Q: Restoring photos to DCIM folder

Well, the comments that said use iExplorer were apparently bad advice. If you deleted the copies in the DCIM folder you have deleted your photos. All that's left is the database that indexed them (photos.sqlite), but not the actual image files. So they still show up in the database, but there's nothing there when you try to open them. If you didn't transfer them to your computer or back them up they are gone.

I am a photography enthusiast and unfortunately the comments above by Lawrence are correct. They are gone. Hindsight as they say is 20/20 - what should have been done is to indeed look at the DCIM folder (or folders  as sometimes there are several), then copy the photos to your computer or to a flash drive or some other external device or service and then after that (and only after one has verified that they have been copied and you can open them from there), then delete them from the DCIM folder. Sorry for the bad news....

What did the iExplorer developers tell you about how they screw up the iOS file system, particularly when you jailbroke the phone to access the root directory? 

The one part of that that I disagree with is deleting them from the DCIM folder. Doing so does not deleted them from the index, so you end up with a screwed up image database table. You should only delete images using an import utility (such as Image Transfer) or by deleting them using the Select and Delete buttons in the Photos or Camera app on the phone.

Lawrence, from your profile you are using Macs to do this. While I have a rMBP (actually typing on it now) I use a PC for my main work. You are probably correct for Macs (no disagreement from me) however since many or most are still on Windows the procedure I outlined works with PCs and works well. I alway connect my iPhone (and my Canon and Nikon cameras) to my PC, open up the Windows File Manager and the cameras or the iPhone show up on the file structure (iPhone only if it has pictures in Camera Roll). After I copy them to the My Pictures folder I delete them from either the camera card or the iPhone. Never a problem in Windows, maybe so in a Mac. I have Adobe Photoshop on my PC and have used other importing systems but I prefer the method I use because it gives me the most flexibility with the pictures. I can open and copy them as I want, even sort them by ISO or f/stops, etc. under the Windows File Manager.

Regards,

With iOS 8 using Windows Explorer is not a good way to import photos, as Apple has created a complex structure of multiple DCIM folders to support on-device editing, and has also added metadata files (type .AAE) that contain edits to the photos, which appear in Windows Explorer as "local disks". Microsoft's recommended way to import photos, from Windows Help, is:

How do I get pictures from my camera to my computer?

Here's one common way to copy pictures and video clips from your digital camera to your computer:

1. Connect the camera to your computer by using the camera's USB cable.
2. Turn on the camera.
3. In the AutoPlay dialog box that appears, click Import pictures and videos using Windows.
4. (Optional) To tag the pictures, type a tag name in the Tag these pictures (optional) box.
5. By default, the folder name includes the date the pictures and videos are imported and the tag name.
6. Click Import.
7. A new window opens and shows the imported pictures and videos.

I use both Macs and Windows, and I've never used Windows Explorer to import photos. For my iPhone I use Google Picasa, and for my Nikon DSLR I use Nikon's own photo management package, ViewNX 2.

See also: What to expect when you import edited photos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to your Mac or PC - Apple Support

and: Copying personal photos and videos from iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your computer

Thanks for your comments, Lawrence. I guess that is why the make cars in different colors, each user has his own preference. I have tried Picasa, PS, and the Windows method you describe as well as the Canon and Nikon services. I use PS all the time to edit pictures but have never liked its own importing and cataloging service nor any of the others I have tried (for editing I have yet to find anything better than Photoshop, even tried Pixelmator which is pretty good but no PS). I have never had any issues with metadata, in fact I can edit my metadata pretty much as I chose. In summary, I like my Silver Honda, you may prefer it in a different color. Regards and thanks again...