diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 03e178e..0abdb43 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ npm-debug.log*
 
 # Compiled files
 dist
+src/**/*.js
+tests/**/*.js
 
 # Extracted strings
 strings.json
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index d7dbc38..8738545 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -107,6 +107,12 @@
         "any-observable": "^0.3.0"
       }
     },
+    "@types/braces": {
+      "version": "3.0.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@types/braces/-/braces-3.0.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-TbH79tcyi9FHwbyboOKeRachRq63mSuWYXOflsNO9ZyE5ClQ/JaozNKl+aWUq87qPNsXasXxi2AbgfwIJ+8GQw==",
+      "dev": true
+    },
     "@types/chai": {
       "version": "4.2.10",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@types/chai/-/chai-4.2.10.tgz",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 24cd5fa..a6d863f 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@
   },
   "config": {},
   "devDependencies": {
+    "@types/braces": "^3.0.0",
     "@types/chai": "^4.2.10",
     "@types/flat": "^5.0.0",
     "@types/glob": "^7.1.1",
@@ -68,6 +69,7 @@
     "@types/mocha": "^7.0.2",
     "@types/node": "^12.12.29",
     "@types/yargs": "^15.0.4",
+    "braces": "^3.0.2",
     "chai": "^4.2.0",
     "husky": "^4.2.3",
     "lint-staged": "^10.0.8",
diff --git a/src/cli/cli.ts b/src/cli/cli.ts
index e07e065..571ffae 100755
--- a/src/cli/cli.ts
+++ b/src/cli/cli.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import * as fs from 'fs';
 import * as yargs from 'yargs';
 
 import { ExtractTask } from './tasks/extract.task';
@@ -14,9 +13,22 @@ import { NullAsDefaultValuePostProcessor } from '../post-processors/null-as-defa
 import { PurgeObsoleteKeysPostProcessor } from '../post-processors/purge-obsolete-keys.post-processor';
 import { CompilerInterface } from '../compilers/compiler.interface';
 import { CompilerFactory } from '../compilers/compiler.factory';
+import { normalizePaths } from '../utils/fs-helpers';
 import { donateMessage } from '../utils/donate';
 
-export const cli = yargs
+// First parsing pass to be able to access pattern argument for use input/output arguments
+const y = yargs
+	.option('patterns', {
+		alias: 'p',
+		describe: 'Default patterns',
+		type: 'array',
+		default: ['/**/*.html', '/**/*.ts'],
+		hidden: true
+	});
+
+const parsed = y.parse();
+
+export const cli = y
 	.usage('Extract strings from files for translation.\nUsage: $0 [options]')
 	.version(require(__dirname + '/../../package.json').version)
 	.alias('version', 'v')
@@ -30,19 +42,9 @@ export const cli = yargs
 		normalize: true,
 		required: true
 	})
-	.check(options => {
-		options.input.forEach((dir: string) => {
-			if (!fs.existsSync(dir) || !fs.statSync(dir).isDirectory()) {
-				throw new Error(`The path you supplied was not found: '${dir}'`);
-			}
-		});
-		return true;
-	})
-	.option('patterns', {
-		alias: 'p',
-		describe: 'Extract strings from the following file patterns',
-		type: 'array',
-		default: ['/**/*.html', '/**/*.ts']
+	.coerce('input', (input: string[]) => {
+		const paths = normalizePaths(input, parsed.patterns);
+		return paths;
 	})
 	.option('output', {
 		alias: 'o',
@@ -51,16 +53,20 @@ export const cli = yargs
 		normalize: true,
 		required: true
 	})
+	.coerce('output', (output: string[]) => {
+		const paths = normalizePaths(output, parsed.patterns);
+		return paths;
+	})
 	.option('format', {
 		alias: 'f',
-		describe: 'Output format',
+		describe: 'Format',
 		default: 'json',
 		type: 'string',
 		choices: ['json', 'namespaced-json', 'pot']
 	})
 	.option('format-indentation', {
 		alias: 'fi',
-		describe: 'Output format indentation',
+		describe: 'Format indentation (JSON/Namedspaced JSON)',
 		default: '\t',
 		type: 'string'
 	})
@@ -71,31 +77,39 @@ export const cli = yargs
 	})
 	.option('sort', {
 		alias: 's',
-		describe: 'Sort strings in alphabetical order when saving',
+		describe: 'Sort strings in alphabetical order',
 		type: 'boolean'
 	})
 	.option('clean', {
 		alias: 'c',
-		describe: 'Remove obsolete strings when merging',
+		describe: 'Remove obsolete strings after merge',
 		type: 'boolean'
 	})
 	.option('key-as-default-value', {
 		alias: 'k',
-		describe: 'Use key as default value for translations',
+		describe: 'Use key as default value',
 		type: 'boolean'
 	})
 	.option('null-as-default-value', {
 		alias: 'n',
-		describe: 'Use null as default value for translations',
+		describe: 'Use null as default value',
 		type: 'boolean'
 	})
+	.group(['format', 'format-indentation', 'sort', 'clean'], 'Output')
+	.group(['key-as-default-value', 'null-as-default-value'], 'Default value (defaults to empty string)')
 	.conflicts('key-as-default-value', 'null-as-default-value')
+	.example(`$0 -i ./src-a/ -i ./src-b/ -o strings.json`, 'Extract (ts, html) from multiple paths')
+	.example(`$0 -i './{src-a,src-b}/' -o strings.json`, 'Extract (ts, html) from multiple paths using brace expansion')
+	.example(`$0 -i ./src/ -o ./i18n/da.json -o ./i18n/en.json`, 'Extract (ts, html) and save to da.json+en.json')
+	.example(`$0 -i ./src/ -o './i18n/{en,da}.json'`, 'Extract (ts, html) and save to da.json+en.json using brace expansion')
+	.example(`$0 -i './src/**/*.{ts,tsx,html}' -o strings.json`, 'Extract from ts, tsx and html')
+	.example(`$0 -i './src/**/!(*.spec).{ts,html}' -o strings.json`, 'Extract from ts, html, excluding files with ".spec" in filename')
+	.wrap(110)
 	.exitProcess(true)
 	.parse(process.argv);
 
 const extractTask = new ExtractTask(cli.input, cli.output, {
-	replace: cli.replace,
-	patterns: cli.patterns
+	replace: cli.replace
 });
 
 // Parsers
diff --git a/src/cli/tasks/extract.task.ts b/src/cli/tasks/extract.task.ts
index a0ecf63..2807b99 100644
--- a/src/cli/tasks/extract.task.ts
+++ b/src/cli/tasks/extract.task.ts
@@ -12,13 +12,11 @@ import * as mkdirp from 'mkdirp';
 
 export interface ExtractTaskOptionsInterface {
 	replace?: boolean;
-	patterns?: string[];
 }
 
 export class ExtractTask implements TaskInterface {
 	protected options: ExtractTaskOptionsInterface = {
-		replace: false,
-		patterns: []
+		replace: false
 	};
 
 	protected parsers: ParserInterface[] = [];
@@ -100,8 +98,8 @@ export class ExtractTask implements TaskInterface {
 	 */
 	protected extract(): TranslationCollection {
 		let collection: TranslationCollection = new TranslationCollection();
-		this.inputs.forEach(dir => {
-			this.readDir(dir, this.options.patterns).forEach(filePath => {
+		this.inputs.forEach(pattern => {
+			this.getFiles(pattern).forEach(filePath => {
 				this.out(dim('- %s'), filePath);
 				const contents: string = fs.readFileSync(filePath, 'utf-8');
 				this.parsers.forEach(parser => {
@@ -138,15 +136,12 @@ export class ExtractTask implements TaskInterface {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Get all files in dir matching patterns
+	 * Get all files matching pattern
 	 */
-	protected readDir(dir: string, patterns: string[]): string[] {
-		return patterns.reduce((results, pattern) => {
-			return glob
-				.sync(dir + pattern)
-				.filter(filePath => fs.statSync(filePath).isFile())
-				.concat(results);
-		}, []);
+	protected getFiles(pattern: string): string[] {
+		return glob
+			.sync(pattern)
+			.filter(filePath => fs.statSync(filePath).isFile());
 	}
 
 	protected out(...args: any[]): void {
diff --git a/src/utils/fs-helpers.ts b/src/utils/fs-helpers.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8c392b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/fs-helpers.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import * as os from 'os';
+import * as fs from 'fs';
+import * as braces from 'braces';
+
+export function normalizeHomeDir(path: string): string {
+	if (path.substring(0, 1) === '~') {
+		return `${os.homedir()}/${path.substring(1)}`;
+	}
+	return path;
+}
+
+export function expandPattern(pattern: string): string[] {
+	return braces(pattern, { expand: true });
+}
+
+export function normalizePaths(patterns: string[], defaultPatterns: string[] = []): string[] {
+	return patterns.map(pattern =>
+		expandPattern(pattern).map(path => {
+			path = normalizeHomeDir(path);
+			if (fs.existsSync(path) && fs.statSync(path).isDirectory()) {
+				return defaultPatterns.map(defaultPattern => path + defaultPattern);
+			}
+			return path;
+		}).flat()
+	).flat();
+}