diff --git a/builtin-commit.c b/builtin-commit.c
index a65c2b8c37..0baec6db6a 100644
--- a/builtin-commit.c
+++ b/builtin-commit.c
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ static enum {
 
 static char *logfile, *force_author, *template_file;
 static char *edit_message, *use_message;
+static char *author_name, *author_email, *author_date;
 static int all, edit_flag, also, interactive, only, amend, signoff;
 static int quiet, verbose, untracked_files, no_verify, allow_empty;
 /*
@@ -397,6 +398,47 @@ static int is_a_merge(const unsigned char *sha1)
 
 static const char sign_off_header[] = "Signed-off-by: ";
 
+static void determine_author_info(void)
+{
+	char *name, *email, *date;
+
+	name = getenv("GIT_AUTHOR_NAME");
+	email = getenv("GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL");
+	date = getenv("GIT_AUTHOR_DATE");
+
+	if (use_message) {
+		const char *a, *lb, *rb, *eol;
+
+		a = strstr(use_message_buffer, "\nauthor ");
+		if (!a)
+			die("invalid commit: %s", use_message);
+
+		lb = strstr(a + 8, " <");
+		rb = strstr(a + 8, "> ");
+		eol = strchr(a + 8, '\n');
+		if (!lb || !rb || !eol)
+			die("invalid commit: %s", use_message);
+
+		name = xstrndup(a + 8, lb - (a + 8));
+		email = xstrndup(lb + 2, rb - (lb + 2));
+		date = xstrndup(rb + 2, eol - (rb + 2));
+	}
+
+	if (force_author) {
+		const char *lb = strstr(force_author, " <");
+		const char *rb = strchr(force_author, '>');
+
+		if (!lb || !rb)
+			die("malformed --author parameter");
+		name = xstrndup(force_author, lb - force_author);
+		email = xstrndup(lb + 2, rb - (lb + 2));
+	}
+
+	author_name = name;
+	author_email = email;
+	author_date = date;
+}
+
 static int prepare_to_commit(const char *index_file, const char *prefix)
 {
 	struct stat statbuf;
@@ -406,6 +448,7 @@ static int prepare_to_commit(const char *index_file, const char *prefix)
 	FILE *fp;
 	const char *hook_arg1 = NULL;
 	const char *hook_arg2 = NULL;
+	int ident_shown = 0;
 
 	if (!no_verify && run_hook(index_file, "pre-commit", NULL))
 		return 0;
@@ -485,7 +528,14 @@ static int prepare_to_commit(const char *index_file, const char *prefix)
 
 	strbuf_release(&sb);
 
+	determine_author_info();
+
+	/* This checks if committer ident is explicitly given */
+	git_committer_info(0);
 	if (use_editor) {
+		char *author_ident;
+		const char *committer_ident;
+
 		if (in_merge)
 			fprintf(fp,
 				"#\n"
@@ -508,6 +558,27 @@ static int prepare_to_commit(const char *index_file, const char *prefix)
 		if (only_include_assumed)
 			fprintf(fp, "# %s\n", only_include_assumed);
 
+		author_ident = xstrdup(fmt_name(author_name, author_email));
+		committer_ident = fmt_name(getenv("GIT_COMMITTER_NAME"),
+					   getenv("GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL"));
+		if (strcmp(author_ident, committer_ident))
+			fprintf(fp,
+				"%s"
+				"# Author:    %s\n",
+				ident_shown++ ? "" : "#\n",
+				author_ident);
+		free(author_ident);
+
+		if (!user_ident_explicitly_given)
+			fprintf(fp,
+				"%s"
+				"# Committer: %s\n",
+				ident_shown++ ? "" : "#\n",
+				committer_ident);
+
+		if (ident_shown)
+			fprintf(fp, "#\n");
+
 		saved_color_setting = wt_status_use_color;
 		wt_status_use_color = 0;
 		commitable = run_status(fp, index_file, prefix, 1);
@@ -624,45 +695,6 @@ static int message_is_empty(struct strbuf *sb, int start)
 	return 1;
 }
 
-static void determine_author_info(struct strbuf *sb)
-{
-	char *name, *email, *date;
-
-	name = getenv("GIT_AUTHOR_NAME");
-	email = getenv("GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL");
-	date = getenv("GIT_AUTHOR_DATE");
-
-	if (use_message) {
-		const char *a, *lb, *rb, *eol;
-
-		a = strstr(use_message_buffer, "\nauthor ");
-		if (!a)
-			die("invalid commit: %s", use_message);
-
-		lb = strstr(a + 8, " <");
-		rb = strstr(a + 8, "> ");
-		eol = strchr(a + 8, '\n');
-		if (!lb || !rb || !eol)
-			die("invalid commit: %s", use_message);
-
-		name = xstrndup(a + 8, lb - (a + 8));
-		email = xstrndup(lb + 2, rb - (lb + 2));
-		date = xstrndup(rb + 2, eol - (rb + 2));
-	}
-
-	if (force_author) {
-		const char *lb = strstr(force_author, " <");
-		const char *rb = strchr(force_author, '>');
-
-		if (!lb || !rb)
-			die("malformed --author parameter");
-		name = xstrndup(force_author, lb - force_author);
-		email = xstrndup(lb + 2, rb - (lb + 2));
-	}
-
-	strbuf_addf(sb, "author %s\n", fmt_ident(name, email, date, IDENT_ERROR_ON_NO_NAME));
-}
-
 static int parse_and_validate_options(int argc, const char *argv[],
 				      const char * const usage[])
 {
@@ -922,7 +954,8 @@ int cmd_commit(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		strbuf_addf(&sb, "parent %s\n", sha1_to_hex(head_sha1));
 	}
 
-	determine_author_info(&sb);
+	strbuf_addf(&sb, "author %s\n",
+		    fmt_ident(author_name, author_email, author_date, IDENT_ERROR_ON_NO_NAME));
 	strbuf_addf(&sb, "committer %s\n", git_committer_info(IDENT_ERROR_ON_NO_NAME));
 	if (!is_encoding_utf8(git_commit_encoding))
 		strbuf_addf(&sb, "encoding %s\n", git_commit_encoding);
diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index 9cee9a5f3f..093f04cec0 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -735,6 +735,7 @@ extern int config_error_nonbool(const char *);
 #define MAX_GITNAME (1000)
 extern char git_default_email[MAX_GITNAME];
 extern char git_default_name[MAX_GITNAME];
+extern int user_ident_explicitly_given;
 
 extern const char *git_commit_encoding;
 extern const char *git_log_output_encoding;
diff --git a/config.c b/config.c
index e42ada78f8..5195de10c9 100644
--- a/config.c
+++ b/config.c
@@ -448,6 +448,8 @@ int git_default_config(const char *var, const char *value)
 		if (!value)
 			return config_error_nonbool(var);
 		strlcpy(git_default_name, value, sizeof(git_default_name));
+		if (git_default_email[0])
+			user_ident_explicitly_given = 1;
 		return 0;
 	}
 
@@ -455,6 +457,8 @@ int git_default_config(const char *var, const char *value)
 		if (!value)
 			return config_error_nonbool(var);
 		strlcpy(git_default_email, value, sizeof(git_default_email));
+		if (git_default_name[0])
+			user_ident_explicitly_given = 1;
 		return 0;
 	}
 
diff --git a/environment.c b/environment.c
index 55c2527063..4fcb471248 100644
--- a/environment.c
+++ b/environment.c
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 
 char git_default_email[MAX_GITNAME];
 char git_default_name[MAX_GITNAME];
+int user_ident_explicitly_given;
 int trust_executable_bit = 1;
 int quote_path_fully = 1;
 int has_symlinks = 1;
diff --git a/ident.c b/ident.c
index ed44a5345a..b35504a8d2 100644
--- a/ident.c
+++ b/ident.c
@@ -250,6 +250,9 @@ const char *git_author_info(int flag)
 
 const char *git_committer_info(int flag)
 {
+	if (getenv("GIT_COMMITTER_NAME") &&
+	    getenv("GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL"))
+		user_ident_explicitly_given = 1;
 	return fmt_ident(getenv("GIT_COMMITTER_NAME"),
 			 getenv("GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL"),
 			 getenv("GIT_COMMITTER_DATE"),
diff --git a/t/t7502-commit.sh b/t/t7502-commit.sh
index 284c941247..018060c60f 100755
--- a/t/t7502-commit.sh
+++ b/t/t7502-commit.sh
@@ -154,6 +154,33 @@ test_expect_success 'cleanup commit messages (strip,-F,-e)' '
 
 '
 
+echo "#
+# Author:    $GIT_AUTHOR_NAME <$GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL>
+#" >> expect
+
+test_expect_success 'author different from committer' '
+
+	echo >>negative &&
+	git commit -e -m "sample"
+	head -n 7 .git/COMMIT_EDITMSG >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+sed -i '$d' expect
+echo "# Committer:
+#" >> expect
+unset GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL
+unset GIT_COMMITTER_NAME
+
+test_expect_success 'committer is automatic' '
+
+	echo >>negative &&
+	git commit -e -m "sample"
+	head -n 8 .git/COMMIT_EDITMSG |	\
+	sed "s/^# Committer: .*/# Committer:/" >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
 pwd=`pwd`
 cat >> .git/FAKE_EDITOR << EOF
 #! /bin/sh