if matchesWholeLine {
+	if reformatting {
 		escapedOutput := EscSeqReplacer.Replace(*output)
-		handleWholeLineRegex(pattern, escapedOutput)
+		reformatLine(pattern, escapedOutput)
 	} else {
-		handleInlineRegex(pattern)
+		colorCodeMatches(pattern)
 	}
 }
 
-// handleWholeLineRegex is using input pattern ot replace
+// reformatLine is using input pattern to replace
 // placeholders in output pattern with the given subgroups
-func handleWholeLineRegex(pattern *regexp.Regexp, output string) {
+func reformatLine(pattern *regexp.Regexp, output string) {
 	for line := range readLines(os.Stdin) {
 		matches := pattern.FindStringSubmatch(line)
 		if len(matches) == 0 {
@@ -85,9 +89,9 @@ func handleWholeLineRegex(pattern *regexp.Regexp, output string) {
 	}
 }
 
-// handleInlineRegex is using input pattern
+// colorCodeMatches is using input pattern
 // and color-codes all matches within input
-func handleInlineRegex(pattern *regexp.Regexp) {
+func colorCodeMatches(pattern *regexp.Regexp) {
 	c := color.New(color.FgRed, color.Bold)
 	for line := range readLines(os.Stdin) {
 		matches := pattern.FindAllStringIndex(line, -1)