Quickly access the properties of selected items (Illustrator CS2/CS3/CS4)

Beginning with Illustrator version CS2, Adobe added a convenient Control panel to Illustrator’s interface. This panel’s look and feel is similar to the Control panel that made its first appearance in Adobe InDesign. Illustrator’s Control panel provides quick access to settings, such as fill colors, stroke colors, stroke width, opacity, and style (just to name a few). The Control panel reflects the options suitable for the item selected, and displays different options depending on the selection.

Before you toggle between numerous panels, check out the Control panel. It often provides the settings you need without the unnecessary time-consuming hunting for a specific panel.