how do i crop a center section OUT of a picture with photoshop elements 5.0?

Question

using the crop tool, i can define the area i want to crop out (think of it as panel b if you divided the image into 3 sections, ie, panels a, b, c), but i can't crop it OUT, i can only crop it IN. i want to crop it OUT and only preserve panels a and c, merging them into one image. (if i go to the 'select' menu, 'inverse' is grayed out.)

using the marquee tool and then deleting just leaves a blank space -- i want the area cropped out and the remaining two areas merged together.

first 2 answers received have not resolved the problem

Answer 1

I've never used elements, only CS...but is there a marquee tool in elements? You can set it to rectangular marquee and use that to define a selection and then just hit cut (ctrl-x) or delete and it will remove that section.

Answer 2

Okay. Marquee and delete the center section. THEN, marquee and drag the other section until it is where you want it to be. Drag by holding down a button on your mouse and that's it. If you hold down the shift key while you drag, it will drag in a straight line so alignment will be much easier.