What does the visibility property do in CSS?

The visibility property in CSS is specifically designed to control whether an element is visible or hidden on the webpage while still maintaining its space in the layout. When an element's visibility is set to "hidden," it will no longer be rendered visibly on the screen, but it will still occupy the same space in the document flow as if it were visible. This can be particularly useful when you want to hide elements without disrupting the layout of other elements around them.

In contrast, the other properties mentioned do not align with the function of visibility. The control of an element's position pertains to properties like margin, padding, or positioning methods (absolute, relative, etc.). Changing color relates to the color or background-color properties. Adding a shadow effect involves using the box-shadow property. Each of these options reflects different functionalities within CSS that are distinct from the purpose of the visibility property.