Hey there photoshop pros

I know that most of retouching is self taught. I know that all of mine has been YEARS of trial and error. But going from decent re-toucher to magazine high fashion re-toucher seems to be an area that I'm just not able to reach on my own...

Do you guys have any suggestions on books, or websites or tutorials that are very good on learning to get to that next level of perfection that I'm seeking??

Thank you!!!

Bump.

I am looking for the same.

My list of recommended Photoshop books for photographers is here. It's very different than the ones I'd recommend to a graphic artist, but make a much better foundation for photo-imaging than most general photoshop books.

The linked page has reviews. Here are just the titles and authors.

Retouching
Photoshop Restoration and Retouching by Katrin Eismann & Wayne Palmer
Glitterguru on Photoshop: From Concept to Cool by Suzette Troche-Stapp
Commercial Photoshop Retouching: In the Studio by Glenn Honiball
Digital Retouching for Fashion, Beauty, and Portrait Photography in Photoshop CS3 by Gry Garness

The reality is that most 'high end' work doesn't require obscure techniques; it requires understanding of light and anatomy, and a higher level of skill for the execution. Good alternatives to Photoshop books and tutorials would be art books and tutorials, as well as good makeup guides.

What's generally not useful are cookbooks: books that contain only recipes and formulae without explanations as to why the values in the formula were chosen. Sadly, most Photoshop books on the market today are cookbooks--they're easier to write, and easier to follow, so they sell well. What they don't do is teach very much, and what they do teach tends to be very basic. (Fortunately, there'll be Yet Another cookbook coming out in a few more weeks... )

Perfect.  Thx for the info. 

Lynda.com is an absolutely amazing resource.
Like most things, it costs a bit ($25/month) and will take dedication and patience to get the most out of it... but if you're serious about learning, it's absolutely worth it!

anything by scott kelby, he writes it for photographers. You want this? here are the steps.
I still keep them close by for quick reference.

+1 for lynda.com

it helped my retouching immensely..i still have a long ways to go but it helped.

best way to learn in my opinion is to disect and examine the work u admire. download some images that u r going for. select various parts and study the histogram. by doing so u get an idea of how much balance u want to have of shadows, mid and high lights.