Many commercially released video DVDs are dual layer (8.5 GB); DVD Shrink can make a shrunk copy which will fit on a single-layer (4.7 GB) writeable DVD, processing the video with some loss of quality and allowing the user to discard unwanted content such as foreign-language soundtracks.

When "Deep Analysis" and "Adaptive Error Compensation" options are selected, the quality of the resulting DVD is improved.

In "Full Disk" mode, DVD Shrink allows the user to make a functionally identical backup copy without changes; alternatively random audio/subtitle streams can be deselected.

Sections of the DVD, such as unwanted messages or logos/titles, can be replaced with still images, saving disk space for the Main Title.

In either mode, the program has options to facilitate the stripping of the CSS copy protection, User operation prohibition (prohibiting skipping over previews or "FBI Warnings" and so on), and also allows the copy to be either made region-free (the default setting) or set for any region code.

Extra software (such as AnyDVD, AVS Video Converter, or DVD Decrypter) may be required to remove more recent forms of copy protection such as Macrovision Ripguard.

[citation needed] It can however automatically pass the burning job to either Nero (version 7 or lower), DVD Decrypter or CopyToDVD as long as these programs are installed.

DVD Shrink also gives the alternative option of transferring selected sections as a series of stills, which acts as a high-compression "placeholder" for the original.

Recent events (increase in processor speed, lower cost terabyte disk storage, RAID drive functionality, etc.)

have made it easier to store the ISO files directly to hard drive, in effect creating large-scale DVD media servers.

Playback of these ISO files can be done directly on a network connected computer running a virtual DVD ROM emulator (like Daemon Tools Lite), or even through open source media systems (like XBMC).