diff --git a/opm/autodiff/FlowMainEbos.hpp b/opm/autodiff/FlowMainEbos.hpp
index 730b5ffbb..e0a5c30be 100755
--- a/opm/autodiff/FlowMainEbos.hpp
+++ b/opm/autodiff/FlowMainEbos.hpp
@@ -63,6 +63,15 @@ namespace Opm
     // The FlowMain class is the ebos based black-oil simulator.
     class FlowMainEbos
     {
+        enum FileOutputValue{
+            //! \brief No output to files.
+            OUTPUT_NONE = 0,
+            //! \brief Output only to log files, no eclipse output.
+            OUTPUT_LOG_ONLY = 1,
+            //! \brief Output to all files.
+            OUTPUT_ALL = 3
+        };
+
     public:
         typedef TTAG(EclFlowProblem) TypeTag;
         typedef typename GET_PROP(TypeTag, MaterialLaw)::EclMaterialLawManager MaterialLawManager;
@@ -231,7 +240,26 @@ namespace Opm
         // Throws std::runtime_error if failed to create (if requested) output dir.
         void setupOutput()
         {
-            output_to_files_ = output_cout_ && param_.getDefault("output", true);
+            const std::string output = param_.getDefault("output", std::string("all"));
+            static std::map<std::string, FileOutputValue> string2OutputEnum =
+                { {"none", OUTPUT_NONE },
+                  {"false", OUTPUT_LOG_ONLY },
+                  {"log", OUTPUT_LOG_ONLY },
+                  {"all" , OUTPUT_ALL },
+                  {"true" , OUTPUT_ALL }};
+            auto converted = string2OutputEnum.find(output);
+            if ( converted != string2OutputEnum.end() )
+            {
+                output_ = string2OutputEnum[output];
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                std::cerr << "Value " << output <<
+                    " passed to option output was invalid. Using \"all\" instead."
+                          << std::endl;
+            }
+
+            output_to_files_ = output_cout_ && output_ > OUTPUT_NONE;
 
             // Setup output directory.
             auto& ioConfig = eclState().getIOConfig();
@@ -281,15 +309,25 @@ namespace Opm
             logFileStream << ".PRT";
             debugFileStream << ".DEBUG";
 
-            std::string debugFile = debugFileStream.str();
             logFile_ = logFileStream.str();
 
-            std::shared_ptr<EclipsePRTLog> prtLog = std::make_shared<EclipsePRTLog>(logFile_ , Log::NoDebugMessageTypes, false, output_cout_);
+            if( output_ > OUTPUT_NONE)
+            {
+                std::shared_ptr<EclipsePRTLog> prtLog = std::make_shared<EclipsePRTLog>(logFile_ , Log::NoDebugMessageTypes, false, output_cout_);
+                OpmLog::addBackend( "ECLIPSEPRTLOG" , prtLog );
+                prtLog->setMessageLimiter(std::make_shared<MessageLimiter>());
+                prtLog->setMessageFormatter(std::make_shared<SimpleMessageFormatter>(false));
+            }
+
+            if( output_ >= OUTPUT_LOG_ONLY && !param_.getDefault("no_debug_log", false) )
+            {
+                std::string debugFile = debugFileStream.str();
+                std::shared_ptr<StreamLog> debugLog = std::make_shared<EclipsePRTLog>(debugFile, Log::DefaultMessageTypes, false, output_cout_);
+                OpmLog::addBackend( "DEBUGLOG" ,  debugLog);
+            }
+
             std::shared_ptr<StreamLog> streamLog = std::make_shared<StreamLog>(std::cout, Log::StdoutMessageTypes);
-            OpmLog::addBackend( "ECLIPSEPRTLOG" , prtLog );
             OpmLog::addBackend( "STREAMLOG", streamLog);
-            std::shared_ptr<StreamLog> debugLog = std::make_shared<EclipsePRTLog>(debugFile, Log::DefaultMessageTypes, false, output_cout_);
-            OpmLog::addBackend( "DEBUGLOG" ,  debugLog);
             const auto& msgLimits = eclState().getSchedule().getMessageLimits();
             const std::map<int64_t, int> limits = {{Log::MessageType::Note, msgLimits.getCommentPrintLimit(0)},
                                                    {Log::MessageType::Info, msgLimits.getMessagePrintLimit(0)},
@@ -297,8 +335,6 @@ namespace Opm
                                                    {Log::MessageType::Error, msgLimits.getErrorPrintLimit(0)},
                                                    {Log::MessageType::Problem, msgLimits.getProblemPrintLimit(0)},
                                                    {Log::MessageType::Bug, msgLimits.getBugPrintLimit(0)}};
-            prtLog->setMessageLimiter(std::make_shared<MessageLimiter>());
-            prtLog->setMessageFormatter(std::make_shared<SimpleMessageFormatter>(false));
             streamLog->setMessageLimiter(std::make_shared<MessageLimiter>(10, limits));
             streamLog->setMessageFormatter(std::make_shared<SimpleMessageFormatter>(true));
 
@@ -548,7 +584,7 @@ namespace Opm
 
         void writeInit()
         {
-            bool output      = param_.getDefault("output", true);
+            bool output      = ( output_ > OUTPUT_LOG_ONLY );
             bool output_ecl  = param_.getDefault("output_ecl", true);
             if( output && output_ecl && grid().comm().rank() == 0 )
             {
@@ -881,6 +917,7 @@ namespace Opm
         std::unique_ptr<EbosSimulator> ebosSimulator_;
         int  mpi_rank_ = 0;
         bool output_cout_ = false;
+        FileOutputValue output_ = OUTPUT_ALL;
         bool must_distribute_ = false;
         ParameterGroup param_;
         bool output_to_files_ = false;
diff --git a/opm/autodiff/SimulatorFullyImplicitBlackoilOutput.hpp b/opm/autodiff/SimulatorFullyImplicitBlackoilOutput.hpp
index b58eb30c5..23afbe832 100644
--- a/opm/autodiff/SimulatorFullyImplicitBlackoilOutput.hpp
+++ b/opm/autodiff/SimulatorFullyImplicitBlackoilOutput.hpp
@@ -338,7 +338,12 @@ namespace Opm
                          const Opm::EclipseState& eclipseState,
                          std::unique_ptr<EclipseIO>&& eclIO,
                          const Opm::PhaseUsage &phaseUsage)
-      : output_( param.getDefault("output", true) ),
+        : output_( [ &param ] () -> bool {
+                // If output parameter is true or all, then we do output
+                const std::string outputString = param.getDefault("output", std::string("all"));
+                return ( outputString == "all" ||  outputString == "true" );
+            }()
+            ),
         parallelOutput_( output_ ? new ParallelDebugOutput< Grid >( grid, eclipseState, phaseUsage.num_phases, phaseUsage ) : 0 ),
         outputDir_( eclipseState.getIOConfig().getOutputDir() ),
         restart_double_si_( output_ ? param.getDefault("restart_double_si", false) : false ),