diff --git a/bookwyrm/management/commands/generate_preview_images.py b/bookwyrm/management/commands/generate_preview_images.py
index 754f6e9a..28ea1c0c 100644
--- a/bookwyrm/management/commands/generate_preview_images.py
+++ b/bookwyrm/management/commands/generate_preview_images.py
@@ -6,44 +6,52 @@ from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand
 from bookwyrm import activitystreams, models, settings, preview_images
 
 
-def generate_preview_images():
-    """generate preview images"""
-    print("   | Hello! I will be generating preview images for your instance.")
-    print(
-        "🧑‍🎨 ⎨ This might take quite long if your instance has a lot of books and users."
-    )
-    print("   | ✧ Thank you for your patience ✧")
-
-    # Site
-    sys.stdout.write("   → Site preview image: ")
-    preview_images.generate_site_preview_image_task()
-    sys.stdout.write(" OK 🖼\n")
-
-    # Users
-    users = models.User.objects.filter(
-        local=True,
-        is_active=True,
-    )
-    sys.stdout.write("   → User preview images ({}): ".format(len(users)))
-    for user in users:
-        preview_images.generate_user_preview_image_task(user.id)
-        sys.stdout.write(".")
-    sys.stdout.write(" OK 🖼\n")
-
-    # Books
-    books = models.Book.objects.select_subclasses().filter()
-    sys.stdout.write("   → Book preview images ({}): ".format(len(books)))
-    for book in books:
-        preview_images.generate_edition_preview_image_task(book.id)
-        sys.stdout.write(".")
-    sys.stdout.write(" OK 🖼\n")
-
-    print("🧑‍🎨 ⎨ I’m all done! ✧ Enjoy ✧")
-
-
 class Command(BaseCommand):
     help = "Generate preview images"
+
+    def add_arguments(self, parser):
+        parser.add_argument('--all', '-a', action="store_true", help="Generates images for ALL types: site, users and books. Can use a lot of computing power.")
+
     # pylint: disable=no-self-use,unused-argument
     def handle(self, *args, **options):
-        """run feed builder"""
-        generate_preview_images()
+        """generate preview images"""
+        self.stdout.write("   | Hello! I will be generating preview images for your instance.")
+        if options['all']:
+            self.stdout.write(
+                "🧑‍🎨 ⎨ This might take quite long if your instance has a lot of books and users."
+            )
+            self.stdout.write("   | ✧ Thank you for your patience ✧")
+        else:
+            self.stdout.write(
+                "🧑‍🎨 ⎨ I will only generate the instance preview image."
+            )            
+            self.stdout.write("   | ✧ Be right back! ✧")
+
+        # Site
+        self.stdout.write("   → Site preview image: ", ending='')
+        preview_images.generate_site_preview_image_task.delay()
+        self.stdout.write(" OK 🖼")
+
+        if options['all']:
+            # Users
+            users = models.User.objects.filter(
+                local=True,
+                is_active=True,
+            )
+            self.stdout.write("   → User preview images ({}): ".format(len(users)), ending='')
+            for user in users:
+                preview_images.generate_user_preview_image_task.delay(user.id)
+                self.stdout.write(".", ending='')
+            self.stdout.write(" OK 🖼")
+
+            # Books
+            books = models.Book.objects.select_subclasses().filter()
+            self.stdout.write("   → Book preview images ({}): ".format(len(books)), ending='')
+            for book in books:
+                preview_images.generate_edition_preview_image_task.delay(book.id)
+                self.stdout.write(".", ending='')
+            self.stdout.write(" OK 🖼")
+
+        self.stdout.write("🧑‍🎨 ⎨ I’m all done! ✧ Enjoy ✧")
+
+
diff --git a/bw-dev b/bw-dev
index 95681b11..5ef049f1 100755
--- a/bw-dev
+++ b/bw-dev
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ case "$CMD" in
         runweb python manage.py populate_streams
         ;;
     generate_preview_images)
-        runweb python manage.py generate_preview_images
+        runweb python manage.py generate_preview_images $@
         ;;
     *)
         echo "Unrecognised command. Try: build, clean, up, initdb, resetdb, makemigrations, migrate, bash, shell, dbshell, restart_celery, test, pytest, test_report, black, populate_feeds, generate_preview_images"