$image->Read(file=>\*IMAGE) || die "Unable to read image: $!";
[download]

According to my docs, that should be:

{ my $result = $image->Read(file => \*IMAGE);
  die $result if $result;
}
[download]

Perhaps another pass over the manual would be useful, since your code is quite different from anything I've ever seen in the docs. No results are ever returned in $!.

-- Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker